The Cup : 1st Day After

Feb 9th 2010
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Greetings yachties,

1st race abandoned, below is a collection stories, opinions, video and interviews from Valencia.

Enjoy

“……….Gilmour was with Alinghi during the 32nd Cup Match as an advisor and coach. He saw how the team tensed up when it went down 2-1 to Team New Zealand in the 32nd Match, and also saw how it focused in on the task of winning one race at a time. He likens Wednesday’s scheduled race to that experience.”

“You refocus by going out with the same intensity; that constant ability to do things in a structured and orderly way,” Gilmour said. “At this level, and the way this America’s Cup is structured, there is no second chance. You’re going to have to come out in every race at absolutely peak performance. So, I think it’s particularly important that when the word comes to stand down you give the crew the ability to relax and rest and get ready for it again in a couple of days.”

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Catching up with Peter Gilmour

Australian Peter Gilmour recently turned 50 years old.
(Photo credit: Luca Butto’ / Alinghi)

Seven months of trialling and testing the 90ft load waterline length catamaran Alinghi 5 were exhilarating for everyone associated with the team. The multihull design, foreign to many of the monohull sailors in the team, was a refreshing change of pace from the monotony of two-boat testing the America’s Cup Class sloops that have been a fixture in the match since 1992.

Today was meant to be the first race of the 33rd Match, for which the sailors had focused on for the past few months. The team departed the dock at 06:30 to a rousing send off, but the day ended with a whimper. Showers associated with a cold front killed any chance of a race and postponed it until Wednesday.

“I think this is an incredibly difficult day for everybody. Many of crew would’ve been up at 04:30 this morning getting ready for the action. It’s a long day,” said Peter Gilmour, a guest today at the Alinghi base.

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Sailing Anarchy forums are going nut bags, fantastic to follow more than 500 sailors chat about the event.

Have a read here

Thousands of U.S. fans staggered out of bed at 3:30 a.m. this morning – after the biggest U.S. television night of the year for sports fans – the American football Superbowl XLIV (New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17).

After the first race of AC33 was postponed, most of them went to work, or back to bed, grumpy or crabby, depending on where you went to school.

For the next first race of America’s Cup 33, the opportunity is – yet again – boot up your computer at 3:45 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, February 10.

If you plan to get up early, watch online, and create an exciting multi-media AC33 experience that you control, here are your best choices:

ESPN360.com

This is ESPN’s streaming online sports feed, offering a diverse mix of live and recorded U.S. events, including America’s Cup live. AC33 coverage is hosted by veteran AC sailor and commentator, Gary Jobson (USA), one of a handful of classic America’s Cup commentators. Connect>

Sailing Anarchy’s Layline 33rd America’s Cup

This is for grown-ups. The reason is that critics believe members of this highly informed and highly opinionated discussion forum are, well, children. We disagree. They are adults who should know better.

Nevertheless, you won’t find better informed sailors, better able to express themselves, anywhere else online. Yet viewer discretion is advised. Commentary is spontaneous, unedited, and at times, profane. That’s not necessarily standard operating procedure for discussion forums, but it is for this one.
Sailing Anarchy – a free site – is working hard to make AC33 fun for their community

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Race 1 of the 33rd America’s Cup remains on hold after the breezes off Valencia refused to cooperate to allow the scheduled first showdown between the two giant multihulls Alinghi 5 and USA to take place today (Monday).

Race officer Harold Bennett (NZL) and the race committee team made considerable efforts to locate a wind which was settled enough and of sufficiently even strength across the proposed 20 miles first leg, but they proved fruitless.

An offshore breeze at times looked promising but it never quite mustered enough strength to spread out to sea to reach the start area. But the difference in the direction of that breeze and the direction of the very gentle air in which the Race Committee sat was considered too great for a fair race.

It proved a frustrating day for all on the waters off Valencia, despite tantalising glimpses of the fantastic technology which promises so much. Everything was in place and operating well for the planned 1000hrs countdown to the historic match up. Live TV streaming from the race course on the internet, for the first time in the America’s Cup, complemented by Virtual Eye 3-D imaging worked well. But the postponement was signalled at 0955hrs this morning.

The different winds ranged between 2 knots and 13 knots, and at times there was 100 degrees of variance between the mean wind direction at the committee boat and the wind direction at the proposed turning buoy. At best there was around 40 degrees of difference.

For the prescribed 20 miles upwind leg the Race Committee need a strong measure of confidence that there will not be a significant wind shift after the start to ensure a fair race.

The adversaries had left their respective bases to huge acclaim in the early morning, between 6.30am and 07.00 am. A Hollywood style production for the BMW ORACLE Racing team sent pulses racing as the Challenger team set off into the very early darkness, while soundtrack to the Defender, Alinghi 5’s departure was fervent alpine cowbells and loud airhorns.

Returning after the postponement both multihulls were making around 15knots in just 5 knots in wind.

more here