Cup Experience

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Six New Recruits Join Ben Ainslie Racing

 

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PAUL CAMPBELL-JAMES

Two time Extreme Sailing Series champion Paul Campbell-James has joined Ben Ainslie Racing. Paul helmed one of Luna Rossa’s AC35’s during the America’s Cup World Series leading up to the 2013 Cup. Most recently he has helmed Team Russia’s Extreme 40 in the Extreme Sailing Series. His move to BAR ends speculation about a possible Team Russia entry in the 35th America’s Cup.

The BAR design team recruited composites specialist New Zealander Mark Bishop and Yves Mignard (FRA), formerly with the Groupama Sailing Team. The shore team was strengthened with the addition of Composites Manager Michel Marie (FRA), who has been on three winning America’s Cup teams with Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing. Ben Williams (GBR) joined the team as Strength and Conditioning Coach.

BAR began work on their new headquarters on Camber Quay in Portsmouth in July. They expect it to be complete by May 2015.

 

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America’s Cup Challengers Agree at London Meeting

 

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SAN DIEGO HOSTED THE AMERICA’S CUP IN 1988, 1992 AND 1995.
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BERMUDA WILL HOST AN AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES AND HOPES TO HOST THE AMERICA’S CUP MATCH IN 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four America’s Cup challengers from European yacht clubs met in London Monday, July 28 with Russell Coutts, CEO of Oracle Team USA. Coutts is also CEO of America’s Cup Event Authority, the company organizing the America’s Cup on behalf of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club. The report from the meeting summarized six key ideas:

• Regular meetings encompassing all teams in order to work collectively to maximize the potential of both this America’s Cup and future editions.

• Each team plan to host an America’s Cup World Series event in either their own country, or a country of their choice.

• All the teams present agreed that they would commit – if they were to win the Cup in 2017 – to continue with the America’s Cup World Series.

• A commitment to reduce further the costs for both this Cup and future editions.

• Support for the choice of host venue, be it Bermuda or San Diego.

• A working group to agree on the date and event structure of the 36th America’s Cup, to lay the foundations for a sustainable event.

No mention was made of the unpopular and costly “split venue” called for in the Protocol which would begin the challenger selection series in a different location from the America’s Cup Match.

At a meeting in Los Angeles two weeks ago, challengers said it was a “universal concern” that Bermuda “is not a great venue. “There wasn’t a rousing endorsement for San Diego, either, even though the America’s Cup would be sailed on the bay rather than miles out to sea as it was when the Southern California port hosted sailing’s biggest regatta in 1988, 1992 and 1995.

What changed?

The challengers “received good briefings on the two venues including wind speeds, which was positive,” British Olympic star Ben Ainslie said in an email to The Associated Press.

Notable by their absence at the meeting in London was Team New Zealand. Coutts said that after he heard from another team the Kiwis didn’t want to want to use the published Protocol as the basis for discussion , “I rang them up and said, ‘It’s best that you not come.’ ”

Kevin Shoebridge represented Emirates Team New Zealand at a challenger meeting in Los Angeles called by the then lead challenger, Australia’s Hamilton Island Yacht Club, which a few days later announced its intention to withdraw from the next cup in 2017. “We were disinvited,” said a senior observer. None of the other teams wanted to comment on the Kiwi exclusion. A spokesman for the America’s Cup Event Authority, also run by Coutts, said: “I can’t help you.”  Emirates Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton said in an email to the AP that it was “not worth getting into this from our side. It will all play out in due course.”

Read more from the sources for this story: from the AP’s Bernie Wilson here and from The Independent’s Stuart Alexander here.

 

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Team France at America’s Cup Competitor Meetings

 

Team France has participated in two meetings of America’s Cup challengers with the defender, Oracle Team USA. The first meeting, on 12 July in Los Angeles, was called by then Challenger of Record Team Australia (Hamilton Island Yacht Club).  Within a week Team Australia withdrew. A second meeting was held in London on 29 July, only the four European challengers attended, Team France, Ben Ainslie Racing (GBR), Luna Rossa (ITA) and Artemis Racing (SWE). Oracle Team USA boss Russell Coutts, who called the meeting, told Emirates Team New Zealand not to attend, after he hear from another team that the Kiwis were unlikely to be cooperative at the meeting.

While there have been no updates from Team France about their America’s Cup challenge, skipper Franck Cammas was quoted in a joint announcement:

“We believe that the format of the next America’s Cup will bring a friendly but fierce competition between the best sailors on the most spectacular machines the America’s Cup has ever seen. The 35th America’s Cup will confirm a new era for sailing, but also for the sport in general and the related technologies, with the most intense competition possible and Team France will be proud to be part of it !”

 

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Outteridge Wins Moth World Championship for Second Time

Outteridge Moth World Champion for the Second Time

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ARTEMIS RACING’S HELMSMAN NATHAN OUTTERIDGE WON HIS SECOND MOTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN JULY.

 

The Moth World Championships featured four Olympic medalists including two America’s Cup helsmen. With 131 sailors from 18 countries the competition was stiff. 2011 world champion Nathan Outteridge had top four finishes in all his races to take the trophy.  Luna Rossa’s helmsman Chris Draper, in his first Moth Worlds, finished a respectable 13th with top 10 finishes in six of the 15 races.

 

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Airbus and Accor Hotel Group Rumored as Team France Sponsors

 

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THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE NEWS SINCE MICHEL DESJOYEAUX, OLIVIER DE KERSAUSON AND FRANCK CAMMAS ANNOUNCED TEAM FRANCE IN DECEMBER 2013.

Loick le Bras, writing for Voiles et Voiliers, cited a “well-placed source” who claimed Team France is close to signing with “the largest hotel group in France” and with the “leading aircraft company in Europe.” The deadline for challenger entries is Friday 8 August (although late entries can be accepted at the defender’s discretion). The first installment of $1 million in entry fees is due within a week of the challenge being accepted.

Original article, in French, here.