Cup Watch

Getting Personal

by Adam Cort, Posted January 21, 2010

For those looking to capture the true tenor of the 33rd America’s Cup without having to wade through all those boring legal briefs, look no further than the work of Alinghi’s team cartoonist, Mark O’Brien.A native of Dunedin, New Zealand, O’Brien has been covering sailing for years, ever since he created a series on the 1989-90 Whitbread for the Auckland Star during the fleet’s

America's Cup 33

by Charles Mason, Posted January 20, 2010

Ian Campbell of the University of Southampton’s (UK) venerable Wolfson Test Unit takes data provided to him by SAIL and runs it through their velocity prediction programs and the WinDesign VPP developed in conjunction with Clay Oliver’s Yacht Research International. His detailed analysis, which begins on page 14 of SAIL’s February issue, suggests that

He Said She Said

by Kimball Livingston, Posted January 20, 2010

I’m pretty sure the BMW Oracle folks weren’t really expecting Alinghi to apologize for what they claim are misrepresentations attributed to Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth—regarding the breakup of the Singapore negotiations—but for the record, Golden Gate YC commodore Marcus Young did request an apology in a January 15 letter to SNG commodore Pierre-Yves Firmenich. In a new

Will the Apocalypse be Televised?

by Kimball Livingston, Posted January 20, 2010

I had a couple more of those conversations today.They start with someone asking, “Are you going to Valencia?”Yep.“What’s it gonna be like?”Darned if I know.At this point in ‘07 I was long since pre-registered at the America’s Cup Media Center, which may or may not now exist. The building, yes, but no authority has put itself forward advising me how, as foreign

Cup Contenders Set to Finalize Terms

by Adam Cort, Posted January 11, 2010

The Socit Nautique de Genve (SNG), the 33rd America's Cup defending yacht club, has published a draft version of the Sailing Instructions for the America's Cup Deed-of-Gift match due to start February 8 in Valencia, Spain.SNG, which is being represented by team Alinghi, has also sent a copy of the draft to the challenger, BMW Oracle Racing, which is representing San Francisco’s Golden

Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing begin their final push for the America’s Cup

by Adam Cort, Posted January 5, 2010

VALENCIA, Spain—Alinghi’s A5 catamaran and BMW Oracle Racing's BOR 90 trimaran have both arrived in Valencia, Spain, in preparation for next month’s 33rd America’s Cup.“The voyage from Ras Al Khaimah to Valencia went smoothly, and over the coming days we will settle back into our base in the Darsena,” said Alinghi design coordinator Grant Simmer. “The team will focus on

Cupdate

by David Schmidt, Posted November 19, 2009

Anyone who follows the America’s Cup likely has a headache the size of Texas and more than a few empty bottles of Aspirin kicking around the floor. And given the legal shenanigans involved, who wouldn’t? The good news is that it finally looks as though the Cup is on track to be raced in February at a venue that both parties can agree upon.Astute Cup fans will baulk at this last sentence,

Look Ma, a Wing!

by David Schmidt, Posted November 10, 2009

On November 8, BMW/Oracle released what could be the worst-kept secret of the 33rd America's Cup, but also the coolest single development in months: a hard wing sail for their massive trimaran, which is slated to race against Alinghi in a Deed of Gift (DoG) challenge this coming February. But unlike the somewhat modest looking wing used on Dennis Conner's Stars and Stripes 1988

RAK Your Brains Out

by David Schmidt, Posted October 28, 2009

For months, the sailing world has had a field day(s) with images of a Middle Eastern America’s Cup, as the defender, Ernesto Bertarelli’s charade YC, the Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG), had hoped to hold the 33rd AC in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) nation of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK). Reportedly, the tiny nation, "conveniently" located precariously close to Iran, has spent hundreds

An Arabic America’s Cup?

by David Schmidt, Posted August 5, 2009

New York, Newport, Perth, San Diego, Auckland, Valencia, and…Ras al-Khaimah. What do these places have in common? Each has hosted or will host the America’s Cup, the old-running trophy in sports. You’ll quickly notice that one of these names is not like the others. Sailing in the Middle East is a fledgling sport, to put it kindly, but thanks to the battle of the egos otherwise known as the 33rd