Posted on 19 August 2009 by Valencia Sailing
If the 33rd America’s Cup didn’t exist someone should have invented it in order to provide us with some entertainemnt during these hot days of the Mediterranean summer when there is either no racing at all or the one that takes place suffers from very light conditions. The TP52′s are scheduled to start racing today at 1pm in Portimao with a southerly breeze between 4 and 9 knots. Under such conditions it will, unfortunately, be a drift race and as a result we need something to brighten up the day.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the tender pictured in the photo below is related to BMW Oracle and its mission is to follow the daily sea trials and tests of Alinghi 5, as close as possible, and gather all the necessary intelligence that could help the American team’s designers learn as much as they can about the Defender’s yacht.
According to Italian news agency ANSA this is the BMW Oracle spying tender. Genoa, 18 August 2009. Photo copyright ANSA
As our friends at ZeroGradiNord report, it appears that the same tender was involved in an incident with a local fisherman yesterday, when in their eagerness to follow the Swiss catamaran they ignored all basic safety rules and rammed into him, cutting his boulter, as the ANSA agency reports.
According to the fisherman, he was 600 meters from the coast, on his own tender, trying to recover his boulter when he saw Alinghi 5 and the rest of the Swiss tenders coming towards him. While the entire Swiss “fleet” maneuvered and passed him safely, the female driver of the BMW Oracle-related spy tender kept her course, ignored his horn signals and rammed into his boulter while he had to swiftly maneuver his own tender in order to avoid a collision. Always according to his statement, the alleged spy tender sped away while one of Alinghi’s tenders got back to check whether he needed any help.
Finally, the BMW Oracle-related tender returned half an hour later and one Italian man aboard tried to apologize for what had happened. The fisherman wanted to “stress the incivility and impropriety of certain behaviors in the sea”.
This is getting funny…
Posted on 19 August 2009 by Valencia Sailing
If the 33rd America’s Cup didn’t exist someone should have invented it in order to provide us with some entertainemnt during these hot days of the Mediterranean summer when there is either no racing at all or the one that takes place suffers from very light conditions. The TP52′s are scheduled to start racing today at 1pm in Portimao with a southerly breeze between 4 and 9 knots. Under such conditions it will, unfortunately, be a drift race and as a result we need something to brighten up the day.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the tender pictured in the photo below is related to BMW Oracle and its mission is to follow the daily sea trials and tests of Alinghi 5, as close as possible, and gather all the necessary intelligence that could help the American team’s designers learn as much as they can about the Defender’s yacht.
According to Italian news agency ANSA this is the BMW Oracle spying tender. Genoa, 18 August 2009. Photo copyright ANSA
As our friends at ZeroGradiNord report, it appears that the same tender was involved in an incident with a local fisherman yesterday, when in their eagerness to follow the Swiss catamaran they ignored all basic safety rules and rammed into him, cutting his boulter, as the ANSA agency reports.
According to the fisherman, he was 600 meters from the coast, on his own tender, trying to recover his boulter when he saw Alinghi 5 and the rest of the Swiss tenders coming towards him. While the entire Swiss “fleet” maneuvered and passed him safely, the female driver of the BMW Oracle-related spy tender kept her course, ignored his horn signals and rammed into his boulter while he had to swiftly maneuver his own tender in order to avoid a collision. Always according to his statement, the alleged spy tender sped away while one of Alinghi’s tenders got back to check whether he needed any help.
Finally, the BMW Oracle-related tender returned half an hour later and one Italian man aboard tried to apologize for what had happened. The fisherman wanted to “stress the incivility and impropriety of certain behaviors in the sea”.
This is getting funny…
According to Italian news agency ANSA this is the BMW Oracle spying tender. Genoa, 18 August 2009. Photo copyright ANSA
August 19th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Maybe Larry should be driving his recon boat? Oh no, wait! He doesn't want to get his ass wet. Larry doesn't do boats, he only does court rooms …….
August 19th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I am not surpised by this at all. This demonstrates the attitude of BMWO`s whole campaign.
August 19th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I am not surpised by this at all. This demonstrates the attitude of fishermen everywhere.
August 19th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
you let a blonde chick drive and what happens? (it's just a joke).
August 19th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Only advantage for BOR to spy is that they will know BEFORE the race in February they will have their ass kicked badly.
August 19th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Larry should rather confirm, that BOR is accepting Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates as the venue for the America's Cup.
August 19th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
they are scared as hell!
August 19th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
"This is getting funny …"
No, this is not funny at all!
August 19th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
If Valencia Sailing hate BMW/ORACLE so much, why do you bother reporting on them so much?. Even if it is about poor seamanship!
August 19th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Are you bored Pierre? "stress the incivility and impropriety of certain behaviors in the sea" Guess who wrote the script.
Ask Thierry Martinez about the aggressive and dangerous attitude of the Alinghi chase boats towards himself or the BMOR observers…
How naively some become Alinghi's loudspeakers.
August 19th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
guess who are bored with your boring and non sense commentar's to justify the most disgusting behaviour that the borites find so fair-play , are this american value ? where is your pride and your sense of honour ? any way thanks for showing who you are and what are your values !!!
August 19th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Spying in the America's Cup is old news, so it would be hypocritical to hold it against any team. Alinghi has been spying on BOR since they launched their boat last August, and it would be foolish for BOR not to better understand their rival too.
August 19th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Yankees are so affraid, they need to face reality, their values, their honour and their boat are out of date!! Come on Larry time for you to go and plant some peanuts!! or as would say our dear Sir Arnold, grow it up yourself
August 19th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Yes, spying is old news. But being STUPID about it, now that is news! How in their right mind can they be soooo stupid to run over a fisherman while trailing the Alinghi armada? I guess, not only no brains, but also no vision ….. in more then one way!
August 20th, 2009 at 1:36 am
Obviously another trumped up story by Alinghi that you bit on hook, line and sinker, Mr. Pierre. Careful, or you will start to look – and smell – like another BYM.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:24 am
The american's will win the cup for sure. They probably didnt see the guy because they were too busy pissing it up celebrating after confirming what a joke the alinghi campaign is. All you euros are high on the fumes of cheese!
August 20th, 2009 at 5:11 am
Something interesting happened? Good it is about time. Alinghi drifting around in no wind is getting sooo boring. Yawn
August 20th, 2009 at 6:38 am
There is nothing about being American or Swiss or anything. There are stupid people everywhere. So it's just about stupidity or bad luck for this woman and in this case … for BMW Oracle watching (not spying) Alinghi! Nothing is only black or white. The situation is like it is, take it or leave it. I definitely do not agree with the way Oracle as been pushing Alinghi toward the court (thank's Tom … so many years stirring the sh*!), but Alinghi as also done mistakes. Now just enjoy this unique and incridible race if Tom and Russel let it happen …
August 20th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Let me get this straight. A BMWO "Recon Team" Rib runs over a fishermans fishing line and some submit comments about America's values and how out dated they are? Give me a break you douche baggs. If memory serves the two people in that Rib are not American, but hail from somewhere inside that great bastion of moral clarity the EU.
In the end though a fisherman had his fishing line cut. The BMWO guys didn't run the guy over or sink his boat. It was a fishing line. Pissed the fisherman off, but nobody was physically injured. Enough said.
August 20th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
It's not about what you do it's about how you do it ! in other terms the whole behaviour of Bor is really lacking in restraint, and that tell's a lot !!!
It 's brutal ( my way or no way ), it is about reaction, while the one of Alinghi is a process of creation !this is the big difference that will make it in the end :Alinghi one two three !!!
and by the way, I do not need to insult anybody to tell my point of view !!!
August 21st, 2009 at 11:56 am
"my way or no way" … that sounds an awful lot like Alinghi
August 21st, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Indeed, bending the rules towards ones own advantage is a true process of creation.
BTW: I am EUROPEAN
August 21st, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Have you seen the latest Alinghi movie on you tube?
The boat looks awfully lame and really sucks a lot of water. What is going on? I hope they did not mess up this one…
August 23rd, 2009 at 11:19 am
Well they should of not sacked their leading chase boat driver, Craig Christensen, just because Michel Marie doesn't like him…Oracle is falling apart at the seams…I know I work for them.
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I guess not much longer…