[Source: America's Cup] ORACLE Racing Spithill had the best day across the two fleet races, posting two second-place finishes. In contrast, each race winner (Energy Team, Emirates Team New Zealand) also carried a seventh place score on the day. As a result, Jimmy Spithill’s American team gained four points on the leading Kiwis, nearly cutting their lead in half over the course of the day.

“It was really hard,” said Chris Draper, the helmsman of Luna Rossa Piranha, who led his team to a consistent 3-4 performance. “The swell made it hard, surfing upwind and then straight into the waves downwind… So to get the results we did, I’m really pleased with our guys, they did a great job.”

China Team, struggling to this point, also stood out on the day. Although skipper Fred Le Peutrec’s team has yet to finish out of ninth place, on Friday their starts were outstanding and the team was among the early leaders in both races. After that however, the quality of the fleet was simply too strong for the new Chinese squad.

“Good starts, yes, but not good races,” he said after racing. “We are a bit frustrated by the wind shifts, but anyway, two good starts… Unlucky with the wind, but that’s the game.”

Following the two fleet races, the remaining two Match Racing Quarterfinals were completed. Emirates Team New Zealand found itself pushed deep into the standings by Terry Hutchinson’s Artemis Racing, who found the right shifts in the tricky conditions to earn a lopsided victory. While Artemis advances to the Semi Finals, the Kiwis are forced to settle for a disappointing eighth place.

“It is nice to be able to gain some points on them for the overall World Series,” Hutchinson said. “But looking at the big picture, we still have a lot of work to do.”

In the other Quarter Final, Luna Rossa Swordfish won a close match over Energy Team, becoming the second Italian crew to qualify for the Semi Finals.

“For the team, it’s a great result for both boats to be in the top four,” said Manuel Modena, the trimmer on Luna Rossa Swordfish. “I hope we can both make it to the Final. Both our crews have the ability, but I would like to win if we both make it.”

The program for Saturday starts with the Match Racing Semi Finals and Final followed by two Fleet Races. The start of the first match is scheduled for 1330 CEST.

Fleet Racing Championship – Provisional Standings Day Three (after six races):

1. Emirates Team New Zealand (Skipper: Dean Barker); 52 points
2. ORACLE Racing – Spithill (Skipper: James Spithill); 47 points
3. Luna Rossa – Piranha (Helmsman: Chris Draper); 42 points
4. Team Korea (Skipper: Nathan Outteridge); 39 points
5. Energy Team (Skipper: Yann Guichard); 39 points
6. Luna Rossa – Swordfish (Helmsman: Paul Campbell-James); 35 points
7. ORACLE Racing – Bundock (Skipper: Darren Bundock); 28 points
8. Artemis Racing (Skipper: Terry Hutchinson); 20 points
9. China Team (Skipper: Fred Le Peutrec); 8 points

Match Racing Championship – Provisional Results:

QF3 – Artemis Racing beat Emirates Team New Zealand
QF4 – Luna Rossa Swordfish beat Energy Team
Emirates Team New Zealand finishes eighth in the Match Racing Championship; Artemis Racing advances to SF1.
Energy Team finishes fifth in the Match Racing Championship; Luna Rossa Swordfish advances to SF1

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] Emirates Team New Zealand is leading on points after four fleet races at the America’s Cup World Series Naples regatta.

Starting the day equal first with Oracle Racing 4, Barker began where he left off yesterday – with a win.

The team’s scoreline for Naples reads 8,10,10,10, which translates to 38 points on the regatta leader board, nine ahead of Oracle Racing 4, skippered by James Spithill.

Skipper Dean Barker said the team’s crew-work today was excellent. “I think we stepped up from yesterday.

“With conditions sharply different from yesterday – eight to 12 knots and flat water – life on board was much easier and we made the most of it. The boys we slick in all the manoeuvres and boat speed felt good.”

Today’s first race saw Emirates Team New Zealand get away cleanly and lead around the first mark, get clear air and sail away. Dean Barker, Glenn Ashby, Ray Davies, Jeremy Lomas and James Dagg were never troubled.

They sailed a faultless race, extending on every leg and finished 2m27s ahead of Luna Rossa P with a procession following in quick succession – Artemnis 2m33s and Oracle Racing 5 2m45s.

The second race was almost a carbon copy of the first with the exception of the lacings at the first mark. Emirates Team New Zealand was second around, chaing Luna Rossa Swordfish.

On the run they rolled the Italians rounded the leeward gate in first place and were never headed. At the finish Barker was 45s ahead of the Luna Rossa S with Luna Rossa P 1m16s.

Leader board after four races

Emirates Team New Zealand – 38pts
Oracle Racing 4 – 29
Luna Rossa Piranha- 27
Team Korea – 27
Energy Team – 25
Luna Rossa Piranha – 27
Oracle Racing 5 – 16
Artemis Racing – 12
China Team – 4

Emirates Team New Zealand Emirates Team New Zealand finished the first day of racing in the America’s World Series at Naples with a win and third in the two races sailed.

Racing was called off for the day as the wind got up to a steady 22 knots with gusts and the seaway increased, making conditions potentially dangerous.

Artemis capsized in the first race, damaging its wing and returned to base for repairs; after racing shore teams carefully checked each of the nine yachts for signs of hull damage.

Emirates Team New Zealand finished the day on equal points with Oracle Racing.

Emirates Team New Zealand leads after the first day of racing. Naples, 11 April 2012. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

The first race was won by Oracle racing 4, with Energy Team (France) second and Emirates Team New Zealand third.

Having spent little time in the AC45 since the last ACWS regatta was raced at San Diego in November Barker said before leaving the dock that it might take a little time to settle in to fleet racing.

His prediction looked like coming true in the first race when, after rounding the first mark in third place, they were overtaken and were in seventh place at the third mark. Then the trademark comeback began and Barker and crew of Winston Macfarlane, James Dagg, Ray Davies and Glenn Ashby stated picking off the opposition to finish third.

In the process, Macfarlane was slammed in to the forward beam and suffered severe bruising to his upper legs and will be rested for a couple of days.

If the first race belonged to James Spithill and Oracle 4, race two belonged to Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand. With Jeremy Lomas on board, they started well, rounding the first mark in second place. They overtook Spithill on leg 2 and then sailed away leading around every subsequent mark. Korea was second 1m 21s adrift and Oracle Racing 4 third

Dean Barker updates on Emirates Team New Zealand progress

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] Emirates Team New Zealand has won the final of the America’s Cup World Series at Plymouth, beating Team Korea in two straight matches.

The losses ended Team Korea’s five-race match racing winning streak on Plymouth Sound in which skipper Draper despatched, among others, Oracle Racing 4’s James Spithill and then his boss Russell Coutts.

Dean Barker won both races in the pre-starts with classic match-racing luffs that slowed the Koreans almost to a standstill then getting himself away cleanly and round the nearby mark 1 first.

New Zealand didn’t have it all its own way. The Koreans attacked and attacked and on a few occasions the on-board telemetry showed the Koreans in the lead.

But it never lasted long and New Zealand was always in a controlling position and led around every mark and through every gate in both races.

Emirates Team New Zealand are the Plymouth match race champions. Plymouth, 17 September 2011. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

The match races at Plymouth give the large crowd that lined Plymouth’s many vantage points an insight into the differences between match-racing the monohulls and the catamarans.

Speed and speed of acceleration is one graphic example; the physical demands on the crew is another, as is the rapidity with which a 150m lead can dwindle to nothing when one boat has some breeze and the other does not.

Over the two days they saw lead changes that would not have occurred in the monohulls and learned that many of the old match racing tactics are still effective even if the crew have to take a different approach.

As noted sailing journalist Bob Fisher said that today’s final showed that classic match racing tactics are as applicable today as they ever were.

Tomorrow the team’s focus is on the final race of the regatta, a winner-takes-all fleet race.

Emirates Team New Zealand are the Plymouth match race champions. Plymouth, 17 September 2011. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand are the Plymouth match race champions. Plymouth, 17 September 2011. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand are the Plymouth match race champions. Plymouth, 17 September 2011. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

[Source: America's Cup] Emirates Team New Zealand took a short test sail in Plymouth on Thursday afternoon, in preparation for the opening fleet races on Saturday.

“We just went out for a quick sail, but it was good,” said wing trimmer Glenn Ashby. “There is a lot more current and tide than what we experienced in Cascais, so I think that will play a big part in the decision-making process.”

The forecast for the opening weekend of the America’s Cup World Series – Plymouth is for strong winds in the 20+ knot range, with squalls bringing gusts approaching 30 knots (35 mph, 55 kph) – right on the limit for the AC45s.

“Things start to get pretty exciting in anything more than 25 knots,” Ashby says. “The boats are great, they handle well, but once you get near 30 knots, it becomes survival modes. We’ve sailed in 26-27 knots training in New Zealand and that was about the top end for us.

Emirates Team New Zealand training. Plymouth, 8 September 2011. Photo copyright Ricardo Pinto / America's Cup

“You can get around in more than that, but it’s quite hairy. If you do everything right, the boats are no problem. The boat handling side becomes more important when it gets really, really windy and the guys who do that smoothly and accurately will end up at the top of the fleet.”

The Kiwis could claim honours as the top team in Cascais, with a second place finish in the match racing and a win in the fleet racing segments of the regatta. But Ashby says he’s expecting close racing up and down the fleet in Plymouth.

“At the end of the day all the teams will have improved since then,” he says. “The racing here will be as good or better than Cascais. Some of the newer teams will have sailed more since then, so they’ll be better. I think the sails will be better for some teams so I think the racing is going to be quite tight here.”

Emirates Team New Zealand wasn’t alone in training on Thursday. In fact, the only team yet to take to the water in Plymouth is ORACLE Racing. But both American crews are scheduled to sail on Friday.

[Source: Dean Barker's Blog] We had the final winner take all fleet race in Cascais today to determine who would take the ACWS trophy. As was the case last Sunday we had one 40 minute fleet race to sort out the placings.

Having had what has been a very strong week for the Team we were determined to finish with a good result. We had a good start and were third around the first mark. We managed to pass Coutts on the run and set about trying to catch Spithill on the other Oracle boat. They had a good lead after getting out of the top mark on a nice puff but such were the conditions that there were plenty of opportunities. The first beat we sailed well to close in on the leader. Glenn and Ray did nice work working the pressure down the 2nd run to pull off a pass and hold the lead from there until the finish.

It was very satisfying to win this event for all the Team. It is nice to see the hard work all the guys have been putting in is rewarded. Today could have been much different as this format certainly does not reward consistency just a one off result.

I am now returning to NZ for some more sailing in the SL33′s in Auckland before we head off again early September for the next AC45 event in Plymouth in the UK.

Not looking forward to the snow in Auckland!

Dean

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] The catamarans have a dual role – crew training for the sailing team and as test platforms for the design team.

Managing director Grant Dalton says the yachts will be modified to test design concepts for the AC72  catamarans that will race in the 2013 America’s Cup.

Dalton said today:  “We needed a way to get the entire sailing team working on the water and the design team wanted to be able to test in the real world.

The SL33s are the ideal solution.  With a crew of four or five the sailing crew will get the time on the water they need and the designers will be able to make frequent modifications over coming months.

The yachts are plain black making modifications easier and cheaper to do.”

Skipper Dean Barker says the new cats complete the team’s development arsenal.

“The AC45  has been dismantled, packed into  containers for shipping  by Maersk Line to Portugal where the first pre-regatta of the 34^th America’s Cup will be held starting on August 6.

“We have had a good long summer and autumn on the AC45, but we won’t have any further access to it for crew development.  We will sail it for a few days before each regatta and then go racing. It will be dismantled after each regatta and shipped to the next venue.”

The SL33 was designed by American firm Morelli Melvin which is also part of the Emirates Team New Zealand design team. The yachts were built by Hakes Marine of Wellington.

The team now has an impressive fleet of catamarans already sailing or being designed:

• A class:  Three,  single-handed  20ft catamarans used as a first step to get monohull sailors on to the water in catamarans.
• Extreme 40:  Now on the Extreme Sailing Series circuit, this high-performance yacht is raced by Dean Barker and crew in regattas that feature fast-action fleet racing with hard lessons on quick-fire tactics and  boat handling in  very  tight situations.
• AC45: The yacht that will be raced in America’s Cup pre-regattas, three this year and seven in 2012. This yacht has been packed in to 40ft containers and shipped to Europe by Maersk Line. The first regatta venue is Cascais, Portugal,  starting on August 6.
• SL33: Two yachts, just launched, based at Auckland, used  for crew training and as design test beds.
• On the drawing board:  two AC72 catamarans, the 72ft wingsail cats that will race for the 34^th America’s Cup in San Francisco in 2013. The team will build two, the first to be launched in July 2012.

Emirates Team New Zealand's two new SL33 catamarans training. Auckland, 13 July 2011. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand's two new SL33 catamarans training. Auckland, 13 July 2011. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand's two new SL33 catamarans training. Auckland, 13 July 2011. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand's two new SL33 catamarans training. Auckland, 13 July 2011. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand's two new SL33 catamarans training. Auckland, 13 July 2011. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand