34th America's Cup

Last Saturday, we published a post, commenting an article that appeared in the Italian newspaper L’Arena according to which Larry Ellison, owner of the America’s Cup challenger BMW Oracle, had stated in an interview that he wanted to modify the Deed of Gift in order to be able to race the America’s Cup on a lake.

Ellison was last week in Malcesine, Italy, on Lake Garda taking part in a race together with Russell Coutts, James Spithill and sailors of BMW Oracle. According to the article, Ellison was so thrilled by wind conditions and the scenery of Lake Garda that he was thinking of changing the rules that govern the America’s Cup and currently prohibit races on a lake.

The only interview Ellison did in Lake Garda (following the match racing on Thursday) is this one on Luca Bontempelli’s sailrev.tv. Ellison gives a very lengthy and detailed description of his races and when asked about the site he praises it but at no time whatsoever does he make the slightest reference, even indirect, to the America’s Cup.

The local paper quotes the Yacht Club president Johnny Testa who says Ellison thinks it’s a great venue and draws his own conclusion (with a twinkle in his eye) that therefore Garda would be a great venue for the America’s Cup. A combination of bad journalism and wishful thinking resulted in a misleading article.

It appears that every time Ellison or Bertarelli go to some race and helm, the local press takes it as a guarantee that the billionaire team owners want to hold the 33rd or 34th America’s Cup there.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

It was rumored, at least here in Valencia, that right after the end of the RC44 Cagliari Cup, Larry Ellison would drop by the city in order to meet local authorities and discuss the possibility of holding the 34th America’s Cup here, if of course BMW Oracle wins the 33rd edition against Alinghi.

If one is to believe Las Provincias, Valencia’s main newspaper, the American billionaire was indeed in Valencia on Monday and held a secret meeting with Francisco Camps, the president of the Valencia Region, and Rita Barberá, the city’s mayor. The meeting was held in Camps’ office and lasted an hour and a half, always according to the newspaper.

Las Provincias has a mainly right-wing orientation, as do the two governments (local and regional) and as a result, it enjoys a very good relationship with both of them and has the privilege of accessing very reliable high-ranked officials. If the information comes from within the local authorities, it is very reliable.

There are very few, if any, details in the article about what Ellison discussed with the two politicians. It appears that BMW Oracle’s owner came to Valencia with a proposal for holding the 34th edition in 2010, based on the assumption the 33rd edition takes place next October. Of course, this is purely theoretical, given the legal uncertainties but it shows Ellison’s intention to move on as quickly as possible once the 33rd America’s Cup is out of the way.

Last but not least, there is a brief mention in the article of the financial terms the city proposes. According to the article, Valencia’s politicians are thinking of offering BMW Oracle what Alinghi proposed a couple of weeks ago. That is 50 million euros for the 33rd edition and 75 to 100 million euros for the 34th. According to the newspaper, no matter who organizes the 34th edition, Valencia will offer exactly the same financial considerations and rights. This isn’t only related to the cash amount but also advertising and television rights, the marina as well as the commercial exploitation of the entire America’s Cup complex.

No matter how you do the math, it is impossible to justify the 50 million for a race between two boats that will not last more than a week while a regatta involving up to 10 teams and lasting almost two years is valued at only twice that amount. If Ernesto Bertarelli, Alinghi’s owner, gets that deal, then he’s a hell of a negotiator.

Original post by Valencia Sailing and software by Elliott Back

Valencia’s main newspaper, Las Provincias published on Monday morning an interesting article concerning the ongoing negotiations between Ernesto Bertarelli and the city of Valencia, regarding the possibility of holding the 33rd America’s Cup match here. According to the article Bertarelli had a very busy week in Valencia, not only training aboard Alinghi’s catamaran but also negotiating with city officials.

The newspaper claims that according to reliable information it seems that talks are proceeding well and a final agreement shouldn’t be too far. Las Provincias is of a mainly right-wing orientation and as such it enjoys close relations to the local and regional governments. As a result, we believe that the article’s sources, presumably within these two authorities, are reliable.

Although the article doesn’t explicitly mention it, we understand that the year 2009 actually refers to the period between May and August of that year. Alinghi stated in the hearing in front of Justice Cahn last week that they will not agree to holding the race earlier than May 2009.

33rd America’s Cup
Always according to the article, Ernesto Bertarelli is willing to hold the 33rd America’s Cup in Valencia only if it takes place in 2009. In that case, his offer to the city is to split the total amount Valencia would have paid for a regular 33rd America’s Cup and pay Alinghi a approximately a third of it.

Las Provincias states that according to sources within the city and regional governments, Valencia had agreed to pay 105 million euros for the right to hold the event. In addition, Valencia guaranteed to secure a couple of corporate sponsors as well as pay additional costs, such as “television rights” (the article doesn’t specify more on that issue). As a result, the total cash cost for the city would have been approximately 150 million euros, if of course a regular America’s Cup had taken place from July 2007 until July-August 2009.

Given the fact Bertarelli asked for a third of that total cost, Valencia will have to pay approximately 50 million euros if they want the catamaran race to take place here in 2009.

34th America’s Cup
The scenario that will follow an eventual Alinghi victory in the catamaran race against BMW Oracle in Valencia in 2009 is very straightforward and doesn’t require much thought. As Defender, Alinghi chooses to remain in Valencia for the 34th edition and the city pays the Swiss team the remaining 100 million euros. A regular multi-challenger event will then take place from 2009 until the summer of 2011.

The situation for the city of Valencia will become more complicated if it is BMW Oracle that prevails over Alinghi in the catamaran race. According to the article, city officials have stated they are not willing to offer more than the amount left after deducting the initial 50 million, that is 100 million euros. The basis for any negotiation with the Americans will not be what they offered in 2007 but what remains from their previous obligations with Alinghi.

BMW Oracle from their part have stated various times that their intention and will was to hold the 34th America’s Cup once again in Valencia, under the condition they were given the same or similar financial consideration as Alinghi in the previous two editions. As a result, the Americans will have to negotiate with local authorities the new financial conditions for holding another America’s Cup here. If the newspaper’s information is correct, Larry Ellison’s team will have to aim lower and might not get the same windfalls as the Swiss in 2003 and 2007.

Obviously, this is pure speculation and a lot of things can happen until 2009. Justice Cahn might rule next week that the match will instead take place in 2008, as requested by BMW Oracle, or might reset the clock and order a race in January 2009. Even then, Alinghi can always appeal Cahn’s order and we might be in for a long legal battle.

Original post by Valencia Sailing and software by Elliott Back

The America’s Cup situation move on positively last week with the NY court decision, the project of a competition with challengers series in 2011 is more realistic than ever.

After a preparation period which began at the end of the last America’s Cup in Valencia, K-Challenge never stopped working, and the team is now happy to reveal its program for the 34th America’s Cup.

The essentials of K-Challenge 2

K-Challenge is back in the America’s Cup quest and will carry again the colors of its yacht club, Le Cercle de la Voile de Paris, with a determined group built around a “core team” whose members want to work and to succeed together.

The team’s strategy will consist in building and capitalizing on the experience and the assets of K-Challenge 1 in the 32nd America’s Cup, while relying on a new generation to benefit from its talent and its enthusiasm.

K-Challenge already has significant assets that make it an operational team: an operational base and boats ready to sail in Valencia, a structure, tools and tested methods, but the team also benefits from a selection of the best French and international specialists, thanks to an experience of more than 20 years in sailing at the highest level.

An Executive Committee, led by Stephan Kandler, defines the general strategy of the project and ensures the daily management of the team through 3 main departments (Sailing, Technical and Administrative). The Executive Committee manages this new generation team, which will get the chance to express itself through K-Challenge with its talent and its great motivation.

A board of trustees made of French top managers and experienced personalities, (Bertrand Meheut, Laurent Bourgnon are part of the ones who already joined this board), will also assist the Executive Committee in the key moments of the project and will help to promote this national challenge beyond sports and sailing.

Moreover, K-Challenge is officially supported by the French Sailing Federation.

Bertrand Meheut: “The accumulated experience of K-Challenge and the tenacity of Stephan Kandler are at the base of a credible and powerful French challenger ready to go for the next America’s Cup. This ambitious and solid project represents a real chance of success for the French match-racing. And I am proud, on a personal basis, to give them all my support there.”

Sébastien Col (left) and Sébastien Josse. Paris, 27 March 2008. Photo copyright K-Challenge

The new generation: K-Challenge’s talents

K-Challenge is proud to count among its sailors some of the confirmed talents of the new generation such as Sebastien Col and Sebastien Josse.

Both lived various experiences with real responsibilities in ambitious projects, such as the America’s Cup, the Vendée Globe or the Volvo Ocean Race.

These two key members of the future sailing team are already strongly engaged in their respective sailing preparation from 2008, which will enable them to get additional experience.

Sébastien Col will be involved in particular on the international match racing and the RC44 circuits, where he will regularly sail against some great names of the America’s Cup like Russell Coutts or James Spithill.

Sebastien Josse, skipper of the BT IMOCA 60 (which will be christened on April 29) is engaged in the IMOCA 2008 - 2009 championship. His first priority will be to be fully dedicated to his sports program including the Vendée Globe, before increasing his involvement in the K-Challenge project in 2010.

This mix of a popular offshore sailor and an America’s Cup specialist will also make it possible to create a larger interest from the public.

Sébastien Col: “we are clearly in the continuity of the first K-Challenge project which was already based on an open minded concept. The new team will make it possible to gather people around sailors of the new generation, and who already have experience in various fields. This new project will pay a very particular attention to the balance of the group, and the complementarities between its members.”

A guaranteed budget to deliver performance!

The first steps of the K-Challenge program will be the detection of new members, research and validation of design processes and tools, the start of common team work, in particular for the Design Team, already at work, and which will be officially presented in April 2008.

The principal objective of K-Challenge is now to gather sponsors to guarantee the irrevocable participation of the team in the America’s Cup in 2011, with a minimum budget of 20 million Euros.

A 4 years program is marketed by the team with a title sponsor accessible for 5 million Euros per year.

Stephan Kandler concludes: “K-Challenge 2 is the fruit of a reflection carried out since the end of the last America’s Cup. Our concept is inspired by our first experience, but more especially by the model developed by Team New Zealand at the end of the Eighties. The ambition is to rely on a talented generation and a strong will to work together without fear of the competition. We know that the road is long until we reach the level of this model, but France has the potential, and the people of K-Challenge 2 have the capacity to do it. I particularly thank our first partner who was convinced so early by our values and our project.”

Original post by Valencia Sailing and software by Elliott Back

[Source: French Spirit] The prestigious Yacht Club de France welcomed Team French Spirit for the first presentation of its core team and programme at the Club’s headquarter in Paris. Marc Pajot, President and team manager, was pleased to present its long term programme and to introduce two key members of its team : Philippe Presti and Bertrand Pacé.

The future of the Cup is now appearing more clearly. While the 33rd America’s Cup will be a duel between Alinghi and BMW Oracle Challenge, Team French Spirit is now preparing the basics of its challenge for the 34th Cup, which should take place in Valencia in 2011.

Philippe Presti signed up as skipper

“The arrival of Philippe Presti in the team is a significant step, which I’m particularly pleased about. Philippe is an outstanding sportsman with the skills and experience to fulfil the aspirations of our project.” This is how Marc Pajot welcomed Presti joining the team.

Philippe Presti is a member of the French Match-Racing Team and competed in the last Cup with the Luna Rossa Challenge, reaching the Louis Vuitton Cup final. Philippe was also skipper and helmsman of Defi Areva in 2003 in New Zealand. A talented yachtsman, he holds two World Champion titles (1993 & 96) in the Finn Class, was World Champion runner up in the Soling Class in 2000 and twice French Match-Racing Vice Champion. “This is an amazing opportunity for me to prepare the core of a high performance French team from a very early stage. The new AC 90 Measurement Rule will produce a larger and more physical boat, so teamwork will play an even greater role in the future” comments the skipper of French Spirit.

Philippe Presti will be in charge of the sailing team and he will proceed immediately with recruiting its members. Many of them are already members of the French Sailing Federation’s (FFV) match race team or racing aboard well known offshore units. A training programme based on the match racing circuits, the TP52 and GP42 events is set up.

Bertrand Pacé, a key member

“At the helm, Bertrand is a pure talent. On the other hand, his great experience in preparing and fine-tuning large high-tech racing yachts will be of tremendous value to the team” specifies Marc Pajot.

Bertrand, 44, a fully trained engineer, is certainly the most experienced French America’s Cup helmsman. One could say he is almost married with the Cup ! His first campaign was with French Kiss in 1985. Since then, he was navigator aboard Ville de Paris in 1992, tactician in 1995 with France 2, helmsman with 6e Sens in 2000. Helmsman, then tactician, of Team New Zealand’s B boat in 2003 and, eventually, co-helmsman with BMW Oracle during the most recent edition in Valencia.
Four times with French challengers and twice with Anglo-Saxon teams : Bertrand Pacé is most likely to be the best French specialist of the America’s Cup.

He is going to throw in all its energy and experience to enable French Spirit in achieving its ambitious goals : “As the saying goes : in the Cup, when you have the money, then time is getting short !” says Bertrand. “That’s why it Is so essential to get started right now with all the design and technical work related to the development of the new yachts.”

Although Bertrand Pacé will be helmsman Nr 1, his more immediate mission will be to supervise the development and testing programme of our new AC 90 (see below).

Putting together the basic structure of a great French team.

During the Press Conference, Marc Pajot did develop his philosophy and concept to set up an efficient French America’s Cup Team, a team “Acting with conviction, that’s not going to put limits to its ambitions, a team admired by its supporters and feared by other competitors.”

With the new measurement rule everyone is starting all over in terms of design and development. Team French Spirit intends to unite the best talents and know-how in these domains in order to develop its future AC 90. In an innovative approach, Team French Spirit opens a “designer contest” to identify the right people, technological support, etc.

Team French Spirit is currently operating with a basic budget of 4 million euros, fully funded by private individuals who are supporting Marc Pajot to reach a fully operational level. With the future participation of sponsors and partners, the total overall budget is estimated to reach 50 to 60 million euros.

The challenging club

The Team French Spirit Challenge is made under the burgee of the Yacht Club de Saint Tropez.The project is also getting the support of the City of Saint Tropez.

Original post by Valencia Sailing and software by Elliott Back

[Source: French Spirit] The prestigious Yacht Club de France welcomed Team French Spirit for the first presentation of its core team and programme at the Club’s headquarter in Paris. Marc Pajot, President and team manager, was pleased to present its long term programme and to introduce two key members of its team : Philippe Presti and Bertrand Pacé.

The future of the Cup is now appearing more clearly. While the 33rd America’s Cup will be a duel between Alinghi and BMW Oracle Challenge, Team French Spirit is now preparing the basics of its challenge for the 34th Cup, which should take place in Valencia in 2011.

Philippe Presti signed up as skipper

“The arrival of Philippe Presti in the team is a significant step, which I’m particularly pleased about. Philippe is an outstanding sportsman with the skills and experience to fulfil the aspirations of our project.” This is how Marc Pajot welcomed Presti joining the team.

Philippe Presti is a member of the French Match-Racing Team and competed in the last Cup with the Luna Rossa Challenge, reaching the Louis Vuitton Cup final. Philippe was also skipper and helmsman of Defi Areva in 2003 in New Zealand. A talented yachtsman, he holds two World Champion titles (1993 & 96) in the Finn Class, was World Champion runner up in the Soling Class in 2000 and twice French Match-Racing Vice Champion. “This is an amazing opportunity for me to prepare the core of a high performance French team from a very early stage. The new AC 90 Measurement Rule will produce a larger and more physical boat, so teamwork will play an even greater role in the future” comments the skipper of French Spirit.

Philippe Presti will be in charge of the sailing team and he will proceed immediately with recruiting its members. Many of them are already members of the French Sailing Federation’s (FFV) match race team or racing aboard well known offshore units. A training programme based on the match racing circuits, the TP52 and GP42 events is set up.

Bertrand Pacé, a key member

“At the helm, Bertrand is a pure talent. On the other hand, his great experience in preparing and fine-tuning large high-tech racing yachts will be of tremendous value to the team” specifies Marc Pajot.

Bertrand, 44, a fully trained engineer, is certainly the most experienced French America’s Cup helmsman. One could say he is almost married with the Cup ! His first campaign was with French Kiss in 1985. Since then, he was navigator aboard Ville de Paris in 1992, tactician in 1995 with France 2, helmsman with 6e Sens in 2000. Helmsman, then tactician, of Team New Zealand’s B boat in 2003 and, eventually, co-helmsman with BMW Oracle during the most recent edition in Valencia.
Four times with French challengers and twice with Anglo-Saxon teams : Bertrand Pacé is most likely to be the best French specialist of the America’s Cup.

He is going to throw in all its energy and experience to enable French Spirit in achieving its ambitious goals : “As the saying goes : in the Cup, when you have the money, then time is getting short !” says Bertrand. “That’s why it Is so essential to get started right now with all the design and technical work related to the development of the new yachts.”

Although Bertrand Pacé will be helmsman Nr 1, his more immediate mission will be to supervise the development and testing programme of our new AC 90 (see below).

Putting together the basic structure of a great French team.

During the Press Conference, Marc Pajot did develop his philosophy and concept to set up an efficient French America’s Cup Team, a team “Acting with conviction, that’s not going to put limits to its ambitions, a team admired by its supporters and feared by other competitors.”

With the new measurement rule everyone is starting all over in terms of design and development. Team French Spirit intends to unite the best talents and know-how in these domains in order to develop its future AC 90. In an innovative approach, Team French Spirit opens a “designer contest” to identify the right people, technological support, etc.

Team French Spirit is currently operating with a basic budget of 4 million euros, fully funded by private individuals who are supporting Marc Pajot to reach a fully operational level. With the future participation of sponsors and partners, the total overall budget is estimated to reach 50 to 60 million euros.

The challenging club

The Team French Spirit Challenge is made under the burgee of the Yacht Club de Saint Tropez.The project is also getting the support of the City of Saint Tropez.

Original post by Valencia Sailing and software by Elliott Back

Valencia Sailing is back on business after a short break due to the equivalent of being hit by a bus full of flu viruses. Given the fact Alinghi’s decision on the 33rd America’s Cup should be made public very soon, we will assess the current situation and the possible developments for this and the next edition of the world’s oldest sports event.

33rd America’s Cup
What will Alinghi announce? Without any doubt whatever they think will bring them the biggest advantage. Why should they do anything else?

First of all, we think it doesn’t make any sense to believe Alinghi would agree with BMW Oracle to hold a conventional event here in Valencia in 2009. Last month ACM had announced the postponement of the event and it is difficult to see how they might change their intention two weeks later. Given the tense relations between Alinghi and BMW Oracle in the 32nd event it is even more difficult to see how they could rapidly agree on a new protocol with the additional hurdle of Russell Coutts being the CEO of the American team.

One could argue that if 2009 is not feasible then why not hold the event in 2010 or 2011? Again, the “Russell Coutts factor” might be the biggest hurdle.

Alinghi could always appeal Justice Cahn’s decision but again we can’t see what advantage they would gain from that. The decision was quite clear and strong and the Swiss might have very slim chances in succeeding. The CNEV might always appeal but we understand this possibility is getting increasingly weaker due to political pressure on Zulueta, Chirivella and Pombo.

The “Deed of Gift” race is in our personal opinion the most plausible scenario. Why? Because it gives Alinghi the best option to start the 34th event with a clean sheet and avoids any negotiations for the 33rd. When BMW Oracle presented their challenge last July they set the dates of the races for the 4th, 6th and 8th of July 2008, ten months time, as the Deed of Gift requires. Justice Cahn can reset these dates and start counting ten months from the date of his decision or from the date of the last hearing. Whatever the case, it should be between July and September 2008.

The “million-dollar” question is where is the race going to take place? ACM has stated that it doesn’t guarantee Valencia in case of a catamaran race.
We have heard a speculation it could be a very windy place. There is no need to travel too far from Valencia to find such a spot, Tarifa the wind surfer’s paradise is located in southern Spain.

Obviously this is a pure speculation and the only limitation set by BMW Oracle’s challenge is that it takes place in the Northern Hemisphere. Lorient,Tarifa, Key West, any bets?

Challenger Meeting
As our readers know, BMW Oracle had summoned all the potential challengers (don’t forget that only the Americans are challengers in the 33rd America’s Cup) in a meeting in Valencia, in order to assess the current situation and discuss the various options on the 33rd and 34th editions of the event.

According to the official statement from BMW Oracle, there were 14 challengers that participated in the press conference last Monday in Valencia’s Holiday Inn. We were able to witness that ten had sent a representative in the meeting: BMW Oracle (obviously), Team Origin, United Internet Team Germany, Victory Challenge, AYRE, Desafío Español, Mascalzone Latino, Shosholoza, Luna Rossa and Decision Challenge (a previously-unknown potential team).

An additional 4 teams took part through the teleconference system. To the best of our knowledge these were Emirates Team NZ, K-Challenge, China Team and a third Italian team (probably related to +39 Challenge).

Obviously, the degree of readiness of the participants in the meeting varies greatly, as well as do their interests and aspirations. BMW Oracle apart, the New Zealanders, Germans and Britons are the most eager to race a conventional Cup, here in Valencia in 2009. They have been preparing for that for almost 6 months now, they have invested in infrastructure and human capital and most importantly they have the necessary funds to go ahead.

For the rest of the teams, we have serious doubts whether an event here in Valencia in 18 months is a desirable let alone feasible alternative. With a few exceptions they lack funding and even if they did have the adequate moneys, time is extremely short to set up a team let alone design and build a new AC 90 boat.

Still, the meeting contained an extremely important factor, that is the public statement and commitment by BMW Oracle to hold a conventional 34th America’s Cup in Valencia in 2011, if of course they win the 33rd event.

34th America’s Cup
It of course depends on who wins the 33rd. If it’s BMW Oracle we should take it for granted it will be Valencia in 2011, although in their statement the Americans have left an open window in case the financial deal with the city is not as lucrative as they hoped.

Original post by Valencia Sailing and software by Elliott Back