Both boats left the dock early on Sunday. At dawn.I said a few columns back that I knew the race was on when I saw a TV schedule. There would be no moving the date now, and here we are counting down by hours instead of days and suddenly the room is jumping and there are TV people walking around the media center sticking microphones into reporters’ facesif you can’t talk to a sailor, cover
I have a theory, soon to be tested, that the 33rd defense of America’s Cup launched and lived as an exercise in wishful thinking.That you could farm-raise a pet challenger. (Sorry, CNEV)That Larry Ellison’s hostile alternative challenge would blow away. (Not yet)That you could turn down a compromise offer and no one would remember. (October 2007)That you wouldn’t have
Will Alinghis catamaran, A5, or BMW/Oracles trimaran, BOR 90, be the faster boat in the 33rd Americas Cup Deed of Gift match? There are strong opinions on both sides.Despite the secrecy that is part of every Americas Cup, we used data collected on both boats by SAIL and then applied it to the Wolfson Units velocity prediction programs (VPP), in particular the
Ah, Valencia, city of Calatrava.City of Festivals.Birthplace of paella.Home to America’s Cup 33.The announced plans for Saturday included an Owner’s Press Conference conference with the two major players in the same roomErnesto Bertarelli the Defender and Larry Ellison the Challengerwhich sounded like a photo op for a wide lens. Better make that a
In between the America’s Cup dramatics and the fiendish longing for VOR coverage, the Extreme Sailing Series in Asia offers some of the most exciting racing coverage on the internet. Racing Extreme 40s, a tricked out relative of the Olympic Class Tornadoes, crews of five have been bringing the boats through Singapore, Hong Kong, and finally Oman. On Day 4, in winds reaching 20kts, Team Red Bull
Everybodys asking, will it happen? It has to happen.Americas Cup 33.Race One. Monday, February 8. First Warning 1000 local time Valencia.Even if mutual consent should erupt, and we see no signs of that, dont figure it would extend to delaying a match that now has Consorcio Valencia trumpeting the millions
Put two or more sailors in a room and ask them for an opinion on any sailing-related topic, and before you know it youll have an argument. Ask a group of SAIL editors for a list of the most influential people in the sailing world and before you know it, you have a brawl.As SAIL magazine marks its 40th anniversary, we decided to highlight the 40 sailors whove had the
Any doubts about the strength of the U.S. womens sailing team were put to rest this past week with the squad winning gold in no less three events at US Sailings 2010 Rolex Miami OCR regatta. The U.S. mens team didnt fare so well, failing to take gold in a single event, although Andy Horton and James Lyne took silver in the Star class.In the Laser Radial class, Paige Railey won the
Justice Shirley Kornreich of the New York Supreme Court has told the two syndicates competing in the 33rd Americas Cup that she will not hear any further arguments between now and the time the competition is scheduled to begin in Februaryin effect giving the final go-ahead for some actual racing.In recent weeks, challenger BMW Oracle capped off years of legal wrangling by claiming that
MEXORC has always been a moving target, and for 2010 its being redesigned yet again. This is your looking-ahead checkup, because theres been a concern and maybe we can clear that up. But firstThe essential West-Coast-of-Mexico-biennial is now a featured component of the inaugural Regata Copa Mxico, intended to celebrate the countrys bicentennial and then build from there. Some pretty
Many have tried, but virtually all have failed and none have sustained. Now, finally, there is one circuit that might just have hit on a
The much-anticipated opening of Lovango Resort and Beach Club, on December 20th will mark the first time in nearly 30 years that a new resort
To read part 1, click here. When I began repairs on my Santana 27, Shirley Rose, I focused on the major systems rather than cosmetics.
Alec Wilkinson and Hannah White host the World Sailing Awards and announce the Rolex World Sailor of the Year and 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award.
I was preparing some tea just before heading topside for my watch. Even though it was summertime, the tea was not iced—it was hot. That’s
For all the consolidation in the boatbuilding world in recent years, there remains plenty of variety out there, as can be seen in these two
I suppose it isn’t merely a coincidence that I’ve made significant changes to the sailplans of the last three cruising boats I’ve owned. The first
Chartering and the notion of going “off the beaten path” may sound self-contradictory. Charter companies tend to put bases where demand is high and they
Watching charterers make a run for the last mooring in a cove is fun—and weird. I always wonder why so many would rather try to
