Cup Watch

Oracle wins court battle

by Sail Staff, Posted April 30, 2009

When a final-arbiter court in April ruled 6-0 against Alinghi’s artificially inseminated Spanish challenger, the mantle of Challenger of Record for the next America’s Cup match passed to Larry Ellison’s American team, BMW Oracle Racing/Golden Gate Yacht Club. Thus passed two years of wrangling and climbing through the highest courts of New York, where the America’s Cup Deed of Gift was

Alinghi AC33 catamaran hits Lake Geneva

by David Schmidt, Posted July 6, 2009

On July 8 Alinghi 5 arrived on on Lake Geneva via the world's most powerful helicopter, the Russian-built Mil Mi-26, which airlifted the massive cat from its build hanger in Villeneuve, Switzerland to the fabled Swiss lake. The catamaran was unveiled earlier in the month, on July 4th, and will be transported, again by helicopter, to the Med later this month. On

It SAILS!

by David Schmidt, Posted July 20, 2009

On July 20, some 16 days after unveiling their beast of a defender for the upcoming Deed of Gift (DoG) that will be the next America’s Cup (February 2010), Alinghi today test-sailed their Alinghi 5 for the first time. While quantifiable results are not available yet (or rarely, if ever, on a project like this), the bottom line is that the boat, with its complicated

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

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

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

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,

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

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

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