Another day of surprises, the canyon de chelly, first mesa the oldest continuously occupied village in north america; dinosaur footprints and skeletons by the side of the road.
I will never see the west the same way again.
Italy’s Luna Rossa is threatening to sit out Sunday’s opening race of the America’s Cup while it awaits the ruling of an international jury on a protest. The protest hearing is not scheduled until Monday, although the regatta director Iain Murray said there was a chance the matter could be resolved before then.
Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand have protested Murray’s authority to change rules as part of safety recommendations he made after the British sailor Andrew Simpson was killed May 9 when Artemis Racing’s 72-foot catamaran capsized during a training run in San Francisco Bay. They have also said that the change gives an advantage to the defending champion Oracle Team USA, which does not have to race until the start of the 34th America’s Cup on Sept. 7.
Why should either Team New Zealand or Luna Rossa race and risk damaging their boats and gear when Team Artemis gets an automatic bye to the finals? There is absolutely nothing to be gained for these teams.
Another day of surprises, natural beauty beyond expression. A spiritual sense pervades these rocks. If you have read Tony Hillerman these places were prominent in has books about the four corners.
There is a lot of sizzle to the 34th America’s Cup this summer on San Francisco Bay.
For the first time in America’s Cup history, the event will be sailed inshore rather than far offshore with the San Francisco Bay venue guaranteed to be the best ever when it comes to spectator viewing.
And the 72-foot catamarans add elements and speed and excitement never before seen in the 162-year-old event.
But is there any substance to this America’s Cup, which is so drastically different from the traditional America’s Cup that it almost seems like a totally different event?
The total fleet for the event is four boats. Only two of the three challengers are ready to race this weekend with the beginning of the challenger trials. There will be no defender trials.
But there is controversy. There is always controversy in the America’s Cup. But this one takes the tradition a giant step beyond where we’ve been before.
On the eve of the July 4 Opening Ceremonies – which drew large crowds to San Francisco’s Pier 27/29 America’s Cup Park – race director Iain Murray threatened to ask the U.S. Coast Guard to pull the racing permit for San Francisco Bay if two challengers didn’t agree to 37 safety requirements.
The requirements were unilaterally imposed by the organizing committee after the May death of crewman Andrew “Bart” Simpson in an accident on San Francisco Bay that destroyed the entry of Sweden’s Artemis team.
If the Coast Guard pulled the permit, the event would be scuttled because the catamarans can’t race on San Francisco Bay without Coast Guard approval.
Meantime, the New Zealand and Italian challengers, who are scheduled to race Sunday in the first race of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger trials, are going ahead with their protest of the changes — claiming they give the defending Oracle team an advantage.
The main dispute focuses on changes required to the rudder elevators – hydrofoils at the bottom of the rudders that allow both hulls to raise out of the water while on high-speed runs off the wind.
Emirates Team New Zealand and Italy’s Luna Rossa challengers are taking the issue to the international jury as soon as Monday and threatening court action. The Italians, meanwhile, say they might not race Sunday – further reducing an already limited schedule since the Swedes aren’t expected to be race-ready with their new boat until next month.
The spectacle of 72-foot catamarans flying around San Diego Bay could be reduced to a weaiting game.
Certainly, this is not what San Francisco expected when it signed on to back the 34th America’s Cup.
The defending Oracle syndicate led by Larry Ellison, team boss Russell Coutts and on-the-water skipper James Spithill hoped the entries would reach double figures when the rule was first established for the 72-foot catamarans for the 2013 America’s Cup.
Indeed, the America’s Cup World Series contested in 45-foot catamarans, which included a 2011 stop on San Diego Bay, drew nine boats representing eight teams.
But only four teams reached San Francisco. In contrast, the 1995 America’s Cup, the last of three raced out of San Diego, drew seven challengers and three defenders. The 1992 America’s Cup in San Diego, drew eight challengers and two defenders.
And whereas the last two America’s Cups sailed in San Diego included defense trials, the Oracle defenders won’t be sailing until the best nine-of-17 actual America’s Cup starts on Sept. 7.
There is no question that the 72-foot catamarans are spectacular – although many in sailing believe the risk of major accident goes beyond the reward. At a true wind speed of 18 knots, the AC-72 catamaran is capable of reaching speed of 40 mph – essentially flying on the tiny hydrofoils in question.
“What’s so amazing about this boat is that it’s suspended on these tiny pieces of engineered carbon-fiber,” said Spithill. “that’s why these boats are so cutting-edge technologically. We’re pushing them right to the limit.”
A lot of sizzle.
But any substance?
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I did not expect to be in Santa Fe, just as I had not anticipated being in Roswell. I am not expressing disappointment, just that it was not the original plan. It turned out to be a better plan.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be in Roswell New Mexico; especially for the fourth of July. The drive through west Texas seemed like it would never end. This weekend is the festival for aliens.
One little note, Admiral Nimitz died in our last house. talk about degrees of separation.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO EVERYONE.
Landlocked Journal day 9. The long awaited visit to the Menil collection photographs not allowed, which opens wednesday to sunday at 11am. However it was worth the wait. For me, I have never seen such fine collection ever anywhere. We could have easily spent several days visiting the other museums in Houston. I wanted badly to see the missions in San Antonio, before continuing to Austin. We have now driven 3000+ miles and have yet to exit Texas.
from sailing anarchy:
If anyone deserves pity in the massive ‘ruddergate’ controversy, it’s Iain Murray. We always suspected the salt-of-the-Earth boat builder and designer didn’t have what it took to navigate the minefield of modern America’s Cup politics, and sure enough (and regardless of the outcome of ETNZ and Luna Rossa’s protests) he’ll forever be known throughout the sailing world as the guy who tried to help Oracle change the design rules a week before the Louis Vuitton Cup. It doesn’t matter whether he did or he didn’t, and frankly the guy’s reputation says he is honest and straight, but his lack of transparency combined with the timing of the rudder elevator issue makes him look to the world like he’s on the take.
We’re not going into the debate again – not yet, anyway – because it’s all here in the big Jury Notice thread. We’ll just let Max Sirena tell it how he sees – from thisRepubblica.IT story.
“Profiteering! That’s what it is. Nothing else. Sorry to say because sailing is my life, my world, my sport. But we cannot continue to pretend that this is the America’s Cup of gentlemen, of fair play. It is not true at all. Oracle and Artemis are doing something illegal, shameful, and they are doing it by exploiting the death of ‘Bart’ Simpson, a sailor, a friend. And I am fed up of accepting everything in silence .”
Luna Rossa’s skipper, Max Sirena, is beside himself. Under the cloak of the usual silence that preceds the battle, incredible things are happening in offices that overlook the bay of San Francisco. And the man most representative of the Italian expedition in the Coppa America has decided not to remain silent anymore. To name names and surnames. Here they are: Paul Cayard, Russell Coutts, Artemis, Oracle: They are the jackals. The question is simple. On the eve of the America’s Cup Cup, Luna Rossa and Team New Zealand – the only two credible challengers to the Cup held by the Americans Oracle – have succeeded in three years of work to make fly their catamarans (called foiling, the boat is five feet from the water “supported” only by the centerboard, and it is much faster).
Oracle and the swedes Artemis instead had judged it impossible to do from the beginning. So when they realized to be left behind, they began a frantic recovery. Now Oracle is able to “fly” but not in a stable manner, needing to change the rudders in order to stabilize. The only problem is that you can not do that. To modify rudders as they want them, you have to change measurements rules. As if we were made to build a car with engine capacity 2000 and now a week before the race they want to run with a 2200. But the worst thing is that they want to pass this regulatory modification as a decision for reasons of safety. “
They are not for safety? “No there are not. They continue to use the term safety for changes that are only needed by them, and only for the performance.”
They are Oracle and Artemis?
“Well, there are four teams. We and Team New Zealand protested…. “
The rule amending the rudders is contained in the notice of race issued by the Director Ian Murray and on the basis of which the U.S. Coast Guard has given the go ahead.
” It ‘s clear that no one has evidence that behind this is the hand of Oracle. But Murray has no authority to change the rules of tonnage. For those it takes unanimity. Which there is not. “
The truth is that Oracle is in trouble …
“I am sure that in the end they will be very competitive. Now yes, they are a little back.”
The charge of profiteering is a serious charge .
“I know, I’m sorry. But it is so. They tell us that we are unsporting, a myth of sailing, Iain Percy (skipper of Artemis) has told that and it hurt me a lot. Actually it is them who are exploiting the incident of Artemis (the one in which on May 9 the sailor champion Olympic Andrew “Bart” Simpson lost his life, ed) to obtain advantages in water. By the way, Simpson died because he was unlucky, not because the class is wrong. The catamaran rolled over, anything can happen and will happen again. “
This does not cancel that there is a safety issue.
“And you say it to me? Of course it exists. I have been saying that since long before the accident. It was more than a year that I insisted with Murrey, with Coutts, Paul Cayard and they laughed in my face. Reduce wind limits – I said – enhance helmets, oxygen tanks, put straps on the hulls to held to in the event of capsize, prohibit the guest on board. They insisted, deaf. “
Until someone ended up dead.
“That, again, it was an accident. Anyway, it was right to intervene. They proposed 37 points to improve security: 35 were shared, while two were only needed to help Oracle and Artemis to regain lost ground . With New Zealand we have proposed: let’s pass now the 35 and we think about the other two. Cayard said, no, all or nothing. So I threatened to publish the response in the media. So you could tell who was trying to work for the safety and who for themselves. And we managed to have the 35 points passed. “
Then came the notice of Murray.
“Against which we did protest.”
It will be discussed on the eight of July. If they rule against you, up to what point are you willing to go?
“We may refuse to get in the water. It is a decision which may be taken only with the consent of Patrizio Bertelli, of course. But it is a matter of principle. Coppa America is a great game but also in games there are values to be respected.”
The “Landlocked Journals” continue with a visit to the Kimbell Museum and the nearby Modern Art in Ft. Worth. Across the street is the Will rogers exhibition hall; where the horses were being excerised. I have long admired western saddles and the style it was designed for. In particular the saddles and harnesses of Edward Bohlin. I only wish I had had the time to go to the rodeo.
Starling Burgess is perhaps my favorite yacht designer. Nina, one of my favorite boats. Winning the 1962 Bermuda race overall when the era of schooners was long past.
