Blog Page – Page 78

February 6, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Spithill rejoins Oracle for 35th America’s Cup

Oracle Team USA has confirmed that Jimmy Spithill will return to the team for the 35th America’s Cup. Spithill has had discussions with other teams, and said, “There were some very good offers out there, but at the end of the day, Russell and Larry, I wouldn’t be here without them…”

“This team is very competitive. The top guys are always surrounding themselves with very good people. There is no micromanaging on this team by Larry or Russell. They almost give you the burden of trust and that allows people to grow and learn and ultimately become better at what they do.”

Spithill sees the America’s Cup as the ultimate team challenge, a measuring stick for the individual in a team environment.

“It’s so difficult to pull it off. But when you go through it all and you do it as a team and you do pull it off, it’s just so rewarding,” he says. “As a person, you learn a lot about yourself through these campaigns. I enjoy that it’s a team environment, where you’re working towards a goal but learning about yourself and trying to get better each day. This is one of the ultimate tests, athletically, mentally and in team management, that you can find. It’s very addictive!”

As he looks ahead to the 35th America’s Cup, Spithill says he thinks ORACLE TEAM USA will once again be pushed to the limit as the American team attempts to win the Cup for the third consecutive time, saying, “It’s going to be one hell of a battle, one hell of a fight,” he says. “I just can’t wait to get back out on the water and get racing. The prospect of going head to head with a few of these teams and the personalities involved… It’s hard to wait to be honest. I’m looking forward to training and to racing in the AC World Series again.”

Australian by birth and now living in his adopted city of San Diego, Spithill has helmed for Italian and American teams and does not think nationality rules should be instated, saying, “I think people should be on the boats based on talent, not the color of their passport.”

As a 20 year old Spithill was skipper of the Young Australia team in the 1999/2000 Louis Vuitton Cup. After YoungAustralia was eliminated he was hired by the America One challenge to help them prepare for their Louis Vuitton Cup final against Luna Rossa. He has twice been hired by teams he beat in Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals: In 2003, as helmsman of OneWorld he defeated Luna Rossa’s Francesco De Angelis who then recruited him to Luna Rossa for their 2007 campaign. At the helm of Luna Rossa in 2007, he knocked Oracle Racing out 5-1. Oracle Racing then hired him as helmsman of their giant trimaran for the 2010 Deed of Gift match against defender Alinghi.

Original article on team website.

February 5, 2014 By Jack Griffin

NZ sailors bring America’s Cup style foiling to A Class Worlds

America’s Cup sailors will be foiling at A Class Worlds at Takapuna

February 4, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Women on board in Extreme Sailing Series

Will we see women in the crew of America’s Cup yachts in 2017?

The Extreme Sailing Series continues to lead the way in getting the benefit of talented women sailors. Shirley Robertson (GBR), double Olympic gold medalist, skippered the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Extreme 40 for the full 2008 season, winning the Lugano event.

The 2014 season will see four teams with women on board Extreme 40’s.

35th America’s Cup hopefuls

Olympic gold medallist in Beijing in the Yngling, 27 year old Pippa Wilson (GBR) will sail with Ben Ainslie Racing in the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series. Pippa also competes in the Nacra 17 – the boat to be used for the mixed multihull event at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Sophie de Turckheim (FRA) will be tactician on board Franck Cammas’s Team France Extreme 40. Besides racing in the Extreme Sailing Series, Sophie and Franck are training for the Rio Olympics in the Nacra 17. Sophie has won the Laser Radial Worlds and been runner up three times.

Two more Extreme 40s with women on board

Sarah Ayrton (GBR) won gold medals in the Yngling in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. She will be tactician aboard The Wave, Muscat, the 2013 series winner, racing against her former gold medal teammate from Beijing, Pippa Wilson, who is on board Ben Ainslie Racing.

US Olympic gold medallist – Laser, Beijing – Anna Tunnicliffe will be tactician aboard Alinghi for selected events on the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series. America’s Cup winner in 2003 and 2007, Alinghi was runner up behind The Wave, Muscat in 2013.

February 4, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Preparing a Russian Challenge for the America’s Cup

Team Russia’s Extreme 40 team – steppingstone to the 35th America’s Cup

Affiliated with the Saint Petersburg Yacht Club and sponsored by energy giant Gazprom, Team Russia’s Extreme 40 campaign could be the steppingstone to a Russian challenge for the 35th America’s Cup.

Skippered by tactician Igor Lisovenko, Russia’s top Laser sailor, the team has recruited a core of top Extreme Sailing Series’ stars, including Britain’s Paul Campbell-James, who helmed The Wave, Muscat and then Luna Rossa to victories in the 2010 and 2011 Series respectively. Alister Richardson, who has been part of two ESS winning teams, will trim the mainsail. Like Campbell-James, Richardson sailed on Luna Rossa’s AC45 during the 34th America’s Cup. A third Brit, Pete Cumming, who was the 2009 Extreme Sailing Series winning skipper, will be the headsail trimmer. Young Russian 49er sailor Aleksei Kulakov will be the bowman. Alex also sails on the Gazprom Youth RC44.

Igor Lisovenko (RUS) – tactician & skipper
Paul Campbell-James (GBR) – helmsman
Alister Richardson (GBR) – mainsail trimmer
Pete Cumming (GBR) – headsail trimmer
Alex Kulakov (RUS) – bowman

“Vladimir (Liubomirov, Saint Petersburg YC Commodore) has made his opinion pretty public that he really wants to be involved [in the next AC] and Gazprom are keen, as is the Saint Petersburg YC,” says Campbell-James. “The Extreme 40 is usually the first step for most aspiring America’s Cup teams, and basically we’ll put a good team together and see how it goes. Our big goal is St Petersburg, half way through the season. I was told pretty frankly that if we do well in St Petersburg, then the chances of that [moving on to a full-blown AC team] are pretty good. So – a little bit of pressure, but no different to the position Luna Rossa put me in a few years back.”

January 23, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Artemis Racing signs designers for the 2017 America’s Cup campaign

Artemis Racing announced that Michel Kermerac and Thiha “Winnie” Win will join returning design team members Adam May and Nico Rousselon.

. Michel Kermarec

Michel served as a key member of Oracle Team USA’s design team during their AC33 and AC34 victories. He specializes in performance prediction and appendage design, and holds a PhD in hydrodynamics. Michel represented France in the Soling class at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

Thiha “Winnie” Win

Winnie had a very successful career in motor sport in the early 2000s, before turning his attention to America’s Cup yacht design in AC32, with Luna Rossa Challenge. Winnie was a key member of BMW Oracle Racing’s design team during their victorious America’s Cup challenge in 2010, and was part of Emirates Team New Zealand’s destign team for the 34th America’s Cup in 2013.

Nico Rousselon

Nico Rousselon is a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) specialist focused on aerodynamics. In 2007, he integrated Cape Horn Engineering (then CFD branch of Juan Yacht Design) to start the aero side of the company. His skills were further developed through two Volvo Ocean Race wins (Ericsson4 and Groupama).

Adam competed for Great Britain at the Sydney Olympics in the Tornado class, and is an aeronautical engineer by trade, having worked for Airbus UK in their wind tunnel and design office. He was a technical coach for TeamOrigin and Skandia TeamGBR, working closely with Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson during their successful 2008 and 2012 Olympic campaigns. Adam was part of the AC32 Victory Challenge team, before joining Artemis Racing for AC34.

Adam May