America's Cup 2010 - Main Page Race Results and News Stories: The 33rd Defense

Unleashed: Two monsters square off in Race One of the 2010 America's Cup, Alinghi's A5 leading BMW Oracle Racing's USA-17 early on the windward leg.
Photo:©2010 Gilles Martin-Raget/BMW Oracle Racing

33rd Defense of the America's Cup

BMW Oracle Racing and Golden Gate YC
Win the America's Cup!

The 2010 America's Cup: Best-of-Three Series

Pts

Team

0	Alinghi SUI	0	0	-
2	BMW Oracle USA - Winner	1	1	-

The Challenger USA wins 2-0!

Race 1, USA wins, delta 15 minutes, 28 seconds.
Race 2, USA wins, delta 5 minutes, 28 seconds

On this page:
Race 1 Results and Preview: Race 1 (Fri Feb 12)
Race 2 Results and Preview: Race 2 (Sun Feb 14)

Stories for
Opening Day: Feb 7 | Monday Feb 7(Race 1 Postponed)
Tues Feb 9 (Rest Day) | Wed Feb 10 (Racing Postponed)

Afterward: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead, and the Cup Comes Home for a Victory Tour

Race 2 of the 34th Defense of the America's Cup

Race 2 America's Cup 2010 Results: Golden Gate Yacht Club and BMW Oracle Racing Win Race 2 by 5:28! Photo:©2010 Kaufmann/Forster go4image.com Quotes: Larry Ellison says: "It's Absolutely Awesome!" "¡Valencia, Muchas Gracias!" Larry Ellison: “It was really tough on the first beat because they got the right hand side, did a bit of a split and we covered a little late. They got some leverage, we hit the layline perfectly, just dipped him, got underneath him, sailed in front of him, rounded the weather mark first, and sailed away on the reach.” Jimmy Spithill: "This is the best part, coming in to see your teammates, seeing how they react. The guys just put in so much work. It’s been such a really, really, hard campaign, so to come back in and share it with the rest of the team is just awesome. Full credit to the engineers and boat builders and designers to get through those races with no issues at all. My hat is off to them. They won it for us. This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. I started 10 years ago -- I thought it would never come." Photo:©2010 CupInfo Larry Ellison: "I am so proud of this team, proud to be a part of this team – and I’m proud to bring the America’s Cup, after a long absence, back to the USA!" Read more Quotes of the Day USA Wins Race 2 and the America's Cup Match, Feb 14: Quotes of the Day and Comments and BMW Oracle Press Release Defender Alinghi and Ernesto Bertarelli Defeated: Alinghi Press Release Photo:©2010 Kaufmann/Forster go4image.com		Race 2 Results (Feb 14): Update 4:14pm: Race is on! Postponement flag down at 4:14, warning signal 4:19, start at 4:25. Wind 6 knots at start. Sunset in Valencia today is 6:37pm. Triangular Course, 39 miles total: 13 miles to Windward, 13 miles to Reaching mark, 13 miles to Finish. Alinghi enters from the right (on starboard tack), BMW Oracle enters from the left (on port tack). Passing. Photo:©2010 Kaufmann/Forster go4image.com Race 2 Recap Penalty to Alinghi at the Warning Gun for not being outside the designated area! BMW Oracle into the box alone, crosses for starboard side of box. 1 minute 30 seconds to go, BMW lines up for left, Alinghi slow behind the line. BMW Oracle gets a good jump at the gun, heads left. Alinghi heads right. Early 230m lead to BMW Oracle, but they are in different breeze. Out to 360m, down to 300, and BMWO tacks, losing only 50m. Both now on starboard. 475M lead to BMW. Then breeze favors first Alinghi, then BMW out to 676m as left shift comes in. Breeze building past 8 knots. Alinghi tacks, first cross of the match coming. Alinghi on starboard. Wind helps them, Alinghi gains and BMW Oracle has to tack before they cross. AL5 in 70m lead. Loïck Peyron is now helming. Alinghi to 190m lead. 245m. Breeze appears to be filling from the right. 490m lead. 550m, but wind may be coming back left. Out to 600m and then BMWO starts closing on the shift to 300m. Alinghi raises protest flag, reasons unclear. BMW Oracle tacks and the boats come together for a close cross. VERY close cross, Alinghi ahead by 50m, Alinghi goes past, tacks, BMW Oracle rolls them before Alinghi can get accelerated. USA can lay the mark. Top mark nearing, 195m lead for BMW Oracle. Round the Windward Mark with a 28 second delta -- 59 minutes after start. Bearing off for reaching leg. BMW Oracle extends for 450m lead. 575m. 750m. 1000 meters. Halfway down the 2nd leg, 1445m lead to BMW Oracle. Continued extension on the third leg. Wind angles start to help Alinghi late, but they are too far behind to make any difference. BMW Oracle wins the America's Cup by 5:28 and 15:28 in two straight races! Alinghi withdraws protest. Race 2 Preview: The America's Cup is on the line today. Unlike Friday when no one knew what to expect, the match has become a question of whether Alinghi can find a mode or a point of sail where they are faster than the challenger. After BMW Oracle wolfed down A5's 600m lead in a matter of minutes in Race 1 upwind, and extended to a matter of kilometers downwind, the biggest variable in Race 2 will be the two reaching legs of the triangular course where out-pointing the opposition won't be the solution. Reports say that Alinghi changed out the engine that powers their hydraulic systems, and they may be hoping against hope for the super-light conditions that could even the performance gap against BMW Oracle. If not, this is a best-of-three series, and the Challenger, Golden Gate Yacht Club, Larry Ellison, and their team, could today win the storied silver trophy that has obsessed yachting's best for 159 years!

Picturing the America's Cup

Stars&Stripes in Fremantle.
Photo:©1987 Daniel Forster/go4image.com

Photographers Jürg Kaufmann and Daniel Forster have teamed up for the 33rd Defense. CupInfo talked to them about what they've seen at the America's Cup over the years, plus how they approach the art and technique of sailing photography.

CupInfo: You have both been to many America’s Cups, Daniel going back to 1977. Which was your favorite as a photographer?

Daniel: My favorite one as a photographer was the 1987 Cup in Perth/Fremantle. Every day by 11:00 am the “Fremantle Doctor” arrived: 25-30 knots of wind with big waves and bright sunshine and the 12mJI yachts sailed, unlike here!

Read Interview at CupInfo

BMW Oracle Space Launch

Race 1 of the 33rd Defense of the America's Cup

Race 1 America's Cup 2010 Race 1 Results (Feb 12): Course: 20 nautical miles to Windward and Return. Course set at 180 degrees. BMW Oracle (starboard tack), enters from right, Alinghi (port tack) enters from the left 2:35 pm: Racing is underway Penalty on Alinghi in the Pre-Start for trying to cross BMW as they enter and not keeping clear. Both above the line in a dial-up. BMW Oracle stalled, both OCS, Alinghi gets out first before BMWO even gets out of irons. Early jump to a 600m lead for Alinghi as BMWO has to return. Windward Leg: Up the course, wind building to 8 kts. BMW gains on Alinghi, cutting into lead, Alinghi swaps foresails, BMW Oracle still gaining. USA pointing higher, going faster, gets ahead into 250m lead. Now 400m lead. BMW Oracle drops headsail. Out ahead to 425m. Then gaps closes, both head right, but down to 160m lead. Speeds about 20 knots upwind. Halfway up the Windward leg, BMW Oracle extends again 300m. 500m. 630m. Wind at 9 kts. Getting toward the layline. Alinghi tacks first. BMWO about 2 minutes later. Lead 900m to BMW Oracle. To 1200m. Nearing the Windward Mark. Wind at top dropping from 10 kts to 7 kts, at 175 degrees. BMW Oracle tacks for the mark. Rounds at 4:04pm. Return Leg: BMW Oracle heads downwind. Alinghi rounds, 3:21 delta. BMW Oracle leads by 1598m. 2100m. 2700m. Speed downwind about 25 knots for BMWO. Alinghi gybes. Distance 3300m to BMW Oracle. Alinghi still carrying a penalty. USA heading lower, speed to 28.5 knots. Wind 8 kts. More than halfway along the return leg. Still huge lead to BMWO. Finish coming up. BMW Oracle wins Race 1! Alinghi takes penalty turn, Apparent finish delta of 10:04, problem with penalty turn, has to return above the line, repeat penalty turn, final delta 15:28. Quotes of the Day: Jimmy Spithill, Skipper, BMW Oracle: “I always thought if we were able to fly a hull we'd be faster upwind, but I was genuinely surprised downwind." Dirk de Ridder, Wingsail Trimmer, BMW Oracle: "Over probably 9-10 knot breeze it’s more efficient without the headsail, and the wing is working at maximum efficiency at that windspeed, and there was no surprise we were better upwind against Alinghi with the wing only....Once we get to over over 10 knots we’re at our absolute best and probably more wind we’d even be better. So good to see in the lighter wind up the first beat we were actually going quite well -- we were very very pleased" Larry Ellison, Owner, BMW Oracle: "I would have sailed today if they weren’t about to call a race in three-and-a-half knots. If it’s very very light, we’ll sail with minimum crew again. I had intended to sail today and I intend to sail Sunday but not if the breeze is three knots of breeze." Ernesto Bertarelli, Owner, Alinghi: "The wing seems to be quite a weapon." Brad Butterworth, Skipper, Alinghi: "What do you want me to say, they sailed from behind us to in front of us." Jimmy Spithill, Skipper, BMW Oracle, on the pre-start: "I was approaching it pretty aggressively because the wind was quite light -- we did a great job on the entry. We were able to get a piece of ‘em and a force a penalty which was good, but then pretty soon after -- we’re sort of learning all the time -- we had a hard time sorta stopping the boat. We ended up rolling forwards and getting overlapped to windward.... "We sort of had a hard time to try and stay out of irons. We got stuck in irons. We had an issue with one of the winches, we couldn’t get the sail on ‘em, and obviously we couldn’t get the bow down. So it was a bit frustrating, you know, as we really had him on the back foot there." Question: As you came across the line, how did you feel when you started chasing Alinghi down? Spithill: “Pretty fired up, we pushed the boat harder than I’ve ever pushed it before –- I mean right on the edge.....the boat really took off." Read more quotes plus Race Summary Report BMW Oracle: Race 1 Crew List Alinghi: Race 1 Crew List		America's Cup Match Preview: Preview? There's been 33 months of back and forth, asking a court to decide who is the rightful challenger of record, what boats may race, and where they can or can't race, and every permutation of rule has been twisted and examined. Sides have been chosen around the America's Cup world, and this may be the least friendly competition among nations for yachting's great prize to ever slide down the ways. Offset by race boats that are as beautiful, high-tech and quite literally lethal as any ever built, the sailing portion of the match takes over today from the designing and building. And nobody has ever built boats like these for inshore racing. 79 miles of straight line racing, today's 20 nm to Windward and Return, plus Race Two's 39 miles around the Triangular course, as the crow flies, and some issues could finally be settled. Not the least of these issues is the Battle for the Soul of the America's Cup that has raged increasingly hot since July, 2007. The near future of the event, if not its entire future, may ride on the outcome. There are some who think there is something wrong with a match between the two most advanced sailboats on the planet, two yachts indeed conjured into being just for these few races and cast into shape according to a spell written in 1887 by George Schuyler. The truth is that this is the closest the Cup has come in some time to what it was originally. This is not a pageant, this is not a participation event to satisfy sponsors, it's not intended to be done on the cheap or for the thrill of competing, and there are no intentions of parity for the sake of entertainment. This is about winning. It's about excellence and pushing the limits to get there, and this is what made the America's Cup big, brave, and famous in the first place. It is serious, serious, sport. It's taken imagination, some real guts, and cubic money to get to this point, nearly unlimited except by constraints of time. Win or Lose, this match could well be the last time we ever see the America's Cup unleashed to this degree. This is a match race in the original sense, the boats at mythic proportions, the competitors have real anger, the stakes beyond mere pride. The America's Cup sails into history today, and Cup fans everywhere should hope it comes out a winner.

Monday-Tuesday: Ready to Race

Rest Day Stories for Tuesday Feb 9 BMW Oracle Skipper Jimmy Spithill's heads-up display glasses: "The 30-year-old Australian hides behind a pair of sunglasses but not to deflect any glare from the Mediterranean Sea or to hide any pre-race fear from Oracle's bitter rivals aboard Alinghi 5. The sunglasses house a futuristic fighter pilot-style heads-up display to supply the Sydneysider with vital wind and sail load information aboard Oracle's 90x90-foot trimaran USA-17." stuff.co.nz When USA's wing is up, the yacht wants to sail, 24 hours a day. So she has a skipper and crew around the clock, even at her mooring: Magnus Clarke, relief skipper, BMW Oracle: "We keep her on a short leash otherwise, on a normal long line, it's easy to get to a situation when the boat starts to swing and you end up sailing at 20 knots! Sometimes it feels like keeping a leaping stallion in the paddock." Yachting World Bob Fisher's Day Off: Bruno Troublé, Louis Vuitton Trophy, laser wind measuring, and a showdown on the Race Committee boat about GGYC's representative; but first things first: "The mandatory rest day after the cancelled race provided a wonderful opportunity for a decent lunch." Sail-World.com Especially Recommended, as usual: Kimball Livingston, Sail Magazine, on What Happens Next: "...from my side of the Rubicon, I see only two versions of the next reality: 1) Alinghi wins and bids the venue, and we won’t be surprised if we’re off to a small country east of here that is radically different, culturally, and more known for minarets and camels than for tapas and sangria—but like Valencia is eager for international attention. Yes, there probably would be pre-events in other locations. Technically, of course, the winner is La Société Nautique de Genève, but we already know what that means. 2) BOR wins and the good old days of Louis Vuitton return. I see little interim difference whether Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, for example, becomes Challenger of Record or Mascalzone Latino Audi’s Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia. There would be pre-events in select locations, and by holding eliminations along the way it would be possible to structure the finals so that a compressed America’s Cup match could be held in San Francisco Bay." Read more at Blue Planet Times		Race Day 1 Postponed: Monday Scheduled Race Day 1: Racing was abandoned due to light and variable wind. Wednesday February 10th is the next possible race day. Valencia Notes: John Crisp 6:00 am First Light: Dawn slowly lightens the grey lead-lined skies over the Darsena this morning. There is a little drizzle of rain. The air is still and heavy, the flags unwilling to move. The wind seems as unwilling as I was to get up this morning. The dock is empty of boats, but filled with expectation. The hands of the clock march inexorably round. Showtime is not far away. 2:00 pm: Racing Abandoned The organization was completed. The boats were ready. The teams were ready. The press were ready. The online feeds were ready. The assembled crowd was ready. The chat rooms were full. But someone forgot to book any wind. Despite all of the best forecasts (even RepCast was a little out!), the predicted breeze failed to arrive and eventually at 2:00 pm the PRO decided to call it a day and enjoy a leisurely trip home in the drizzle. With all the money that has been spent on this edition of the Cup, it's refreshing to know that there is at least one thing left in life that billionaires' money can't buy? Feb 8: 5:00 pm Chris Bedford, BMW Oracle Met Expert: With a fleet of five boats equipped with 6m masts, updating data every 15 seconds, and a team of local observers as well, Chris Bedford still has one of the toughest jobs around. Namely making the vital call on weather for his team. Get it wrong, and 100 million dollars worth of high tech is worthless. Get it right and you are the road to riches, and he has been there before, twice winning the America's up. Today was a tale of two breezes with the PRO stuck in between. The conflicting winds cancelled one another out in the middle of the course. Bedford felt that even had the course been laid further north or south in either of the two wind bands, setting a course would still have been difficult. His forecasting information for the boat is quite different from normal Cup matches, where the call is normally to go right or left. Here, the racing is more coastal in nature so what he sends over is more of a routing plan, telling the team where they need to be on the track at different points. This might mean ignoring tactical sailing and heading deeper off in search of better breeze. The PRO asked both teams today if they felt it was prudent to call the race off today. Unusually in this America's Cup match, there was an outbreak of both common sense and mutual agreement, with neither side wanting to play the Beaufort lottery. Long may it continue. Stories for Monday Feb 8 Analyzing Design Details: Yacht Designer and America's Cup winner Dave Pedrick: "In virtually any sailboat design, stability buys sail-carrying power, and sail power buys speed. Stability in multihulls comes primarily from the distance from the athwartships center of weight to the leeward hull--true of a proa, a catamaran or a trimaran. Subject to diminishing returns of construction weight, more beam is good. Both of the AC33 multihulls have chosen essentially square proportions of overall breadth to waterline length..." Sailing World Cory E. Friedman in Valencia: "The International Jury has finally handed down its final decision on measurement and it is not hard to see why it took so long. Indeed, when I saw the Jury driving out of their headquarters on Saturday, I was surprised they were not still holding their noses. The bottom line is that, although Justice Kornreich ruled, based on the recommendation of three of the Jury members, that the boats had to be measured with water ballast on board, the Jury has ratified an absurd measurement procedure that turns Justice Kornreich’s decision on its head." Scuttlebutt News ETNZ Will Not Sail VOR: Grant Dalton, ETNZ CEO, says the New Zealand team will not enter the Volvo Ocean Race, as was earlier rumored. Speculation is that they may have an eye on becoming America's Cup Challenger of Record depending on the match outcome. And about the match, Dalton says "I just want it to be over with. But I will predict that it will probably be a trouncing. I mean there won't be a half-knot difference between these boats." stuff.co.nz

Opening Ceremonies and Final Predictions: February 7th

Stories Sunday Feb 7 About Harold Bennett, Principal Race Officer (PRO): "He is an Alinghi appointment," said Emirates Team NZ boss Grant Dalton. "Things like wind speed will be a quandary and everyone knows he was appointed by Alinghi because of historical things - and the eyes of the yachting world will very much be on that guy." "Kiwi in a Whirlpool" at NZ Herald Ernesto Bertarelli: "If the wind comes from the shore, which is what it is looking like, then the start is going to be almost half way between here and Ibiza. I think everyone should be careful, especially spectators who are on the water. Remember we are not in the summer, but in the winter." Owners Press Conference Kimball Livingston, Sail Magazine, on the work-up to the Match: "Perception versus reality versus perception versus infinitum": Blue Planet Times Decided by Sailing: "If you're looking for a golden moment, I think it will be two minutes before the gun when the boats have to turn and come back to the startline." Read more at NZ Herald Rolf Vrolijk, Principal Designer, Alinghi: "...a large part of the development process has been driving home the point that the crew need to sail within the limits for which the boat has been designed." Story by Matt Sheahan at Yachting World Peter Lester at NZ Herald: "At long last we are going to see some racing in the America's Cup. With a couple of court cases still pending, next week's one-on-one showdown between Alinghi and BMW Oracle may not bring an end to the whole sorry saga, but make no mistake - this is progress." Read story by Peter Lester at NZ Herald Dave Pedrick, America's Cup-winning Designer: "This 33rd edition of the famed event is sure to be the most spectacular match of sailing machines ever staged. Other than a basic waterline length limit of 90 feet under the Cup's Deed of Gift, there has been no limit on the competing teams' imagination about performance, design and engineering—nor, evidently, on expense" "Amazing Race" at Sailing World Stuart Streuli: "USA's wing sail is the largest ever built, by far. How to put it in perspective: "There's countless ways provide a sense of the size of this sail. It's longer, for example, than the wing span of the Airbus A340 on which I flew from Boston to Spain. All come up short, however, when compared to seeing it in person. IT. IS. HUGE." Story at Sailing World		Opening Ceremonies, One Day to Go John Crisp: View from the dock.... (Feb 7) It was great to see such a good turnout around the Veles e Vents building for the Opening Ceremony. The Darsena once again had the feel of yesteryear. The Valencians turned out to see what all the fuss was about. Any excuse is good for for a party, beer, and massive Paella, and this one certainly counted.. Somewhere among the music, dance, light, dramatic video footage, and stunning hyper-fireworks explosions of the mascletá, the teams were introduced on stage (though both boats were out training so the core figures were not here) and the America’s Cup itself trotted into view. A ceremonial coin was tossed, BMW Oracle drew first blood and chose starboard for the start. The gloves are off, the lawyers on holiday, and battle is about to commence. You can really feel now that this battle is on. The stunning videos on the big screen accompanied by music at a heart-thumping volume set the pulse racing, and despite the media packaging it delivers a sense of just what an awesome achievement these boats really are. They are unique, a testament to engineering, the result of two years mad scramble to design the ultimate with no holds barred. It's a shame that the ordinary man on the street does not really understand how far these teams have pushed, and won't get the opportunity in person to see them go through their paces. Even in the media, focus on the politics has sometimes obscured a magnificent achievement. But never mind all that now. The clock is inexorably ticking down to Armageddon. Who got their design right, and who got it wrong? Not long now until we find out. I, for one, can't wait. Alinghi Art Artist Carlo Perosino - Image: ©2010 Cultwork From an original photo ©2007 Thierry Martinez Jan 29: The beauty of the 32nd and 33rd America's Cup depicted in limited edition prints, photographs, and original artwork. For the debut of the Alinghi Fine Art Collection see more images at AlinghiArt.com

Post-Match BMW Oracle Racing Victory Tour: The Cup Comes Home

Coutts and Spithill: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead Feb 23: As San Francisco, San Diego, and the BMW Oracle Team celebrated a magnificent victory over the weekend, Diane Swintal checked in with men of the hour Russell Coutts and Jimmy Spithill as they reflected on their stunning win and began to plot the course ahead. From Diane's report: Russell Coutts: "We liked our chances but honestly, I didn’t expect to win it like that. I thought it would be a little closer than what it turned out to be, but it just shows that the team we put in place worked very hard to get the best out of the technology and, really, the technology that was created was pretty special. We’re really proud of what was achieved." "Right now, we’re going to take some time off [from sailing] to get some of these other things resolved and at least give the America’s Cup community a timeline of when the major decisions will be made. We’re committed to independent management of the on-the-water event, rules, etc. I think that will help teams a lot, and help bring back sponsors. We have to decide with the other teams how that will be done, whether it’s a mutually elected group, a regatta director -- we have to decide how that’s going to be done." Read more from CupInfo Celebration in SF Feb 20: The America's Cup arrived back in America Friday afternoon, landing in San Francisco after being held by other countries for 15 years. Friday night saw a festive reception at the Golden Gate YC clubhouse, and Saturday the trophy will be on public display at SF city hall before going to San Diego for a party on Sunday. From BMWOB: Mike Drummond, design director, was asked what the top speed of the USA would be. He said while it would be hard to get to 50 knots, he would expect in perfect conditions, you could approach that number. The fastest the USA has been sailed by the team is 42 knots, in about 15 knots of wind. Read more at BMW Oracle Blog		Additional 2010 America's Cup Stories: Monday, Mar 8: Russell Coutts Debates Role in next Cup: NZ Herald Tuesday, Feb 23: CupInfo: Talking with Russell and Jimmy Sunday, Feb 21: America's Cup Welcomed Home in San Diego: CupInfo Story and BMW Oracle Press Release Saturday, Feb 20: America's Cup is Home in San Francisco: Photos and Story at BMW Oracle Blog Thursday, Feb 18: Schedule: Trophy in SF, SD, Friday-to-Sunday Monday, Feb 15: GGYC officially announces Club Nautico di Roma, represented by Mascalzone Latino, as Challenger Monday, Feb 15: Press Release: The America's Cup Comes Home This Friday Press Conference: Watch Video AC34: 2011? 2013? Next Defense: The Basics America's Cup Welcomed Home in San Diego Feb 21: Take San Diego, the schooner America, and the most famous and historic trophy in yachting. How to have the perfect evening? Throw in a harbor cruise, a beautiful sunset, dinner for hundreds of your closest friends, and some very bright plans for the next defense. Diane Swintal reports: In 1995, Russell Coutts sailed up to the San Diego Yacht Club and claimed the America’s Cup for New Zealand. Sunday, he brought it back. Larry Ellison: “We want a defender series -- and we want Dennis to get involved. And we think there could be as many as 16 teams.” James Spithill: "We have to make people stop and take notice, make it exciting to watch.” Ellison reiterated the theme of this tour and his mantra since winning Auld Mug -- and made a bold promise for a whole new future for the Cup. “The next Cup will be governed by an independent body, not dominated by any one team, including the defender. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the New York Yacht Club, the San Diego Yacht Club -- we want to get everyone involved and have a fair set of rules we can collectively agree on. Read CupInfo report from San Diego Also see: BMW Oracle Racing Press Release and Kimball Livingston's report from San Francisco: "America's Cup in America"