America's Cup E-Mailbag - latest correspondence

2:13 PM Thu 25 Feb 2010 GMT

'Nabbed! USA-17 catches Alinghi on port in the start box and gains a penalty on her Swiss opponent' BMW Oracle Racing: Guilain Grenier Click Here to view large photo

Sail-World is happy to publish our readers' views an opinions on the America's Cup. Please address your contributions to nzeditor@sail-world.com :

Subject: Comments On : America's Cup - a waste of time, or will I benefit?

>
>
> Sender: John Riise
>
> Message: The question should not be whether some sailor will benefit some
> few years down the road from gear or technology developed on the two giant
> multihulls. Of course they will. Nor is it whether the boats were
> fantastic. Of course they were.
>
> The big question should be:
>
> * Is the America's Cup still a viable entity as the 'signature' event for
> sailing? 'Signature' in this case meaning the one event that even
> non-participants in the sport will follow ? like the Kentucky Derby or
> Indy 500. The answer? No ? the America's Cup outgrew that role a long time
> ago. Now it's like one of those movies whose trailers portray lots of
> action, but when you go to watch it, it is ? just like the America's Cup,
> too long, too boring, too slow and with rules and a plot that are all but
> incomprehensible, even to someone who does sail. Plus the IACC boats are
> the most expensive useless, slow boats ever built.
>
> The premier event of sailing should be sailed in modern craft and fleet
> format ? forget match racing ? and should consist of a maximum of one week
> of racing from start to finish ? say one race a day for five days ? not 50
> or 60 or 70 match-ups over two or three months. And the venue needs to
> have LOTS of dependable wind, and there are no cancelled races because of
> too much of it. Long round-the-bouys courses (with reaching legs) would
> work fine, as would one round-the-island race or even short point-to-point
> ocean race. This way it would be more understandable to non-sailors ?
> whoever crosses the finish line first wins ? and fleet racing would insure
> that even the also-rans had a chance at winning if something happened to
> the top teams.
>
> To answer one question implied in the article, the recent America's Cup
> bout was a joke. All it amounted to for this sailor is that Larry Ellison
> finally found a way to buy the Cup, since he couldn't win it the
> conventional way. And wow, what a price tag. I think 60 minutes should do
> an expose on the wretched excess of matches like the one just completed.
> The figure bandied about the most was $400 million ? which I believe
> referred only to the deep pockets of BMW/Oracle. With all the problems the
> U.S. and world economies are going through right now, and all the good
> people who are out of work, two fat cats spending anything near that
> amount on a stupid sailboat race is THE story that needs to get more air
> time.
>
> Related News Item: America's Cup - a waste of time, or will I benefit?
>
> Link to News: www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=66664
>

Subject: Comments On : America's Cup 2010 Newsletter

>
>
> Sender: nick barker
>
> Message: Very worrying that the race officer is now making decisions about
> boat capability (therefore design) and crew abilities. He should start the
> race at the appointed time. If no one starts then the race is cancelled
> and a new start time called. It is and must always be up to the skipper to
> decide whether his boat and crew can take the conditions. He can always
> retire and forfeit.
> Please feel free to quote me.
> Regards
> Nick Barker

News Item: Gladwell's Line: Is this a Deed of Gift Match, or not?

Sender: john culter

Message: It might be helpful to have a look at the NOR 1.1(d) and note that the event is being sailed under the Racing Rules of Sailing. Granted that the DoG takes precedence, but when the RRS apply, a competent race officer will add safety and fairness to the mix of requirements. Unless there is something in the DoG that would conflict with these two things, they will be considered and the racing will be conducted in that fashion.

Harold is a very competent race officer, and his concerns about sea conditions today were clearly around safety. Imagine one of these boats coming apart while going 30 kn.

Fairness requires a more or less reasonable weather leg. Ten degrees would be very, very good for a 20 nm leg. I'm sure Harold would be delighted with a course that had forty degree variations, if they were oscillations. A shift of that magnitude is more problematic, and usually indicates trouble coming soon. I believe the conditions on Day 1 were much less stable than that.

Seems to me you're working hard to accomplish something -- not sure what. This event is on, and there will be racing, so how about settling down and let the RO do his job? It will eventually work out.

Related

Link to News: www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=66333

Message sent from : Canada Racing

Richard Gladwell comments: First, let's make it crystal clear we don't run agenda's. This is a sailing website and newsletter, not a soapbox, however we do run commentary pieces, saying what we are seeing and our thoughts. We also run team media releases, almost always unedited, and generally uncommented - and leave our readers to take from both what they will.

Second, the pieces Bob and I write are not about Harold, he is a very good and fair race officer and was a pretty good sailor in his day. I'm sure he would have been more than comfortable sailing his OK dinghy in conditions like yesterday. However when you take on positions as PRO, you have to make some hard decisions, and you expect people to question those decisions. There is nothing personal in it. I have sat on many International Juries, we have had to make some pretty hard decisions at times. People have rightly questioned those decisions, we have to explain the reasoning, and that is the end of it. Right or wrong you have to make a decision. You can't ask for more time, you can't pass the buck, you can't say I don't know. You can't ask your wife. If you are uncomfortable with that situation, then don't get into a decision making position.

Thirdly, what this issue is about is the seaworthiness of yachts that are supposed to be designed and constructed, to compete in an America's Cup Deed of Gift Match, under the Deed of Gift, which doesn't state wind and sea limits.

And for the record, Bob Fisher has sailed in a Little America's Cup in C-class catamarans, so maybe he knows what he is talking about when he talks of seaworthiness. For me I was on the Int Jury for the 1996 Little America's Cup and saw Cogito and Yellow Pages duke it out on a day of 15-20kts in a sea state that was near impossible to go upwind in a powerboat. It was very impressive to see how well the C-cats handled the conditions. They are far more seaworthy than people give them credit for, and I only wish the America's Cup sailors here could be given the opportunity to test the seaworthiness and performance of their craft. It's a vital part of the sport.

Now, read on:

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News Item: Fisher's View: Boys and Girls, come out to play.

Sender: paul Kennedy

Message: Bob

You are exactly right, this is a joke, the worlds most advanced yachts... cannot sali in 4.5 knots; cannot sail in 15knots and 1metre waves, my non sailing friends at work are laughing at this farce , this was meant to be the Formula 1 of yacht racing and they won't race,the F! cars race wet, dry, ho,t cold, windy, calm we could have sent a cadet out around the course and it would now be the AC holder as these self indulgent wusses would still be arguing on shore. George Schulyers idea was about a 'yacht race' not to 'avoid having a yacht race' These self obssessed indulgent egos are doing irreparable harm to the heritage of the cup and frankly as neither of then need the money why are they bothering?

If they cannot see the harm they are doing then perhaps the IYRU should step in for once and make a stand on behalf of yachties everywhere (the rain,hail or shine ones)

Link to News: www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=66332

Message sent from : Australia Racing

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News Item: Fisher's View: Boys and Girls, come out to play.

Sender: John Anstey

Message: Well put Bob, and thanks for the only informed (and wonderfully irreverent) commentary.

Your handbags comment circulates in the two Sydney clubs to which I belong (one of them a Royal club).

We all fondly remember when real yachts sailed by real sailors, who while no doubt terrified by the prospects of towering 1.5 meter chop roaring across the course would get out there and do or die.

As for winds light and variable; isn't that the very art of sailing.

I suspect this match will have be decided by two multi billionaires slapping each other with their handbags. he who cries first loses.

Love your column and thanks again.

John Anstey

Link to News: www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=66332

Message sent from : Australia Racing

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News Item: Fisher's View: Boys and Girls, come out to play.

Sender: Dino Memic

Message: Absolutely right, but I think there are bunch of the 'wusses' amongst reporters as well. Everybody is playing safe, no real questions. Watched numerous 'Press Conferences' or better yet 'Spin Conferences' and nobody dares to ask the real questions, what is going on here? Afraid of being blacklisted?
Per DOG this is offshore race, not Geneva lake race. Spirit of Americas Cup wasn't just trail in speed, but seamanship and seaworthiness as well. Reflection on the Maritime Industry of one nation, historically.
In the light winds and flat seas, even the 'duct tape' becomes mayor technological accomplishment technology, space technology if you want. Any of these guys if afraid that they might get hurt or bruised should stay ashore.

If 1m swell and 15KTS of wind is unsafe then I am bad parent, because my 10 yr. old son sails his Sabot in more then that, or he just has bigger stones. Who could tell?

Link to News: www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=66332

Message sent from : US Racing

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News Item: America's Cup Day 2 - Racing Postponed until Friday morning

Sender: James Cruz

Message: >>>millions of dollars spent on these boat...ocean/sea racing boats..and they will not let them race in 1.5 m sea waves....just wonder..did they build them for a lake sailing..or just waiting for a flat waters to break a speed records like the windsurfing boys doing in my backyard..
just get back to strong mono hauls..and let these millionaires sail in waters where much smaller and less sophisticated sail boats race everyday..
that talk of 'wind too strong...waves too big..shifting winds across the race course>>
Is this a sport-racing/ sailing skills competition or just a SHOW of 'what money can buy'?

JUST WONDER

Link to News: www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=66329

Message sent from : Australia Racing

by Various correspondents