World Yacht Racing Forum: Newsletter
|
May 19, 2009 |
||
|
America’s Cup Deed of Gift match: What are the consequences for the sport of sailing? If all goes according to the current plans, the next America’s Cup will take place on giant multi-hulls on February 2010. We ask America’s Cup veterans Sébastien Col (FRA, K-Challenge) and Paolo Cian (ITA, Shosholoza), multihull pro sailor Cam Lewis (USA), and yachting journalists Tim Jeffery (UK) and Loic Le Bras (FRA) what effect they think this will have on the yacht racing industry as a whole. WYRF: Will the Deed of Gift (DoG) match be an exceptional moment in the history of yacht racing or a boring, one-sided regatta? Tim Jeffery: Both! There will be a ghoulish fascination in marveling at two fabulous, fascinating, fast and frightening yachts trying to knock each other out. But unless something goes Twang!, a small speed advantage will be amplified into a big gap. And big gaps don’t make exciting contests. The DoG courses (a long windward / leeward or a triangle) will discourage too much cornering. Cam Lewis: “I am an enthusiastic multihull racer and fan; also I was the grinder in 1988 on the Stars and Stripes catamaran. Was this 2 out of 3 series boring? Well, after 5 minutes sure it was to those watching, yet we onboard had tuned up one of the coolest sailboats to ever race in any event. So now you have a challenging team that has shown most of its cards, a wicked big and fast trimaran. The Swiss catamaran (my best guess) will look something like a scaled up D35ish sort of machine, with the 3rd hull for rig loads, headsail trim etc. So back to the question, it will be an exceptional match and an incredible moment in the history of yacht racing. It could end with a spectacular T bone in the 1st dial up with lots of blood and injuries or it could be a real thriller. Of course it might be a parade too! The good news is that the best of the best will be seen and there will be no LEAD involved, the heavy metal kind! Loic Le Bras: “For sure it will be an exceptional event, and it will make history – no matter what people may think about the interest of such a match. There has never been a multi-hull dual in the 150 years history of the America’s Cup. It will be historical for the America’s Cup and for the sport of sailing as a whole. Paolo Cian: “The regatta will probably be boring; one monster will be faster than the other. But on the other hand this is a very special project, and the technology involved is fantastic. The interest will not be in the regatta itself, but in all the rest.” Sébastien Col: “The regatta might be boring, but it will attract a lot of attention. The technology involved is extraordinary, and I believe that we will see new things that will perhaps be adapted to everyone’s sailing boat in the future. This is a positive point, and it was not the case anymore with the ACC rule.” WYRF: Is the match between two giant multi-hulls a good or a bad thing for the sport of sailing? Will it change the face of sailing forever? Tim Jeffery: “Point One. The America’s Cup is only the Everest of Sailing because you need oxygen to survive. It sits so far above the rest of the sport to be as good as separate from it. Point Two, Alinghi was greedy in victory and the only one with the resolve and resources to say ‘hold on, your proposals for the next Cup go too far’, Larry Ellison, did so. Result? Acute short term pain. The long term judgment will depend on Alinghi’s or BMW Oracle’s action after their triumph. Cam Lewis: “It is the best thing that can happen for our sport right now. Two super rich guys playing at the highest level! Who wants to be the richest guy in the graveyard? It certainly will change the face of sailing for the near future and what happens in a hundred years is too difficult to predict. Will we see cats back in the Olympics someday? For sure. Will catamarans and/or trimarans be used in future America’s Cups? I have no idea, yet it would make sense, as the new silly AC33 boats they proposed would try to emulate multihull speeds and angles downwind, but be boring slow upwind. Take a look at the iShares Cup and Swiss lakes, cats rule! Loic Le Bras: “How could it be bad? Seeing two giant multi-hulls sailing at 40 knots + can only be spectacular. It will hit the mainstream public, and the context and the juridical past will be forgotten. I don’t think that it will change the sport of sailing, unless the VOR takes place on multi-hulls after this. Then yes, it would have changed the sport of sailing.” Paolo Cian: ”I don’t think this match will change the face of sailing; the America’s Cup has survived other stupid situations in the past. The current situation is very bad for the sport of sailing. The long time effort and commitment from the teams and many individuals is simply lost.” Sébastien Col: “This match is a good thing for the sport of sailing; it will help the evolution of the technology. I am not convinced about the sporting aspects of the event, but the AC has always been a technological challenge. Now will it change the face of sailing? I don’t think so. It is giving too much importance to the America’s Cup. Sailing offers other disciplines that are great; it is a very rich sport.” WYRF: Will the DoG be an eye-opener for the yacht racing community, particularly in the UK or USA (who don’t seem to have developed much interest for multi-hulls yet). Tim Jeffery: This will be sailing’s 15 minutes of fame. The Battling Billionaire story line will muscle its way into mainstream news. Briefly. And only as a novelty. Cam Lewis: “I hope so, do not BLINK! The rich guys in the USA and UK dominate the sport’s biggest races, most of them have come from a conservative Yacht Club background and most of their sailing/project managers do too. Multi-hulls have not had much acceptance at these types of clubs, similar to windsurfing and now kite surfing. Just last week on an old movie prop fashioned from some old Orma 60 trimaran molds for the movie Waterworld, we beat the fastest boat on the west coast of the USA by almost 2 hours in a 125 mile race - do the math! These rich guys need exposure to multi-hulls! That’s what their kids will be racing as long as they pay attention in school! So yes it will be an eye-opener. Loic Le Bras: “Absolutely! Even if the DoG match doesn’t take place, the American trimaran has already opened up some minds to another way of sailing. The match will reinforce this interest, particularly within the Anglo-Saxon community. They will realize that we can go very fast on the water. I am proud of this as a French man: this dual has already highlighted the French “savoir-faire” amongst the architects and skippers. Paolo Cian: “It’s difficult to predict what effect it will have on the future of yacht racing. For sure it will open people’s minds. There will be two monsters racing, and it is the first time such a regatta will take place; it will definitely be something to see! But a good match race takes place only with boats that tack and jibe well and it’s not the case with multi-hull.” Sébastien Col: “It is difficult for a French person to answer this question. For us, multi-hull racing is something normal and I just can’t understand why there is no multi-hull racing in the Olympic Games; it’s absurd. Having said this, I wouldn’t say multi-hull are the future of sailing. It’s just one part of it.” WYRF: Will it be difficult to revert to a conventional America’s Cup, on “slow” boats? Tim Jeffery: No. A successful Cup needs a reasonable number of competitors. The bar will be re-set accordingly. Cam Lewis: “No, see reasons above, most of the money and most of the sailors have most of their experience in these types of boats – slow - read job security! Loic Le Bras: “I don’t think so. This dual must remain exceptional, as was the 1988 miss-match. I hope it will allow a new start for the next twenty years, as was the case with the Class Americas. The America’s Cup is a match race contest and multi-hulls are not a good support for this type of racing. They are too slow on tacks and the differences in speed are too big. Match racing is fascinating when the boats sail in contact, which is not possible with multi-hulls. Paolo Cian: “I wouldn’t say the Cup boats are slow. I think we will easily get back to mono-hull after the DoG match, but for sure the rule needs to change.” Sébastien Col: “I hope that the Cup will take place on fast boats and will be sailed with a conventional format. The problem is that we can’t plan anything. Whoever wins, we don’t know what they are going to do and I am not sure we can trust what they say. On top of this, the legal conflict could very well carry on after the Deed of Gift match. The spirit is currently very bad.” WYRF: Any other comments about this match? Tim Jeffery: Think of this DoG match as further embellishment of the Cup’s illustrious history. A Civil War, two World Wars, several depressions have failed to strangle it. A court case certainly won’t. Cam Lewis: “Reiterate - DO NOT BLINK it will be a wild day when these two groups line up and race! WOW - Racing fast boats fast is what it is all about. Get out of the courts, get out on the water and duke it out! Plus: I am ready to sail on either team, would prefer to sail with the USA team, but will consider working with either team. Got to love it! Loic Le Bras: “May the best team win.” Paolo Cian: “I think it is more interesting to have an America’s Cup in Europe than in the States. Whatever happens, I personally hope that the event will stay in Europe after the DoG match.” Sébastien Col: “I would like this match to take place rapidly and then to turn the page. This is surely an important moment in the history of the America’s Cup. I really look forward to seeing those boats racing. There will surely be a lot to learn from this.” -- Text ©2008 Bernard Schopfer/World Yacht Racing Forum
Read the full interviews on
www.worldyachtracingforum.com The
World Yacht Racing Forum is being held December 9-10, 2009, in Monaco. |
Inquiries please contact: