America’s Cup

Day Four of the Extreme Sailing Series’ Istanbul stopover proved to be exactly that: extreme. In roughly 19 knots of breeze, with 11 boats gearing up for the start, Alinghi and Team Extreme suffered a classic port-starboard collision when Alinghi tried to duck below, but simply did not have enough room.Attendees reported hearing the crash from as much as 500

It had to start somewhere, or you could say it had to end somewhere—those long nights in “the room,” the protest room, haggling over the fine points with never enough evidence to establish the facts and you know that much is true because if you had the facts the hearing would be over in a minute.On-the-water umpiring revolutionized the high-end game, and that’s what got

Adopting wing-sailed catamarans, inventing a new tour called the America’s Cup World Series, launching a 45-foot one-design class as a training fleet: none of this could ever have been free of controversy. The 45s went from concept—a trainer for AC sailors and race committee alike—to reality in five months, with the first “batch” of four promised for delivery to challenging teams by April 1.

The RC44 class kicked off its 2011 season in style, with thousands of shore-side spectators on hand to see the Russian flagged Katusha, with Paul Cayard calling tactics and amateur helmsman Bob Little behind the wheel, win the opening regatta in San Diego.Finishing second in the 11-boat fleet was Oracle Racing, with Russell Coutts calling tactics and owner-driver Larry

OK, I’m not above stretching a headline to get your attention. But history should record that on February 11, 2011, the first tests of the new America’s Cup sports graphics system were conducted in South San Francisco Bay, using volunteer Cal 40s and a rented helicopter.They woulda done it on the cityfront, in America’s Cup-racing waters, but the City of San Francisco is not

OK, I’m not above stretching a headline to get your attention. But history should record that on February 11, 2011, the first tests of the new America’s Cup sports graphics system were conducted in South San Francisco Bay, using volunteer Cal 40s and a rented helicopter.They woulda done it on the cityfront, in America’s Cup-racing waters, but the City of San Francisco is not

The new wing-sailed AC45 was debuted over the weekend in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbor, with the 45-foot carbon fiber catamaran poised to kick off the America’s Cup World Series, starting in 2011. With the ability to reach speeds close to 30kts, the AC45 is designed as a practice boat for America’s Cup teams in anticipation of close racing on the larger 72-foot catamarans in the final

Dateline MiamiWhat you won’t get, if you’re not part of it, is this. Larry Ellison’s team is going to be just as disappointed as I am if the 34th America’s Cup match is not sailed on San Francisco Bay. I’ve heard them out. I’ve looked into their eyes. I wish I could convey the sense of disappointment if—The amphitheatre, the reliable breeze, the stuff you’ve heard before,

Would-be America’s Cup teams around the world are eyeing City Hall, San Francisco as Cup-in-SF proponents prepare to make their case before the Budget and Finance Subcommittee of the city’s Board of Supervisors. That hearing will take place on Wednesday. Negotiations have been going on for months, and it’s crunch time.On the opposite side of the globe, meanwhile, fabricators are working

Mere days into the official 34th America’s Cup challenge period, the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS) has thrown its hat into the ring, making it the second official challenger for the event, after the challenger of record, Club Nautico di Roma. At a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, officials with the KSSS and the Artemis Racing sailing team, which will represent it, outlined in