The Cup – Just 2 More Sleeps

Feb 6th 2010
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Greetings yachties,

Two more sleeps until the spectacular sight of 2 outrageous multi hulls – cant wait.

latest images here

Enjoy

33rd Americas Cup DoGzilla V Cheesezilla

Part 8 Just 2 More Sleeps

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Windfinder.com forecasts for Valencia here

wave heights

The bloggers at Sailing Anarchy have a few more weather links to play with here

Sailing Anarchy Americas Cup Forums here

33rd Americas Cup Photo Gallery

33rd Americas Cup Videos

There are many ways to keep up with all the action from the America’s Cup Match, whether you’re here with us in Valencia, or half a world away on your computer or mobile phone.

AMERICA’S CUP PARK – BIG SCREEN TELEVISION

The big screen television in the America’s Cup Park will be showing live-action from the race course, along with features, packaged programmes, and highlights.

Forums on Sailing Anarchy Links

ON TELEVISION

Through the agreements with the European Broadcasting Union, which reaches 56 territories and has an audience of over 650 million and, globally, with Sports News TV spanning 160 territories, broadcasting to over 1.4 billion people and also with Transworld Sport with a global audience of over 302 million, the America’s Cup News packages are assured of a massive international audience of over 2 billion viewers.

Among the broadcasters are Great Britain’s BSkyB, TVE/Teledeporte and Canal 9 in Spain, French based Eurosport and Showtime in the Middle East. Broadcasters will take all of the America’s Cup output, including the 26 minutes race day Highlights package, Race News package as well as the 52 minutes summary wrap up programme at the end of the event.

A full listing will be available soon.

ON-LINE

WWW.AMERICASCUP.COM

The official America’s Cup website keeps you posted with news reports, feature stories, videos and pictures and all the official information of the 33rd America’s Cup in English, Spanish and French

LIVE VIDEO STREAMING

For the first time in the history of the America’s Cup, races will be broadcast live free of charge on www.americascup.com. Video feed will be supplemented (in French and Spanish) with a Live Ticker animated by the best sailing experts

Amended Sailing Instructions

Published 6th February 2010

more Sailing Anarchy AC forums

more here

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Audio of Owners Press Conference

The intended press conference for owners Ernesto Bertarelli of Alinghi and Lawrence J. Ellison of BMW Oracle Racing was reduced to one when the latter declined the invitation to attend. Ellison declined the invitation, he said, because his team CEO and skipper Russell Coutts was not invited.

“I came here today determined to shake his hand,” said Bertarelli at the press conference. “You have all asked me how many times I’ve been available for a meeting. Again, I’m available and he’s not here. Everything else is in the history books by now. If Larry wants to meet after the Cup to discuss the future, I’ll be happy to do that.”

more here

t minus 2

“…………..Perhaps the most interesting part of the presser was Ellison’s explanation for why no one from BMW/Oracle would be at the official event press conference on Sunday – in Cups past, the place where the real fireworks were laid out. Who can forget Connor’s famous quip during this traditional meeting “Why would you build a boat out of plastic unless you wanted to cheat?” Like a boxing match, the final press conference is the final build-up of drama, but although this is ostensibly a Consorcio event and purportedly meant to make Valencia look good, Ernesto’s power over the city apparently allows him to have specifically excluded Russell Coutts from this tradition, and Larry showed some stones by telling them to pound sound. “If Russell is not good enough” for the venomous Bertarelli, neither is anyone from BMW/Oracle’s team.

Between this ridiculous flexing of his muscles and rules we’ve learned about media and spectator boats, it is more clear now than ever that Alinghi’s goal for this Cup is to make it a non-event. Win or lose, Bertarelli wants to get this over with in quiet. Is he finally feeling the glare of the world on his thinning hair? Is he intent on hurting Valencia as payback for the meetings they’ve had with BMW/Oracle and the Formula 1 mess that caused him the loss of tens of millions in fees for the leasing of the Alinghi base? As usual with Alinghi, logic doesn’t provide a good answer when divining Alinghi’s intentions and we can only speculate.”

more here

Sailing Anarchy Forums

Arise, Sir Russell

Sir Russell Coutts (NZL) from
the BMWOracle Racing file

The extraordinary thing about Sir Russell Coutts (NZL) is how low key he has been throughout the entire debacle of America’s Cup 33.

Literally.

Dismissed as Alinghi CEO by Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI) prior to AC32, Sir Russell was ultimately hired by Larry Ellison (USA), and helped rebuild BMWOracle after the team’s AC32 disappointments under Kiwi CEO and Skipper Chris Dickson (NZL).

Sir Russell skirted controversy, avoided controversy, and every time controversy emerged, moved on to other topics, other issues, other events, other races. Deftly. Very deftly.

Which is what you expect from chief executives who know how to use their power.

Sir Russell certainly has power, has influence, and is a major factor for BMWOracle. Now he is leading the offense.

Despite his corporate coolness, Sir Russell’s ambitions must be focused not just on winning, but on destroying – in the nicest possible way.

more here

33rd America’s Cup Owners Press Conference

Today’s owners press conference in Valencia’s Port America’s Cup heard Alinghi founder Ernesto Bertarelli highlight that safety and reliability need to be key issues to be borne in mind during what promises to be an enthralling 33rd America’s Cup, scheduled to start on Monday.

The two times America’s Cup winning team owner, who will helm the giant catamaran Alinghi 5 along with Frenchman Loick Peyron, re-stated the need for a measure of prudence after the start gun goes for Race 1 of the best of three series.

The winter conditions need to be taken account of. As well as getting the balance right, trying to ensure the maximum reliability of Alinghi 5, Bertarelli also warned that spectators on the water need to remember that this is winter and the conditions off Valencia can change quickly.

Bertarelli said that pre-regatta nerves are an essential part of his psychological drive to be successful, and that many of the feelings of excitement are the same as July 2007 when Alinghi triumphed.

The level of media interest, he underlined, is comparable to the 32nd America’s Cup Match, with some 600 media accredited already.

Over 100 media attended the press conference in the Port America’s signature Veles e Vents building.

Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI) owner and helmsman Alinghi:

“The weather is quite different from when we left in July 2007, but I think the excitement is the same. I think there is about 600 accreditations which is just as much as last time and so there is a certain interest in this historic race.”
“ We are all at the Alinghi team looking forward to the regatta putting forward our best.”

On the need for nerves: “Every time you go to battle you have to feel nervous. Anytime I have gone casual to anything I was not my best,. I think adrenaline and a bit of excitement is good, for anything you do and especially for a competition like this.”

On BMW ORACLE Racing: “BMW ORACLE Racing is a formidable team. They have brought an impressive yacht with impressive technology. It is going to be very interesting to see two very different yachts trying to achieve the same thing.”

On the need for reliability and safety: “ In order to win you have to finish. Both teams over the last few weeks have been able to gauge our reliability. We have had problems. It is a bit like the beginning of the season in the Formula 1 grand prix. All is very good when the teams are here testing in Valencia. You go round the track once or twice and you put a good time. But on the Sunday of the first race you have to go around the track 72 times. It is a bit the same thing. We have completed the course a few times. It is a long course, 40 miles, we have done it in between two and half to three hours which is a lot of ground to cover. If the wind comes from the shore, which is what it is looking like, then the start is going to be almost half way between here and Ibiza. I think everyone should be careful, especially spectators who are on the water. Remember we are not in the summer, but in the winter.”

On why he is helming Alinghi: “Some other reasons are those that brought me to sailing, multihull sailing, speed and perfecting these boats on the lakes. My contribution this time has been very different. Possibly I have had more involvement with this campaign than ever before. My steering I think is a good thing.”
“ It happens that I can steer a multihull, and I have brought on board since we have clear indication that we were going to sail multihulls those which we have competed against on the lake, those who I felt were the strongest competitors Alain Gautier and Loïck Peyron.”

On this America’s Cup: “ I think this America’s Cup will be remembered for whatever reason. I hope for the good reasons and it is going to be a formidable America’s Cup because of the boats and the technology and possibly because it is a DoG match and once in a while you have one. The other thing is that we should be careful in not discouraging other people who want to participate.”

To see the full press conference, click here

Official opening ceremony tomorrow

Sunday 7th February sees the official opening ceremony of the 33rd America’s Cup, starting at 1300hrs in the heart of Port America’s Cup, by the Veles et Vents building.

The opening ceremony will include the draw for which side the competing yachts have to enter the start area for Race 1, with the time gun scheduled for 1000hrs Monday.

A huge crescendo is promised with a mascletá, a local celebration of firecrackers with the largest reckoned to be 750kilos of gunpowder.

And from 1400hrs the America’s Cup will have the UN GRAIN for Hairt – the cooking of a giant paella with the proceeds all going to relieve suffering in Haiti.

The Société Nautique de Genève is the Defending Yacht Club for the 33rd America’s Cup whose mission is to organise the America’s Cup Match

The 33 America’s Cup Match will be decided by the best of 3 races, as specified in the “Deed of Gift”, official fouding document for the competition.
• Race 1: Upwind-downwind 20 miles per leg
• Race 2: 39 nautical-mile equilateral triangle, first leg
• Race 3 (if necessary): Upwind-downwind 20 miles per leg

WWW.AMERICASCUP.COM

33rd America’s Cup – MEDIA ADVISORY

event: 33RD AMERICA’S CUP OWNERS PRESS CONFERENCE

DATE: SATURDAY, 6TH FEBRUARY 2010

TIME: 16:00

venue: Port America’s Cup – PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM

- RESTRICTED ACCESS. ANY JOURNALIST WIshing TO ATTEND TO THIS PRESS CONFERENCE, MUST GET A SPECIAL PASS AT FRONT DESK OF 33rd AMERICA’S CUP THE MEDIA CENTRE AT THE port america’s cup BEFORE 15:00h.

- THE PRESS CONFERENCE WILL BE BROADCAST LIFE ON WWW.AMERICASCUP.COM

- ANY TV CHANNEL INTERESTED IN ACCESSing THE SIGNAL FOR BROADCASTING THis PRESS CONFERENCE PLEASE CONTACT MELISSA PAYNE ON MELISSA.PAYNE@IMGWORLD.COM

www.americascup.com

media@americascup.com

33 America’s Cup
Media Centre
Port America’s Cup
Varadero
46024 Valencia – Spain
Opening Hours: 07:00 – 00:00
Press Conference Room
Port America’s Cup
Veles e Vents
46024 Valencia – Spain

www.americascup.com