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NZ led building team hand over America's Cup wingsail + video

SailingSailing



11:34 PM Mon 9 Nov 2009 GMT
'Tim Smyth (NZL) watches BOR90 helmsman Jimmy Spithill (AUS) try on his flight kit' BMW Oracle Racing &copy Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

Two New Zealanders led the building team for the wingsail developed for BMW Oracle Racing's America's Cup Challenger, BOR90/USA.

Tim Smyth (NZL) and Mark Turner (NZL), the managers at Core Builders who completed the wing project, handed over the 'keys' to their baby this morning in front of an assembly of the full team on site in San Diego.

'20 weeks and about 20,000 hours later, Core Builders is very pleased to hand over this wing sail to the sailing team,' Smyth said. 'This has been a unique and challenging project. That we've succeeded in delivering this wing on time is entirely due to the efforts of the Core Builders team and their incredible work ethic.'

Tim and Mark then called on the afterguard on the BOR 90 to step forward: 'We have some extra kit for you, in anticipation that you're going to be going so fast. It's going to be cold out there, so...'



They handed helmsman Jimmy Spithill (AUS) his flight jacket, 'Top Gun' sunglasses and pilot's cap to loud cheers. In preparation for take-off, tactician JK (John Kostecki - USA) and navigator Matteo Plazzi (ITA) received their pilot's caps.

As he modelled his new jacket, Spithill thanked the build and shore teams: 'At the end of the day, without you guys, we couldn't do what we do out on the water, so on behalf of the sailing team, thanks very much.

'We're going into an area no one's ever gone before... When you look at this thing, the heart certainly starts beating a bit faster. It's going to be exciting.'

The designers and builders will continue load testing and checking the systems on the wing into Monday. While the guys at the base tucked into a late dinner, Michel Marie (FRA) Technical Director, told me of the updated plans.

'The wing has just been completely assembled for the first time this afternoon. We have had to lift it in preparation for moving it and we'll now spend Monday completing our load testing and testing all the systems that allow us to shape the wing,' he said.

I asked him about the effort required to get to this stage: 'It's enormous. Like the wing, it's just been enormous. There has been a lot of hard work by many people to get us here.'



Earlier on Sunday, while the wing team was putting the final touches on assembly, the sailing team was practicing its dock-out procedure.

'It's not going to be easy to get the boat away from the dock with the wing up, obviously,' Michel said. 'So we wanted to see in full-scale what it will be like and to try a couple of options.'

The forecast is promising for the early part of the week, so with luck, we'll see the wing up and installed and into full-scale, on-the-water testing, later in the week.




by Peter Rusch, BMW Oracle Racing




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