Highlights Day 1 – America’s Cup World Series Venezia

[Source: Energy Team] Loïck Peyron, who was back at the helm of Energy Team today (Thursday) for the AC World Series in Venice, showed all his skill on what was an exceptional day by grabbing the overall lead ahead of the Italians on Luna Rossa Swordfish (Chris Draper) and Team Korea led by the rising star Nathan Outteridge. The French Energy Team came third in the first race and finished on top in the second race.

Race 1: Energy Team make it to the podium

It was at 1415hrs that the fleet of nine AC45s set off on the race course outside of the lagoon in Venice. Team New Zealand and Energy Team crossed the starting line too soon and the French were back in sixth place at the first mark, before they headed off to the left-hand side of the race course. At the third mark, Energy Team were still sixth, while Team Korea grabbed the lead, and the two overall leaders in the rankings, Team New Zealand and Oracle Spithill were still back at the rear. Energy Team overtook Luna Rossa Piranha to move up to fifth place. As they rounded mark 4, Energy Team still fifth, set off on the upwind leg chasing the Swedish Artemis Racing team leading to a gybing battle. At mark 5, Energy Team was just behind Artemis, as they were attacking Luna Rossa Swordfish for third place. Nathan Outteridge and Team Korea extended their gains at the front to be the clear leader in the race. It was after mark 6 that Energy Team in fifth place, right behind Oracle Bundock, started to move up, when the latter had a problem unfurling their gennaker in the downwind leg. Energy Team managed to move into fourth place chasing Luna Rossa Swordfish, skippered by Chris Draper, whom they were then able to catch on the final downwind run to finish in third place.

Race 2: Energy Team wins

The fleet got off to a good start with Energy Team in fourth place at the first mark. They had already made it to third position by the second mark, before grabbing second place ahead of Team New Zealand. The Italians on Luna Rossa Swordfish were at the front and the battle began with the French, while TNZ and Oracle Spithill were having their own little fight making gains on the frontrunners. At Mark 4, Energy Team were still in second place ahead of Dean Barker (TNZ), who was 10 seconds behind the French, who were only just ten seconds behind the leader, Luna Rossa. At mark 4, Energy Team held on to second place, still ten seconds behind the Italians and ahead of TNZ et Oracle Spithill.
As they rounded mark 5, Energy lost a little ground to Luna Rossa, who headed off to the right-hand side of the race course, while Loïck Peyron’s team went left on this downwind leg to be followed by Team New Zealand and Oracle Spithill. A major upset occurred at mark 6 after an excellent downwind leg from the French, which enabled them to cross in front of Luna Rossa Swordfish with a lead of 5 seconds at the gate. It looked like it was going to be a closely fought duel between the two leaders. Energy Team remained in front keeping their Italian opponent in check, with the gap between the two boats across the race course reaching 90 metres. The final upwind leg would be the decider for the French. As they passed through Gate 7, Energy managed to extend their lead and the French found themselves out in front some 28 seconds ahead of the Italians on Luna Rossa, while the Kiwis were rapidly narrowing the gap from behind. The French took off ahead of Luna Rossa to finish with a lead of 26 seconds.

Loïck Peyron’s reactions: “Energy Team made it to the top of the mountain today. We’re extremely pleased about this result. We’ve been out there training hard all week. I’m delighted to be back at the helm and to be able to consolidate on the results obtained by Yann Guichard in Naples. We’ve got a great crew and I’d like to congratulate the lads. These boats are fantastic to sail.”

Overall rankings – Day 1

1. Energy Team : 18 pts
2. Luna Rossa Swordfish : 16 pts
3. Team Korea : 15 pts
4. ETNZ : 13 pts
5. Artemis : 13 pts
6. Luna Rossa Piranha : 12 pts
7. Oracle Spithill : 10 pts
8. Oracle Bundock : 7 pts
9. China Team : 4 pts

[Source: America's Cup] For the first time in the history of the America’s Cup, young, talented sailors have a clear pathway towards competing for one of the most prestigious trophies in sport. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, launched today with ceremonies in Venice, Italy and San Francisco, USA, opens the door for young sailors to gain the experience they need to contribute to a Cup team.

“I think this is one of the most exciting developments in the America’s Cup in a very long time,” said ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill, who became the youngest skipper to win the America’s Cup at age 30 in 2010.

“Breaking into the America’s Cup is hard. I was very fortunate when I was 19 to get a break with the Young Australia team, which allowed me to get into the game and get noticed. But this is going to give many more young sailors the same type of opportunity. We are talking about literally turning tradition on its head by opening up the America’s Cup to younger sailors, rather than it being closed off and difficult to get a foot in the door.”

Racing will take place in the same high performance, wing-sailed AC45 catamarans currently used in the America’s Cup World Series. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is scheduled for August/September 2013, in San Francisco, during the heart of the 34th America’s Cup racing season.

Red Bull has a long tradition in giving wings to young talent, athletes or even whole disciplines. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is opening up the highest level of sailing to young people – on new catamarans that are extreme performance machines.

The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is open to up to 10 national teams of six sailors, aged 19 to 23 in 2013 (full requirements are detailed in the Notice of Race). Teams can apply for entry to America’s Cup Race Management beginning this summer. One team per country will be accepted and each crew member must hold a valid passport of the country their team represents.

The event will benefit from the global attention the existing platform receives, including television, web and mobile coverage. The sailing stars of tomorrow will be born in the spotlight in San Francisco next summer.

Equipment, including the AC45 platform and wing, will be supplied to teams who have their entry accepted. More details about the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup are available in the Notice of Race.

Quotes:

Ben Ainslie, skipper, BAR: “The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is a great new initiative. When I was a kid I had two aims, to win an Olympic medal and the America’s Cup. The route into the Cup has always been tough, but this will give a whole new generation of sailors the opportunity to get into the America’s Cup early in their sailing careers.”

Nathan Outteridge, skipper, Team Korea: “I think the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is a great chance for younger sailors to explore the avenue of the America’s Cup. Up until now, it’s something that’s been so difficult to get in to. I feel lucky that I was in the right place at the right time to be approached to be here with Team Korea. To get on to one of these teams has been nearly impossible until you’re in your late 20s or early 30s, so this gives young sailors that chance. I think you’ll see a lot of talented sailors come out of this.”

Chris Draper, helmsman, Luna Rossa: “I wish I was younger! This is really good news for youth sailors. The change to catamarans means the teams are already looking for younger people, with skill on fast boats. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup will bring the best young sailors from around the world to one place – San Francisco – where they’ll be able to show us all what they can do.”

One of the two Red Bull branded AC’45 is already assembled in San Francisco’s Union Square, ready for the presentation that will take place there today, Thursday, at 10:30am local time. Nine hours earlier, at 10:30am Central European Time, Iain Murray, CEO of America’s Cup Race Management, will have made a similar presentation and announcement in Venice, Italy, just before racing kicks off.

As per the logos on the AC45 wing in San Francisco, Red Bull will be the title sponsor of the Youth America’s Cup, scheduled to take place next summer, in the gap between the Louis Vuitton Cup and the proper America’s Cup. As a major sailing website we can only rejoice with such an announcement and the entry of such an important brand in the America’s Cup.

However, the devil is in the details and in particular in the involvement of the America’s Cup Defender, Oracle Team USA. It appears that, in addition to the Youth America’s Cup, Red Bull will also sponsor the American team. If true, this will make it the second company, after Puma, that partners with both the Defender and the Organization, blurring the lines of “independence”. Similarly, it seems that the AC45′s used in the YAC, will either be from now-defunct teams (such as Green Comm or Aleph) or from Oracle Team USA. If true, this, once again, prove the “incestuous” nature of sailing’s pinnacle event.

Just to give a small example, PUMA’s red container shop has a prominent location in the race village and sells PUMA-branded merchandising. This gives Oracle Team, PUMA being an official supplier to the event and the team, a clearly advantageous spot to sell its own merchandise. Larry Ellison is one of the world’s richest men and an extremely shrewd businessman. It would be naive to think he would give up the prerogatives that come from owning the America’s Cup.

If Oracle has brokered a similar deal with Red Bull it will further leverage its privilege of being the judge, jury and executioner. Not that there is anything wrong with that!! That’s the essence of the America’s Cup and the reason it is so special. The real challenge lies in winning an event where the cards are, almost, all stacked in favor of the Defender. Nevertheless, all that flies in the face of Oracle Racing’s PR and preaching in the last five years…

Ready to announce the America's Cup deal. San Francisco, 16 May 2012

Ready to announce the America's Cup deal. San Francisco, 16 May 2012

Ready to announce the America's Cup deal. San Francisco, 16 May 2012

Ready to announce the America's Cup deal. San Francisco, 16 May 2012

[Source: Oracle Racing] Three-time America’s Cup winner Grant Simmer has joined the America’s Cup champion team ORACLE TEAM USA as General Manager.

His role gives him day-to-day operational responsibility for the American team that is currently designing and building the race boats to defend the America’s Cup in San Francisco in 2013.

CEO Russell Coutts, four-time winner of the America’s Cup, remains in overall strategic charge of the team whilst also fulfilling his role of ensuring that the 2013 America’s Cup is the most successful in the 161-year history of the most iconic event in sport.

The careers of both men have coincided before. Simmer was brought into the Swiss team Alinghi by Coutts for the 2003 America’s Cup and acted as consultant to Ben Ainslie Racing, which will be entering the 2012/13 America’s Cup World Series in August. Ainslie, the British Olympic quadruple medalist, is also an ORACLE TEAM USA sailing squad member for the 2013 America’s Cup.

“From navigating the challenger in 1983 that was the first ever to win the America’s Cup in 132 years to his current role, Grant’s capital of experience is unmatched,” said Coutts. “Few sports I can think of test a team’s talent, skills, knowledge, commitment and management as the America’s Cup.”

“Having won the America’s Cup with and without Russell, and then having been beaten by his team in 2010, I think we have healthy respect of each other’s abilities and what it is required to win,” said Simmer. “It’s good to be working together again.”

In the year 2012 one has to go to great lengths to escape the ubiquitous smartphones, mobile phones and cameras. In particular, when you sail on a Sunday afternoon, in the middle of the busiest canals in Venice, a city where everybody has a boat, yacht, gondola or dinghy, you have to be naive to think you’ll get unnoticed.

In addition, with Italians making nearly 10% of our thousands of readers, it was just a matter of time before we got the photos of James Spithill’s crew sailing with their Red Bull helmets on.

According to sources close to Red Bull, the famous energy drink will sponsor the Defender of the 34th America’s Cup and hold the naming rights of the Youth America’s Cup Championship. We are still working on getting more details. As we wrote yesterday, the Reb Bull-branded AC45 will most probably appear at some stage in Venice.

James Spithill's crew sailing with their brand new Red Bull helmets on. Venice, 13 May 2012. Photo courtesy of Bepe Totò

James Spithill's crew sailing with their brand new Red Bull helmets on. Venice, 13 May 2012. Photo courtesy of Bepe Totò

An AC45, hidden in a tent in Venice, completely branded with the Red Bull logos and James Spithill’s crew sailing with Red Bull helmets point to a deal between the Defender of the 34th America’s Cup and the energy drink company. According to, yet uncofirmed, information, Red Bull will become a sponsor of Oracle USA Team and in exchange will put its branding on a number of AC45 yachts that will be used during the Youth America’s Cup, to be held in San Francisco between the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup match.

The AC45 red Bull-branded yacht currently in Venice is believed to be the former Green Comm yacht and, it is also believed, the four Oracle Team USA AC45′s will be also rebranded with the energy drink colors once the AC45 circuit is over, a year from now. Finally, a couple of other AC45′s could be added, coming from current challengers that could potentially drop from competition, due to lack of funding, such as China Team.

This is a developping story and we will have more information as soon as possible.

[Source: Artemis Racing] Huge crowds lined the Grand Canal in Venice this afternoon for the Arzana’s City of Venice Trophy race. With more than 25 knots of breeze it was fast and furious racing for the €50,000 in prize money.

Artemis Racing sailed a solid race, with a clean start and good tactics throughout to win the top prize. Italy’s Luna Rossa Pirana and Luna Rossa Swordfish finished second and third respectively.

Plenty of current and tight boundaries, translated into several penalties at the start, but Artemis was unscathed. Then a glitch with the port daggerboard saw ORACLE Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand roll Artemis, but the Swedish team hit the reset button and made a good recovery to come out on top of the leaderboard.

Artemis Racing cross the finish line victorious. Venice, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America's Cup

“Jimmy and the Emirates Team New Zealand guys sailed a good race. The reach into the finish was dodgy. We were certainly in the right place at the right time,” said Skipper Terry Hutchinson (USA). “It was a narrow course. Nerve wracking, fairly windy and we were in asset preservation mode thinking ahead to next week’s ACWS regatta.”

Commenting on the vast fleet of spectator boats, both yesterday and today, Hutchinson said: “It’s amazing! The America’s Cup and yachting is alive and well in Italy.”

Racing starts on Thursday for the penultimate America’s Cup World Series event here in Venice. Artemis Racing currently leads the match racing element for the ACWS, while ORACLE Team USA Spithill is in combined first place overall (fleet and match racing), one point ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand and Artemis Racing lies in third.

Artemis Racing cross the finish line victorious. Venice, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America's Cup

Artemis Racing cross the finish line victorious. Venice, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America's Cup