Patrizio Bertelli, owner of America’s Cup challenger Luna Rossa, flew to San Francisco overnight in order to be present at Friday’s meeting between the teams and organizers. The day after Andrew Simpson’s tragic death Bertelli talked to La Stampa, one of Italy’s major newspapers, and warned America’s Cup organizers his team would require “assurances” and “formal commitment” to changes in order to continue. Otherwise, he will withdraw and doesn’t seem to lose his sleep over the amount of money that has already been spent in this campaign:

Fabio Pozzo: President, does anything need to be revised in the 34th America’s Cup after this terrible accident?
Patrizio Bertelli: Yes, it needs to be revised. We had told organizers in every way but they didn’t listen to us. To go on not listening now would be to persevere. We want specific assurances.

Fabio Pozzo: In what sense?
Patrizio Bertelli: There must be a formal commitment to change several things. We must have the conditions to race.

Fabio Pozzo: Otherwise?
Patrizio Bertelli: We will not participate. This will mean we will throw away money. Patience, this also happens in life. But it’s a matter of respect, of history. We do not need to do the Cup after all…

Luna Rossa’s shore crew prepares the team’s AC72 for her first sail on the San Francisco bay. Alameda, 15 May 2013. Photo copyright Spitfire Ltd

Fabio Pozzo: What do you mean by changes? Intervene on the boats? There is talk of installing airbags on the mastheads of the catamarans to dump the capsizes …
Patrizio Bertelli: No. Look, this thing about airbags is a stupidity. No, they wanted to make this sport no longer a race between sailboats but between high-tech industrial products, they wanted to make the America’s Cup an extreme sport and now we need to implement all the conditions and devices that are proper to the extreme sports. Like Formula 1 and Moto GP. Conditions on the race course in San Francisco need to be revised now: wind limits, tide, current, time schedules, periods. We need to equip it with divers, first-aid units, CPR teams.

Fabio Pozzo: Prior to the Artemis incident there was talk of an upper limit to race of 33 knots, close to 60 km/h.
Patrizio Bertelli: In Auckland we tested the new boat at 20 knots with no problems. But 33 knots is too much. These are boats that downwind, with 20 knots of wind they sail on the water at 35-38 knots. Do you have any idea what kind of speed this is? It’s like jumping with a motorcycle at 250 km/h. The old boats, the monohulls, the old Luna Rossa would reach at most 15-18 under the same conditions. The same thing upwind: a maximum of 12 knots with the old boats, at least 25 knots in these catamarans. However, it’s not as much a problem of sailing upwind, as with the transition from upwind to downwind. The problem is when you bear away (you release the mainsail that is exposed to the wind, with maximum pressure and it cannot be controlled; the risk is to capsize forward). In short, everything is multiplied to the extreme. And we will not be at this slaughtering game. I hope that organizers, Oracle, the defender, understand.

Fabio Pozzo: What does Oracle have to do with this?
Patrizio Bertelli: They scheduled the challenger selection trials, the Louis Vuitton Cup, from July to August, in a period when the San Francisco bay is very windy. The America’s Cup finals, on the other hand, is in September, when there is on average 15 knots. They are there, watching us slaughtering ourselves, smashing everything, and wait. No, we will not be there.

We have been critical of the organizers of the 34th America’s Cup on a few occasions and quite often we are ourselves criticized that we keep whining and that we play the same old broken record but we think the press conference America’s Cup organizers held on Tuesday afternoon was the source of a major disappointment.

First of all, it was our understanding from the press statements in the last few days that the panel or committee would be independent. According to the Webster dictionary, “independent” is defined as not subject to control by others, self-governing, not affiliated with a larger controlling unit. Here are the committee members, as per Tuesday’s announcement:

• Iain Murray (AUS, Chair)
• Sally Lindsay Honey (USA, Deputy Chair)
• John Craig (USA)
• Chuck Hawley (USA)
• Vincent Lauriot-Prévost (FRA)
• Jim Farmer QC (NZL)

How independent can this committee it be when it’s chaired by Iain Murray, CEO of America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM)? John Craig is currently the Principal Race Officer for the 34th America’s Cup, responsible for conducting the races of the America’s Cup World Series, the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup match. Vincent Lauriot-Prévost worked with BMW Oracle with the design of their trimaran in the 33rd America’s Cup and two years ago he was commissioned by ACRM to work on the platform of a basic AC72 design package that would have been sold to teams without the sufficient resources to develop their own fully fledged design.

At no time do we put in doubt the expertise and knowhow of these committee members. They undoubtedly are brilliant and experienced but they do not constitute an “independent” committee. They are or have recently been affiliated with ACRM and to our eyes, this is simply an internal committee. Does Iain Murray need to hold a press conference to announce he will chair a committee that will then report to him?

One truly hopes this is the last time we see such sad images from the America’s Cup in San Francisco

Even the title of the committee is another letdown. It is called a “review” committee, not an “inquiry” committee. They will simply review the facts found by the police investigation and the facts forwarded by the internal investigation Artemis Racing are currently carrying out. Based on those two reports they will issue a number of recommendations to the organizers and competitors but they will not have the right to enforce any of those recommendations to either the organization or the teams.

Regarding the recommendations the committee will make, Iain Murray stated they had an “open book”. They will look at “everything” that in their view could make training and racing safer. They will look at the “type of racing”, “race courses”, “where we sail”, “the times that we sail”, “the amount of wind that we sail in”, as well as “various parts of the design”. This means practically everything that constitutes a sailing race. Ironically, setting wind limits for AC72 races will fly into the face of the original claims nearly three years ago that this new class would be able to race in winds that range from 3 to 33 knots!

While our above concerns might be brushed aside as simple semantics one major aspect of the procedure makes us think the committee will only have ceremonial powers. Tom Ehman, Vice Commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, holder of the America’s Cup was adamant about the fact that America’s Cup racing this summer would take place as scheduled and that there wasn’t the slightest intention, either by organizers or the teams, to even suggest a modification of the plans. He clearly stated that “there was not even a thought given this morning at the teams meeting to do anything but continue apace and make plans and preparations for this summer”, referring to the meeting organizers and teams held on Tuesday morning.

So, America’s Cup organizers take it for granted that the outcome of the review will not require any changes that might cause a delay in the schedule. As Iain Murray and Tom Ehman stated a couple of times, the committee is expected to finish its work and issue its findings within two-three weeks. The Louis Vuitton Cup starts in seven weeks which means there are four weeks left to implement any of the committee’s recommendations. It appears organizers feel very confident everything will be done and dusted before July 4th, day of the opening ceremony, despite the wide range of issues under consideration.

They might be gambling or they might already have inside knowledge that we don’t. Even if we admit it’s the latter there is yet another aspect that makes the work of this committee look irrelevant. Oracle Team USA had scheduled to resume training on Monday but held a weeklong break in respect of Andrew Simpson’s memory. As a result, they are planning to be back on the water as soon as possible and they might even be, possibly, sailing tomorrow, Thursday. They could also be joined by Luna Rossa on that day, as the Italians had their boat ready for launch in the weekend.

As a result, two teams could be back training on San Francisco bay the day Iain Murray and the rest of the committee start working! What’s the reason of having such a committee when teams can sail in the breeze before the review panel has even sat down for the first time? If the committee finds that Andrew Simpson’s tragic death was the result of insufficient rescue resources shouldn’t the other three teams wait for the full facts? Let alone the simple question of whether the boat capsized because it first broke or whether it broke following its capsize…

We do understand that America’s Cup organizers are between a rock and a hard place but what will happen if another major incident takes place before the committee issues any recommendation? As a sailor told us yesterday after the press conference, it’s a review committee simply to review how they stop the wheels from falling off the Cup not about how to keep sailors safe. Let’s hope he’s wrong.

[Source: America's Cup] America’s Cup organizers have confirmed that this summer’s events remain on track.

In parallel with completing the final arrangements for the America’s Cup, a highly experienced panel of sailing and safety at sea experts has been appointed and charged with reviewing the training and racing of AC72 yachts in the 2013 America’s Cup.

The Review Committee will make its recommendations following the loss of Artemis Racing crew member Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson (GBR) in a training accident on San Francisco Bay on Thursday of last week.

Members of the Committee – download bios here – have strong backgrounds in the sport at its highest levels as well as involvement in other reviews where an incident at sea has claimed the life of a competitor.

Iain Murray, the Regatta Director, will chair and lead the Review Committee comprised of:

• Iain Murray (AUS, Chair)
• Sally Lindsay Honey (USA, Deputy Chair)
• John Craig (USA)
• Chuck Hawley (USA)
• Vincent Lauriot-Prévost (FRA)
• Jim Farmer QC (NZL)

The U.S. Coast Guard supports this approach and will assist as appropriate. Lt. Jon Lane, with 26 years in the Coast Guard and 10 years experience as a marine casualty investigator will serve as liaison.

Tom Ehman, the Vice Commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club (the America’s Cup Trustee), said, “The America’s Cup will go ahead this summer. We will see the world’s best sailors racing at the highest level on one of the most iconic race tracks in sport.”

With regard to the Review, Ehman added: “The Committee brings immense experience and expertise to this Review. At a meeting in San Francisco this morning, the teams expressed unanimous support for this Committee and this process.”

The Review Committee will report as soon as possible, given that racing starts in seven weeks.

[Source: America's Cup] Regatta Director Iain Murray and Golden Gate Yacht Club Vice Commodore Tom Ehman will announce the members of an independent panel to review all aspects of training and racing of AC72 yachts in the 34th America’s Cup.

The panel will report and make recommendations to the organizers and the competitors.

The scope of work for the review panel will be detailed during a press briefing at Pier 27 in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon.

Crucially, the review and report will be conducted independently of any organizer or competitor in the 34th America’s Cup.

It didn’t take long for Europe’s biggest nation to evaluate the pros and cons of participating in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. Last Thursday’s unfortunate accident onboard the Artemis Racing AC72 yacht and the tragic death of British Olympic sailor Andrew Simpson prompted Sailing Team Germany (STG) and the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) to withdraw from the event. Although the STG/NRV Youth Team had qualified for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup in San Francisco, they will not be at the start line in September. As per the team’s statement, “the health of young sailors should not be compromised.”

“The tragic accident has prompted us to evaluate our participation in the Youth America’s Cup from scratch. When it comes to such a tragedy for the world’s best sailors, we want to exclude the early risk of endangering the health and Olympic ambitions of our athletes. I know Andrew well from the past Laser years and I’m shocked by his death,” explains Klaus lame, NRV sports director, the unanimous decision by the STG and NRV.
 
“The forces that act when sailing a 22-meter racing catamaran, are hardly manageable even for professionals. The risk of an accident is constantly present. Hopefully the America’s Cup management will take this incident as the impetus to thoroughly rethink the future, the format and sports equipment,” said Oliver Schwall, managing director at STG and former Tornado world champion.

[Source: America's Cup] Tasked with running a review into the circumstances surrounding the capsize of the Artemis Racing AC72 on Thursday, Regatta Director Iain Murray says consultation with stakeholders is already underway.

On Tuesday, Murray has scheduled a formal meeting when all four teams competing in the Summer of Racing – ORACLE TEAM USA, Artemis Racing (SWE), Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA) – will be in San Francisco.

“The meeting with the teams is a crucial next step,” Murray said. “We need to establish an open flow of information to ensure this review meets its goals of fact-finding and putting us in a position to recommend changes, if necessary.”

One aspect of the review will involve study of all data that was captured at the time of the incident.

“Once we have the information, the basic facts, all the data, then we will be able to re-build the entire chain of events and start to assess why this incident resulted in a tragic loss of life,” he said.

Italy’s top America’s Cup journalist, Emilio Martinelli, talked to Patrizio Bertelli, Luna Rossa owner, right after Thursday’s tragic incident onboard the Artemis AC72 yacht.

According to Bertelli, the team will decide in the next 48 hours the continuation of its America’s Cup participation. Bertelli will accept whatever decision his team takes, with no imposition from his part, and if they decide to stop that wouldn’t be a problem for him!!

Here’s what Bertelli stated, courtesy of Emilio Martinelli [as always the translation from Italian into English is ours]:

Emilio Martinelli: Mr Bertelli, what will happen now with Luna Rossa?
Patrizio Bertelli: Together with the entire team we decided to take 48 hours to reflect. Some of the English guys went back home to be close to the family. We were getting ready for the first sail since our AC72 was already assembled. It was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Now, we will see. However, regardless of the decision the team will take, whether it’s the sailing crew or the shore crew, there are no impositions from my part. Then we will also have to wait for the decision of the San Francisco authorities.

Patrizio Bertelli will accept whatever decision his team members take on the continuation of Luna Rossa or not in the America’s Cup. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info

Emilio Martinelli: The future of the America’s Cup?
Patrizio Bertelli: The way it is now is not good. It is necessary that those responsible took note. Not everyone has realized that we have gone from a romantic America’s Cup to an extreme one. We have become like Formula 1 or the Rallies, where, however, there is a number of structures both during practice and racing, and I’m referring to medical, security and so forth. We, however, go on the water without all that. I think if there were a rescue boat with divers and all of the above, that guy could have been saved. [Editor's Note, during the early regattas of the World Series, the specialists from Bergamo Scuba Angels were on the race course, with the means and the preparation for first aid intervention as well as from a helicopter]

Emilio Martinelli: What should be done then?
Patrizio Bertelli: Every time we go out on the water with an AC72 a range of safety measures should be activated with fast tender boats, doctors and all the rest. However, there is still the problem we now are an extreme sport. It is therefore necessary to change. We have already seen with the rigid-wing AC45′s what the problems and performances are. This Cup with the AC72′s is too extreme an attempt, they have to realize it and change, revise the rules, everything. However, this Cup will be the first but also the last with the AC72′s. Also because I do not think that in San Francisco they can pretend nothing has happened. They chose a race course which is basically on the open sea without any type of safety.

It seems to have been a breakage on the boat, a broken beam that caused the capsize. I have no definite information. But it could be. In a bear away if the leeward hull gets stuck under water the whole structure could have given in.

Emilio Martinelli: So, for Luna Rossa everything is pushed back 48 hours.
Patrizio Bertelli: Yes, we will see after the team has taken its decision.

Emilio Martinelli: And what is your decision?
Patrizio Bertelli: We need to change but I’ll wait to see what the guys tell me. In case they told me to stop, that wouldn’t be a problem for me.

[Source: Artemis Racing] Torbjörn Törnqvist, Chairman of Artemis Racing, released the following statement today:

“Our thoughts are with Andrew’s family, who suffered a tragic loss yesterday—of a son, a father, and a husband. As our friend and teammate, Andrew “Bart” Simpson was central to Artemis Racing, both in the course of racing and our lives. His presence and personality was a binding force and he will be missed. Right now, the primary focus of Artemis Racing is on the well-being of our team members and their families, and the America’s Cup competition will remain second to that.”

Artemis Racing will conduct a thorough analysis and review of this accident and will be looking at how the risks inherent to such competitive sailing can be limited in the future for the safety of the team and all competitors in the sailing community.

Will we ever see another Artemis Racing AC72 sailing? Who knows? San Francisco, 12 November 2012. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis Racing