JUST WHEN I THOUGHT IT WAS ABOUT THE SAILING

America’s Cup: Kiwis take official’s cheating claim to Cup jury

5:30 AM Tuesday Sep 17, 2013

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The claims were made about Team NZ’s radio system connected to Ray Davies. Photo / Gilles Martin-Raget

Emirates Team New Zealand are taking action against Golden Gate Yacht Club vice-commodore Tom Ehman under the same regulations that saw the America’s Cup international jury penalise Oracle Team USA two points in the cheating saga.

Ehman made his own veiled claims of cheating to a journalist from the Independent in London. But Team NZ have rejected the claim and were preparing an application to the jury under the same Article 60 of the protocol (bringing the Cup into disrepute) and Rule 69 of the rules of sailing (gross misconduct) as were taken against Oracle.

Golden Gate is the club hosting the defence of the America’s Cup on behalf of holders Oracle. Ehman (who is also director of external affairs for the America’s Cup Events Authority) complained of Team NZ’s radio system connecting to tactician Ray Davies and said Oracle did not have the same thing.

He reproduced a quote first used by America’s Cup icon Dennis Conner in 1986 (he was complaining that New Zealand’s “plastic fantastic” fibreglass yacht was cheating and said, “Why would you [build in fibreglass] if you didn’t want to [cheat]).” All the other yachts were made of aluminium.

Asked if he knew what he was saying in using the same quote, Ehman told the Independent: “Yes.”

Regatta director Iain Murray told the newspaper he had inquired into the allegations and felt Team NZ were not cheating. Both teams had radio systems that connected to their boats but they had to be turned off during the race and couldn’t be used again until the race was called off.

Oracle’s original complaint, from rules adviser Richard Slater, alleged that coach Rod Davis had communicated with tactician Ray Davies while a race was still in progress. But radio contact was initiated only after race director Harold Bennett could not contact the boat to advise that Race 9 had been called off on Sunday for excessive wind. Team NZ chief Kevin Shoebridge, not Davis, then relayed the message.

That led Oracle to question the Kiwis’ use of the system, querying whether it was in breach. However, Ehman’s claims went further than that, with the veiled reference to cheating, and Team NZ decided to take the matter to the jury.

Just when I thought that it was all about the sailing. I do not believe that this will amount to anything; but what do I know?

SUMMER IN REVIEW

It is hard to believe that summer is drawing to a close. Equally hard to choose representative photographs from the summer’s adventure. There were adventures within the adventures. We met so many interesting people; as I have said before, everyone has a story worth hearing. The days are noticeably shorter and cooler in the mornings. The dog days of summer seem already so far away.

RACES 9 & 10 AMERICA’S CUP

E SCOWS

The America’s Cup score stands at 7 to 1 in favor of the New Zealand team. Oracle seems to have found another gear.

Melges Rocks – 2013 E Scow National Championship from Penalty Box Productions on Vimeo.

I GOT MY FIRST TASTE OF “E” SCOWS sailing with Henry Bossett on Barnegat Bay, NJ. I fell in love with them. Such a progressive design. I learned so much sailing them, because they are so sensitive to subtile changes in trim.

AMERICA’S CUP DAY 6

Everyone is wondering what today will bring. Has there been a shift in the momentum in favor of Oracle? Team New Zealand have had a very journeyman like approach to this event. Since it is more my personality; I can associate with this thinking; but anything can happen as we saw yesterday.

RACE 8

America’s Cup: Defender raises game, Kiwis fumble in Race 8

San Francisco, CA (September 14, 2013) – Well that was interesting. Just when we thought we’d seen it all, race eight of the 34th America’s Cup provided us something new. We saw defender Oracle Team USA have pace upwind, we saw challenger Emirates Team New Zealand almost capsize, and we saw the American team win by 52 seconds.

With 18 knots and an ebb tide American team skipper Jimmy Spithill was the aggressor in the prestart. He sought to hook the Kiwis and launch off the line to leeward, but the Kiwis timed the approach better to gain a 2 second lead.

The Kiwis guided the Americans down the leeward leg, but the defender kept it close, and were able to get a split at the leeward gate. The Kiwi’s 8 second lead was soon erased as the defender showed speed and tacking ability that had thus far been the Kiwi advantage.

“We’ve put in a lot of work to try and improve our boat and our tacks and our upwind speed,” said Spithill. “The shore team worked all day Friday with the design and engineering team, and I think we have taken a great step forward.”

The Kiwis were clearly pressured but barely held the lead on each cross. Crossing the defender on port, the Kiwis planned to tack in front and set up the final section of the upwind leg. “I was about to duck and try to hook them, but then when I saw them keep going we quickly got set up for a crash tack,” explained Spithill

What Spithill saw was a near capsize. The leeward foil popped the hull up in the turn, the wing failed to pop to the new tack, and with the starboard hull gaining altitude, the wind got under the boat and pushed it nearly over.

“When we rolled into the tack, we didn’t have the hydraulic pressure for the wing,” explained Barker. “If the wing doesn’t tack and the boat does, it leads to trouble. We got the hydraulics working about as late as you possibly could and fortunately the boat came back.”

Game…Set… Match

By the time the Kiwis recovered from their near accident, the defender was gone. A 27 second lead at the windward gate became a 47 second delta at the leeward gate, winning race 8 by 52 seconds.

So the question now is what more does the American team have in its speed toolkit. “There are still things we can change,” said Ben Ainslie, tactician for the defender. “We made some changes today that upped our performance. That’s the nature of this America’s Cup. It is a development race, and we will continue to push for changes that raise our performance.”

Click here for complete race stats.
Click here for all race reports.

Eight Completed Races – First team to 9 Points Wins
Emirates Team New Zealand: 6
Oracle Team USA: 0*
* Began series with -2 points due to International Jury penalty from AC World Series.

America’s Cup Final schedule
Saturday, Sept. 7: Race 1 (1:15 pm PT), Race 2 (2:15 pm PT)
Sunday, Sept. 8: Race 3 (1:15 pm PT), Race 4 (2:15 pm PT
Tuesday, Sept. 10: Race 5 (1:15 pm PT), Race 6 (2:15 pm PT); Race 6 postponed
Thursday, Sept. 12: Race 6 (1:15 pm PT), Race 7 (2:15 pm PT)
Saturday, Sept. 14: Race 8 (1:15 pm PT), Race 9 (2:15 pm PT)
Sunday, Sept. 15: Race 10 (1:15 pm PT), Race 11* (2:15 pm PT)
Monday, Sept. 16: Race 12* (1:15 pm PT)
Tuesday, Sept. 17: Race 13* (1:15 pm PT), Race 14* (2:15 pm PT)
Wednesday, Sept. 18: Reserve Day
Thursday, Sept. 19: Race 15* (1:15 pm PT), Race 16* (2:15 pm PT)
Friday, Sept. 20: Reserve Day
Saturday, Sept. 21: Race 17* (1:15 pm PT)
Sunday, Sept. 22: Reserve Day
Monday, Sept. 23: Reserve Day

– See more at: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2013/09/14/americas-cup-defender-raises-game-kiwis-fumble-in-race-8/#prettyPhoto

BURT AND ERNIE

Thanks to bangin’ the corners.

Today two races are scheduled, the prediction is for the wind to be near the limit. Could get exciting.

UPDATE: 0840 hours

Today in America’s Cup history
September 14 is notable for two instances in America’s Cup history:

1967, Race 3, Dame Pattie (AUS) v. Intrepid (USA) – Intrepid won by 4:41. Named for the wife of long-serving Australian Prime Minister Menzies, Dame Pattie was denied access to American-made Dacron sail cloth. That forced the Aussies to use a substitute, inferior sail cloth made in Australia.
1983, Race 1, Australia II (AUS) v. Liberty (USA) – First race of the match that would go down in the history books as one of the most dramatic contests ever.Liberty wins by 1:10 after taking the lead with better downwind tactics on the first run. Australia II’s steering gear failed as she threatened to retake the lead on the second downwind leg, losing all hope of winning the first race.

ORACLE TEAM USA Crew List
Skipper: Jimmy Spithill (9), Tactician: Ben Ainslie (12), Strategist: Tom Slingsby (10), Wing trimmer: Kyle Langford (8), Jib trimmer: Joe Newton (5), Off-side trimmer: Rome Kirby (4), Grinders: Shannon Falcone (1), Joe Spooner (2), Jono MacBeth (3), Gillo Nobili (6), Simeon Tienpont (7)

Emirates Team New Zealand Crew List
Skipper/helmsman: Dean Barker (14), Tactician: Ray Davies (10), Wing Trimmer: Glenn Ashby (3), Trimmer: James Dagg (9), Bow: Adam Beashel (2), Pit: Jeremy Lomas (8), Pedestal 1: Chris Ward (7), Pedestal 2: Rob Waddell (11), Pedestal 3: Race 8 – Winston MacFarlane (4), Race 9 – Grant Dalton (6), Pedestal 4: Chris McAsey (5), Float/Grinder: Derek Saward (12)

WHY COVERING WON’T WORK

BY CAROL CRONIN

America’s Cup 2013: Why Covering Won’t Work

It’s bigger, better, and faster than any other racing, but being slow still hurts just as much.

I’ve been watching the America’s Cup races live, and each start brings on a mixture of emotions. Amazement at how quickly I’ve gotten used to the speeds (I actually said out loud during race 6, “Only 21 knots?”). Awe at the graphics that make it so easy to appreciate the chess game. A little bit of eye-rolling at some of the filler commentary, which is totally unfair because commentators Kenny, Gary, and Todd are providing great information even once the racing goes Groundhog Day.

Design decisions made long ago by Team Oracle USA are making it hard for the sailors.

But my strongest emotion is total and utter sympathy for the guys on Oracle Team USA.

This Cup may not look like any other, but the “heads you win, tails I lose” situation for the Oracle sailors is quite familiar. With only one small boathandling mistake they could lose the regatta, but the winning was done long before they entered the starting box. The America’s Cup is a design game, a money game, a how-to-best-use-the-time-left game. And in that, the Kiwis have clearly already won.

I’ve sailed regattas that no one watched and been slower than the competition, and it’s gut-wrenchingly mortifying. I can only imagine how awful it is for eleven guys who know we’re all watching their every move. Yes, they can put their heads down and do their job, but they still have to live through losing sailboat races when they’re used to being winners. And then the Monday morning quarterbacks step in for the slaughter. People still ask me why Dennis Conner didn’t cover, on that September afternoon thirty years ago…

Tactician John Kostecki, left, was replaced by Ben Ainslie after race 5.

Here’s the reason: when you’re slow, textbook percentage moves like staying between your opponent and the next mark don’t work. Because the textbooks make one basic assumption: equal boatspeed. So the tactician on the slower boat tries something else, which usually doesn’t work either, and the second guessing begins. Speed kills, whether racing at 4 knots or 40.

Only one thing is going to happen too slowly in this Cup: the very public humiliation of some great sailors, who will all be trying to spit out the bitter taste of slow for a long time to come.

So for the next few afternoons you’ll find me glued to a screen, working through a thicker cocktail of feelings than I ever thought this crazy money-fest would inspire: Amazement. Awe. Eye-rolling. And most of all, sympathy for a bunch of guys who are doing a fantastic job, not covering.

FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH

This is a promotional video for GO Pro. I use one and could not be more happy with the result.

Today is a layday for the America’s Cup teams. Friday the thirteenth. If New Zealand wins two races Saturday and the first one on Sunday. That is the end of the story here in San Franisco, and a new beginning for the Cup.

THIS DOG DOESN’T HUNT

1) I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A STATEMENT: JOHN KOSTECKI SHOULD FEEL VINDICATED. YOU CANNOT FIX A SLOW BOAT.

2) ORACLE IS NOT WINNING STARTS, NEW ZEALAND IS LETTING THEM GO. WHY WOULD THEY RISK A FOUL OR DAMAGE ? ( remember Intrepid in 1967?)

On a race course like this, if the boats were equal, winning the start would almost assure a victory. There are very few passing lanes. New Zealand’s tacks are better, their jibes are better.

The bows on Oracle are too fine. There is no displacement. It is proving to be a mistake.