The World’s Fastest Boats
Read MoreThe AC45 will allow teams to grow their experience on wingsailed multihulls before giving way to the AC72s for the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup Finals in 2013.
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ORACLE TEAM USA sails AC72 on San Francisco Bay
Read More<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Sr055W97l4o" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe></p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA became the second America’s Cup team to launch and sail an AC72 on Friday, taking its new boat, ’17′, out on San Francisco Bay in the morning.</p> <p>“We got the boat in the water and got sailing. We slowly brought it up and everything was looking good,” said skipper Jimmy Spithill.</p> <p>But the session was stopped short due to what the team has described as a daggerboard failure. The boat and crew returned safely to base.</p> <p>“We’re going to have to pull the boat out and go straight into the shed and see what happened…” Spithill said. “I think with a brand new class you always have challenges and we’ve seen that already… This is part of the learning process but how we react as a team and how we solve the problems, that’s what is very important.”</p>
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Things are starting to heat up
Read More<div id="attachment_6538" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/blog/things-are-starting-to-heat-up-2/nzl-ac72-01_chris-cameron/" rel="attachment wp-att-6538"><img class=" wp-image-6538 " src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/NZL-AC72-01_Chris-Cameron-780x519.jpg" alt="" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC72 practicing on the Hauraki Gulf, Aug. 8, 2012 (Chris Cameron/Emirates Team New Zealand).</p></div> <p>Emirates Team New Zealand was the first team to launch its AC72, and now ORACLE TEAM USA has followed suit. The Kiwis launched their boat last month and the defenders launched theirs yesterday in a private team ceremony.</p> <p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WPDAf9jPjwQ?list=UU5tc6IkTnFb3QQ01AJVTpVg&hl=en_US" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe></p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA hopes to go for its first sail tomorrow, but on Wednesday Emirates Team New Zealand took its AC72 out for the fourth day of practice (of 30 maximum through the end of January). The veteran team members expressed astonishment at nearing 40 knots boatspeed in just 20 knots of wind.</p> <p>An image of the boat foiling hit the blogosphere this week, which prompted many to cry foul, saying it was a result of Photoshop. Regardless, team CEO Grant Dalton expressed delight with the performance on the fourth sail.</p> <p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VrD7T3TZZp0" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe></p> <p>A third AC72, that belonging to Artemis Racing, is at the team’s base in Alameda, and skipper Terry Hutchinson says it’s “realistic” to think the boat might sail before the next regatta in October. The team is still rebuilding the wingsail that was damaged in late May during testing off Valencia, Spain.</p> <p>Representatives of Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge said they expect their AC72 to hit the water in New Zealand sometime before the end of October. The Italian challenger this week announced that it <a href="http://bit.ly/TB9Sdu">has signed Franck Cammas</a>, the recent winner of the Volvo Ocean Race, as a coach. Cammas has a long history in multihulls and previously skippered the trimaran <em>Groupama 3</em> to a 48-day, non-stop circumnavigation in the Jules Verne Trophy. (The record was eclipsed by three days last winter by Energy Team’s Loïck Peyron and crew aboard <em>Banque Populaire V</em>.)</p> <p>There have been many feel good stories coming out of last week’s AC World Series San Francisco from the point of view of the organization. But what about the sailors? What have they been saying? Here’s a sampling of some skippers’ thoughts from the sphere of the Internet.</p> <p><strong>Ben Ainslie, J.P. Morgan BAR</strong><br /> “I knew that sailing these boats would be really tough physically, especially for the crew. From a sailing point of view I’ve been watching quite a few videos of the racing for a while now, knowing that I would be involved. What has struck me is the difference between what I thought was obvious and what it feels like on board. You look at people making mistakes and question why they are doing that, surely it’s obvious. But now I can tell you for sure, when you’re on the boat it’s not that easy. In fact it’s really hard. You can’t just tack on a shift or pop in a maneuver. It really is a lot harder than it looks on the telly, but I’m also really enjoying it.”</p> <p><strong>Dean Barker, Emirates Team New Zealand</strong><br /> “It is very hard to explain when things aren’t going well. It doesn’t feel like we have prepared badly or done anything obviously wrong… When you have a bad event it is very easy to make random changes. Sometimes it feels like you just try [too] hard to make things right. Trying to analyze where things have gone wrong is important and often the answer is not always clear cut. We will now take a few days to clear our heads and debrief the result. The focus is firmly back to the 72, but we also need to figure out how to race better in this venue.”</p> <p><strong>Chris Draper, Luna Rossa Piranha</strong><br /> “I never thought we’d be up there in this event. I thought the build-up to the event has gone well for us, the team did a great job building it up. We felt weak when we got here but managed to convert some good results and win the last race again, so I’m really pleased. We saw in last few days that Nath’s (Outteridge, Team Korea) gone really well, myself, Yann’s (Guichard, Energy Team) gone well, Jimmy (Spithill, ORACLE TEAM USA) we all knew would do well with his time spent here. It’s a lot about high-speed boat racing. The people who’ve been doing that all their lives have done well here. But everybody’s going to improve. We’re not going to rest on laurels. We want to come back here and train hard and get ready for the next event.”</p> <p><strong>Terry Hutchinson, Artemis Racing</strong><br /> “Some highlights followed by some lowlights, unfortunately. So, we have to continue to trust in ourselves and trust that we have the right process in place. We put a lot of effort into getting off the start line leading up to this event, but all in all a bit disappointed having the start we had today. There’s a lot of work to do and I can’t say enough about the effort onboard. We have some more technique development to work on.”</p> <p><strong>Bruno Peyron, Energy Team</strong><br /> “4th overall in this first event of the ACWS 2012 / 2013… We can do better than that, but it was a fine week for the team, who once again showed that they are able to compete at the highest level with the top teams. For the start of this second season, the standard has moved up a notch. You can see it in every aspect of the racing. We’re going to have to keep hard at it and continue to make progress. We look forward to coming back here in a month from now to compete again on this great race course in San Francisco.”</p>
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Luster of ACWS San Francisco still radiates
Read More<div id="attachment_6443" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/GG12-SFOAUG-14735.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6443" title="GG12-SFOAUG-14735" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/GG12-SFOAUG-14735-780x519.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August 2012" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© Guilain GRENIER / ORACLE TEAM USA</p></div> <p>The luster of the AC World Series San Francisco still radiates two days after racing ended. The debut of wingsail catamaran racing on the Bay has generated great excitement throughout the host city of the 2013 America’s Cup.</p> <p>Even track and field star Michael Johnson, the four-time gold medalist who’s considered the greatest long sprinter in the history of track and field, admired the athleticism required to race the AC45.</p> <div id="attachment_6444" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9799.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6444" title="S11_9799" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9799-360x239.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August 2012" width="360" height="239" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>Johnson sailed with J.P. Morgan BAR skipper Ben Ainslie during pre-race tune up for the Super Sunday Finale, and then was the guest aboard ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS for the race.</p> <p>“I have new respect for sailors,” said the 44-year-old Johnson. “The agility and movement that’s required while the boat’s moving around at the same time is amazing.”</p> <p>Johnson started the final fleet race at the aft end of Russell Coutts’ AC45, and while Coutts placed 5th in the race the sprinter was scored DNF. The world record holder in the 400 meters fell off the back of the trampoline during a tack when he took a misstep while crossing sides.</p> <p><strong>Watch</strong> <a href="http://youtu.be/qPYc-Nh4vzM" target="_blank">Michael Johnson fall off of ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS</a></p> <p>“I think we hit a wave or something,” said Johnson, who was sailing in his first race. “These boats are fast, and it’s amazing how close they get to one another. It’s pretty cool.”</p> <div id="attachment_6442" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/GG12-SFOAUG-13530.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6442" title="GG12-SFOAUG-13530" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/GG12-SFOAUG-13530-360x239.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August 2012" width="360" height="239" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© Guilain GRENIER / ORACLE TEAM USA</p></div> <p>Johnson was wearing a personal flotation device and was recovered by one of the course marshal boats without incident. Although his front row seat was experienced only briefly, tens of thousands of fans enjoyed course side seating along the Marina Green and other vantage points and the dryness of their computer.</p> <p>Some of the highlights included:</p> <ul> <li>A crowd estimated at 150,000, highlighted by 40,000 on the final day, visited the AC Village at Marina Green during the regatta period (Aug. 21-26)</li> <li>The spectator fleet on the Bay grew daily to a peak of 450 yachts on Super Sunday</li> <li>The America’s Cup YouTube channel featured 45 videos and generated more than 500,000 views</li> <li>There were 163 accredited media from 11 countries and all five continents</li> <li>More than 2,900 stories were published in more than 1,000 outlets</li> <li>There were more than 5,600 hi-res image downloads from the America’s Cup Media Server</li> <li>The new America’s Cup Website had 300,000 unique visitors, who viewed more than 1 million pages and visited for an average time of three and a half minutes</li> <li>The new America’s Cup mobile application has been downloaded more than 10,000 times across the iOS and Android platforms. The app for iPad and iPhone has a 4+ rating</li> <li>Ticketed seating sold out daily for a capacity crowd of 6,600, and there were more than 1,600 hospitality guests over the four days</li> <li>The concert in the AC Village featuring Dr. Dog on Aug. 25 had more than 5,000 attendees</li> <li>The America’s Cup Event Authority distributed 2,725 gallons (12,388 liters) of water on site, which prevented the use of 24,700 single use plastic bottles</li> <li>The Healthy Ocean Project beach cleanup on Aug. 19 had 180 volunteers pick up more than 75 bags of trash and recyclable items at Fort Baker</li> </ul> <p>The next AC World Series regatta in San Francisco is scheduled during Fleet Week, Oct. 2-7, when the ACWS fleet will share the Bay alongside the naval ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in one of the largest annual events held in San Francisco.</p> <p>(Go to <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/results-standings">ACWS San Francisco Results</a> for full standings)</p>
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Just what the Doctor Ordered: Rock Band Dr. Dog Delights Cup Fans
Read More<p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6373" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/AKS11_4081-780x519.jpg" alt="" width="780" height="519" /></p> <p>A free concert featuring East Coast indie rockers Dr. Dog celebrated the America’s Cup World Series San Francisco Saturday on the Marina Green.</p> <p>Dr. Dog played to more than 5,000 music and sailing fans after Saturday’s racing.</p> <p>The fun factor was high Saturday afternoon after a day of brilliant racing on San Francisco Bay. The day’s top three skippers came to the stage to share their racing highlights.</p> <p>The day’s fleet racing overall winner Jimmy Spithill stopped to chat with band member Scott McMicken backstage before Dr. Dog took to the stage. “It was cool to have them here,” Spithill said. “For the families and kids it’s a fun atmosphere to see everyone having a good time and dancing.”</p> <p>The band rocked a 90-minute set creating a festival atmosphere on Marina Green. They played from the main stage in the AC Village as they enjoyed a stunning view of San Francisco Bay where the AC45s lined the shore after the day of racing.</p> <p>“I didn’t really know anything about the sport until today, but I am into it – it’s pretty impressive,” said the band’s bass player Toby Leaman.</p> <p>The Dr. Dog concert kicked off a music program which will be an anchor of the shoreside festivities during the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup racing in 2013 in San Francisco.</p> <p>The all-ages, free concert was produced with the support of Live Nation.</p>
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Large crowds and close racing mark Super Sunday at the AC World Series in San Francisco
Read More<div id="attachment_6330" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9973.jpeg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6330" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9973-780x519.jpeg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 5 - Super Sunday" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <h4>ORACLE TEAM USA today captured the two championships of AC World Series San Francisco, thrilling the capacity crowds who had front row seats to close-quarter, fast-paced racing on San Francisco Bay.</h4> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz79SsjBwf4&feature=autoplay&list=PL59BD5480A8795C5F&playnext=1" target="_blank">Watch a full replay from Super Sunday at the AC World Series in San Francisco.</a></p> <p>The day began with Russell Coutts, the four-time America’s Cup winner, taking out teammate Jimmy Spithill in the Match Racing Championship. In a race that saw the lead change hands three times, Coutts eked out a 1 second victory with both boats screaming across the finish line overlapped at 20-plus knots.</p> <div id="attachment_6335" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0608.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6335 " src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0608-360x239.jpeg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 5 - Super Sunday" width="360" height="239" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>Then, about 40 minutes later, Spithill found himself in another charge to the finish line. This time he needed to overcome Team Korea (Nathan Outteridge) to capture the Fleet Racing and Event Championship.</p> <p>Spithill rounded the last mark slightly overlapped on Outteridge’s stern and then got a penalty on his rival skipper. Outteridge was forced to slow down by the umpires, and Spithill sailed through to leeward and into second place for the race and a 1-point victory in the overall event standings.</p> <p>“This is a fantastic result for ORACLE TEAM USA, to win the match racing, fleet racing and overall championship,” said Spithill, the reigning ACWS champion. “I can’t emphasize how much the boys fought around the race track. We battled our way back to the top in each event and were rewarded for it.”</p> <p>The first AC World Series event in San Francisco, host city for the 2013 America’s Cup, was hailed as a success by Mayor Edwin M. Lee, who presented the prizes to the top three crews in the Match Racing and Fleet Racing Championships.</p> <p>“This is the first of many races to come and we look forward to the second event (Oct. 2-7) when all of these teams will be back,” Lee said. “Thank you to all of the teams for being here and to all of the city agencies who have worked in collaboration with the event.”</p> <div id="attachment_6334" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0736.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6334" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0736-360x239.jpeg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 5 - Super Sunday" width="360" height="239" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>Local officials estimated that more than 150,000 people visited the AC Village at Marina Green over the course of the event. Both of the ticketed seating areas were sold out each day, and Regatta Director Iain Murray said that a larger than expected spectator fleet turned out on the water to watch the racing.</p> <p>“The response from the public has exceeded our expectations,” said Stephen Barclay, the CEO of the 34th America’s Cup. “This was our first event in San Francisco and our first opportunity to get a taste of racing the wingsail catamarans on the Bay. It’s simply been wonderful for everyone involved.”</p> <p>Throughout the week the fans were treated to racing within reaching distance of the shoreline. They could listen to the sailors talking tactics on the water, and the sailors could hear them cheering and rooting. The close racing continued today when both championships were decided by mere seconds.</p> <p>For Coutts, the match racing title was his second consecutive, coming on the heels of a victory in Newport at the beginning of July, which wrapped the 2011-12 racing season. He has developed a fine touch for starting the AC45, which he displayed again today.</p> <p>“It’s been a fantastic event for our team,” said Coutts, the CEO of ORACLE TEAM USA. “To get both teams in the match racing final is a great result, and Jimmy and the boys continue to be superb. It looked like the fans were having fun on the shore and that’s what it’s all about. We were certainly having fun on the water.”</p> <div id="attachment_6332" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9910.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6332" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9910-360x240.jpeg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 5 - Super Sunday" width="360" height="240" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>Luna Rossa Piranha (Chris Draper) won the fleet race finale by 3 seconds over Spithill, who had sailed through Outteridge into second place. As has become his custom, Draper was solid off the start line and steady around the racecourse.</p> <p>At one point the crew led by 200 meters approaching the second leeward gate, but they almost gave it all away when they nearly capsized on the finish line. But the wingsail got eased just in time to avert disaster, and the finish gun fired a split-second after the windward hull slammed down into the water as the boat stabilized itself.</p> <p>“We’ve seen in last few days that people who’ve been doing high-speed boat racing all their life – Nathan, myself, Yann (Guichard, Energy Team) and Jimmy, who has practiced here a lot – have done well,” said Draper. “But everybody’s going to improve, so we can’t rest on our laurels. We’ll train hard and come back in October with an eye towards winning.”</p> <p>The next ACWS regatta in San Francisco is scheduled during Fleet Week, Oct. 2-7, when the ACWS fleet will share the Bay alongside the naval ships of the Pacific Fleet in one of the largest annual events held in San Francisco.</p> <h4><strong>AC World Series San Francisco – Race Day Five</strong></h4> <p><a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/events/ac-world-series-2012-2013/san-francisco-us-aug-21-aug-26#results" target="_blank"><strong>AC World Series San Francisco – Fleet Racing Championship Results</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Match Racing Final</strong></p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS beat ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL, 1-0</p> <p><strong>AC World Series San Francisco – Match Racing Championship</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS<br /> <strong>2.</strong> ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL<br /> <strong>3.</strong> Artemis Racing White<br /> <strong>4.</strong> Emirates Team New Zealand<br /> <strong>5.</strong> Energy Team<br /> <strong>6.</strong> Luna Rossa Piranha<br /> <strong>7.</strong> Luna Rossa Swordfish<br /> <strong>8.</strong> J.P. Morgan BAR<br /> <strong>9.</strong> Team Korea<br /> <strong>10.</strong> China Team<br /> <strong>11.</strong> Artemis Racing Red</p> <p>Go to <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/events/ac-world-series-2012-2013/san-francisco-us-aug-21-aug-26#results" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Results</a> for the full standings.</p> <div id="attachment_6351" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9918.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6351" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9918-780x520.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 5 - Super Sunday" width="780" height="520" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_6333" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9847.jpeg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6333" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9847-780x520.jpeg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 5 - Super Sunday" width="780" height="520" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_6331" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0688.jpeg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6331" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0688-780x519.jpeg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 5 - Super Sunday" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div>
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ORACLE TEAM USA scores double championship at ACWS San Francisco
Read More<div id="attachment_6311" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/blog/early-start-on-super-sunday-in-san-francisco-watch-the-action-from-1130am-pdt/s11_9820/" rel="attachment wp-att-6323"><img class=" wp-image-6323" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9820-780x520.jpg" alt="" width="780" height="520" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p><strong>UPDATE 5: 1255 hours</strong></p> <p>Score a double for ORACLE TEAM USA, as Jimmy Spithill has won the fleet racing championship of ACWS San Francisco after stablemate Russell Coutts won the match racing championship earlier today.</p> <p>Spithill had to claw his way back through the fleet to ensure the victory, which was by 1 point over Luna Rossa Piranha (Chris Draper). Draper won the fleet race finale by 3 seconds over Spithill, which rounded the final reach mark in 3rd place. But Spithill was able to get a penalty on Team Korea (Nathan Outteridge), which was in 2nd place. Team Korea had to slow down and Spithill sailed through to leeward into second place and the winner’s circle.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 4: 1210 hours</strong></p> <p>If you live in the U.S., tune in to your local NBC Network for the live national broadcast of the ACWS San Francisco Super Sunday Finale. If you live outside of the U.S. please watch the broadcast on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/americascup" target="_blank">America’s Cup YouTube channel</a> (subject to territorial restrictions). Viewers may also watch the action on Virtual Eye.</p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS (Russell Coutts) has won his second consecutive ACWS match racing championship in San Francisco. Coutts defeated teammate ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill) by 1 second with both boats screaming over the finish line at 20-plus knots.</p> <p>Coutts won the start when he got Spithill pinned to leeward. Spithill had to pinch up and over the pin end committee boat to get onto the racecourse while Coutts led towards the reach mark. Coutts led at the beginning of the run but lost the lead when both boats jibed to port and Spithill gained the windward position. Spithill led by 7 seconds at the leeward gate but Coutts regained the lead on the upwind leg when he got inshore. Interestingly, Spithill kept his gennaker up for the beat while Coutts had his on the trampoline.</p> <p>Coutts at one point led by 200 meters but Spithill steadily chipped away through the race and trailed by just 6 seconds at the second windward gate. On the last run to the final turning mark, Spithill sailed out of bounds and was assessed a penalty. But he waited until the short reach leg to the finish to slow down. He had gotten ahead of Coutts, but the penalty allowed Coutts to get through again and win the championship.</p> <p>The fleet racing finale is next up, beginning at 12:15 pm PDT.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 3: 1130 hours</strong></p> <p>If you live in the U.S., tune in to your local NBC Network for the live national broadcast of the ACWS San Francisco Super Sunday Finale. If you live outside of the U.S. please watch the broadcast on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/americascup" target="_blank">America’s Cup YouTube channel</a> (subject to territorial restrictions).</p> <p>The match racing championship between ORACLE TEAM USA’s crews set to start at 11:45 am PDT, and the fleet race finale is scheduled for 12:15 pm PDT.</p> <p>The wind is holding steady on San Francisco Bay. Recent reports indicate a steady 12-15 knots with gusts upwards of 20 knots. Fans are flocking steadily down to Marina Green to catch the action, which is beginning earlier today to accommodate the national broadcast on NBC.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 2: 1100 hours</strong></p> <p>Track and field record-holder Michael Johnson will be among the guest racers taking part in today’s final day of racing at ACWS San Francisco. Johnson won four gold medals in a brilliant Olympic career that saw him set world records and earned him the reputation as the greatest long sprinter in the history of track and field.</p> <div id="attachment_6305" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/untitled-shoot-6649.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6305 " src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/untitled-shoot-6649-360x241.jpeg" alt="Team J.P Morgan BAR racing" width="360" height="241" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>Johnson is expected to sail with J.P. Morgan BAR, skippered by Ben Ainslie, considered the greatest Olympic sailor of all-time, during practice today and then join Russell Coutts’ ORACLE TEAM USA crew for the Fleet Race Finale.</p> <p>Racing is set to begin in about 45 minutes.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 1: 0940 hours</strong></p> <p>The wind on the Bay is cranking this morning. Under sunny skies, a W/WSW wind is gusting 15-20 knots with an ebb tide running. At the first event media briefing back on Tuesday, many of the skippers pointed to today’s tidal shift as being potentially hazardous to keeping the AC45s upright. The tide has been flooding for much of the week, but the tide against wind was a contributing factor to some capsizes during practice.</p> <p>Racing starts earlier today, with the match racing championship between the two ORACLE TEAM USA crews is first on the schedule at 11:45 am PDT. After that, around 12:15 pm PDT, the Super Sunday Fleet Race Finale will be held. Bonus points are available for the fleet race – 40 points for 1st, 25 for 2nd, 20 for 3rd and 16 for 4th – meaning that any of the top four – ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (61 points), Energy Team (48), Team Korea (45) and Luna Rossa Piranha (45) – have a chance to pull out the victory.</p> <p>“The first key is the start. You have to have a good start,” said Energy Team skipper Yann Guichard. “The start will be earlier on Sunday, so maybe the wind will be stronger. I’m happy to be 2nd place going into the final race.”</p> <p>“We’ve had some really good fortune in the last few events where we won the last race and came through to win the fleet racing championship,” said Luna Rossa Piranha’s Chris Draper. “We’d love to emulate that, but we’re not going to lose sight of the fact that we have to sail a perfect race to do so.”</p> <p><strong>More information can be found at:</strong><br /> <a href="http://noticeboard.americascup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ACWS-Format-100812.pdf" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Event Format</a><br /> <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/results-standings" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Results</a><br /> <a href="http://34th.americascup.com/media/files/m4737_ACWS%20SF%20AUGUST_Crew%20list%20FRIDAY.pdf" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Crew List</a><br /> <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/events/ac-world-series-2012-2013/san-francisco-us-aug-21-aug-26" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Event Page</a></p> <p><strong>ORIGINAL POST: 0840 hours</strong></p> <p>It’s Super Sunday at the AC World Series in San Francisco. Both the match racing and fleet racing championships will be decided today.</p> <p>Racing starts early – the Match Racing Final between ORACLE TEAM USA Coutts and ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill begins at 11:45am PDT.</p> <p>Then, the seventh and final fleet race is scheduled for a 12:15pm PDT start. This race is heavily weighted, meaning the winner stands to make big gains on the leaderboard, and may just win the overall championship.</p> <p>In the United States racing will be broadcast on NBC, beginning at 11:30am PDT. (Live racing will not be on YouTube in the USA). Internationally, racing will be on YouTube as usual, beginning at 11:30am PDT.</p>
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Spithill dominates Fleet Racing, Match Racing Final an all-USA affair
Read More<div id="attachment_6232" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9722.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6232" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9722-780x519.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>After pitching a strike down the middle when he threw out the first <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzd71-oG55s&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">pitch</a> on America’s Cup day at the San Francisco Giants’ baseball game, ORACLE TEAM USA’s Jimmy Spithill had a great day on the racecourse at the America’s Cup World Series on Saturday.</p> <div id="attachment_6228" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9571.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6228" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9571-360x239.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="360" height="239" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>Spithill started his afternoon with a win over his arch-rival, Dean Barker’s Emirates Team New Zealand, to advance to the Match Racing Final. He followed it up with two strong fleet racing performances and leads the field heading into Sunday’s grand finale.</p> <p>“The first fleet race was probably the best one for us,” said Spithill, who broke the start line (OCS) before the signal. “We were under a lot of pressure. It was my fault for breaking the line, but every challenge I throw at these guys they somehow claw us back. The key is when we get behind we fight the whole way around the track and the guys are rewarded for it.”</p> <p>Yann Guichard’s Energy Team won the opening fleet race, coming from behind to pass Spithill and Barker late in the race and steal the win. Spithill was second after being OCS while Barker, the early race leader, was forced to settle for third place after leading at the first four mark roundings.</p> <p>In the second race, a pile-up at the bottom gate allowed Spithill’s team on one side, and Team Korea on the other, to break free and escape the pack.</p> <p>Given a clear path, Spithill raced away, building the biggest lead of the week en route to his fourth win in six fleet races – a dominant performance. Team Korea’s Nathan Outteridge, more than 1 minute behind, recovered from a poor opening race with a second place finish, while Guichard, in third, posted his second podium finish of the afternoon to lift Energy Team into second place on the leaderboard.</p> <div id="attachment_6226" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0300.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6226" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0300-360x240.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="360" height="240" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>“Today was a big day for us. It wasn’t easy because the wind is really shifty, but I’m so happy for my team because they did a fantastic job,” said Guichard. “This morning we changed the setup of the headsail and found some extra speed. It’s so much easier to have good tactics with good speed.”</p> <p>The fleet racing concludes on Sunday with the seventh and final race of the Championship. The Super Sunday race is weighted more heavily in the scoring, meaning at least four teams are in the mix to win the championship tomorrow.</p> <div id="attachment_6234" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9761.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6234" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9761-360x239.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="360" height="239" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>In the semifinals of the match racing championship, ORACLE TEAM USA Coutts (Russell Coutts) sprinted off the starting line with a small lead that the veteran skipper was able to extend further on the first downwind leg. But Terry Hutchinson’s Artemis Racing White narrowed the gap on the race upwind, closing right up to where the boats nearly collided at the top mark. Coutts held his nerve, sailing over the top of the Swedish boat to lead through to the finish and a spot in the Final on Sunday.</p> <p>Coutts’ teammate, Spithill, then took the opportunity to make the Final an all ORACLE TEAM USA affair by winning his match against Barker’s Emirates Team New Zealand. Barker timed his run to the starting line to perfection, crossing at top speed on the inside track to the first mark. The Kiwis led through the bottom gate, but Spithill chipped away with tiny gains up the next leg, before finally making the pass right at the top mark and holding on for a come-from-behind win.</p> <p>The AC Village at the Marina Green was bustling with an enthusiastic weekend crowd and the racecourse boundaries were marked by a large spectator fleet all afternoon. After racing, a free concert by Dr. Dog closed Saturday’s activities in the race village.</p> <p>Coverage of Sunday’s racing begins at 11:30 am PDT and will be broadcast live around the world on the America’s Cup YouTube channel (subject to territorial broadcast restrictions). On television, the Super Sunday finale will be broadcast live, coast to coast, in the United States, on NBC from 11:30 am PDT (there will be no live coverage in the United States on YouTube).</p> <h4><strong>AC World Series San Francisco – Race Day Four</strong></h4> <p><a href="http://www.americascup.com/results-standings"><strong>AC World Series San Francisco – Fleet Racing Championship Provisional Results</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Match Racing Semifinals – Results </strong></p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS beat Artemis Racing White, 1-0</p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL beat Emirates Team New Zealand, 1-0</p> <p><strong>Match Racing Leaderboard (First and second to be determined on Sunday)</strong></p> <p>3. Artemis Racing White<br /> 4. Emirates Team New Zealand<br /> 5. Energy Team<br /> 6. Luna Rossa Piranha<br /> 7. Luna Rossa Swordfish<br /> 8. J.P. Morgan BAR<br /> 9. Team Korea<br /> 10. China Team<br /> 11. Artemis Racing Red</p> <p>Go to <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/results-standings">ACWS San Francisco Results</a> for the full standings.</p> <div id="attachment_6236" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0022.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6236" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/F11_0022-780x519.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_6235" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9774.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6235" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9774-780x520.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="780" height="520" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_6229" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9667.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6229" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9667-780x519.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_6231" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9693.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6231" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S11_9693-780x519.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_6247" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/AKS11_14621.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6247" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/AKS11_14621-780x519.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_6248" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/AKS11_8952.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6248" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/AKS11_8952-780x519.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div>
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Spithill and Energy Team strong on Saturday at AC World Series
Read More<div id="attachment_6173" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9152.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6173" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9152-780x519.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 4" width="780" height="519" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p><strong>UPDATE 5: 1605 hours</strong></p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill) put a stranglehold on the ACWS San Francisco fleet racing championship by winning the day’s second race, No. 6 of the series.</p> <p>Spithill gained the lead on the first upwind leg, playing the inshore side of the course. When the crew tacked to port they found a lifting puff and were gone. At one point on the second upwind leg they held a 300-meter lead over second place, a truly impressive performance in a fleet that has been swapping places often this week.</p> <p>Team Korea (Nathan Outteridge) placed 2nd in the race, 71 seconds behind the winner, and Energy Team (Yann Guichard) was 3rd, 3 seconds behind the Koreans.</p> <p>Spithill leads the fleet racing standings with 61 points, followed by Energy Team with 48 points and Team Korea with 45, the same amount as Luna Rossa Piranha (Chris Draper).</p> <p>Racing resumes tomorrow morning with the match racing championship, scheduled for 11:45 am PDT, followed by the fleet racing finale at 12:15 pm PDT. The times are earlier to accommodate the national broadcast on NBC.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 4: 1520 hours</strong></p> <p>Energy Team of France (Yann Guichard) has pulled out the first fleet race of the day. The French sailed a splendid race up the second windward leg, overcoming Emirates Team New Zealand (Dean Barker) and fending off ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill).</p> <p>Spithill keeps the overall fleet race lead by finishing 2nd, 16 seconds behind the French, who move into second place, 10 points behind the leaders. Luna Rossa Piranha (Chris Draper) holds third, 1 point behind the French.</p> <p>Team New Zealand led at the first four mark roundings, but fell back on the second upwind leg and wound up 3rd for the race, 32 seconds behind. It’s the third consecutive race that the Kiwis have fallen from a lead.</p> <p>The day’s second fleet race, No. 6 in the series, is set to start at 3:32 pm PDT.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 3: 1440 hours</strong></p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill) has defeated Emirates Team New Zealand (Dean Barker) in a classic match racing duel to set up an all-ORACLE TEAM USA match racing final in San Francisco.</p> <p>Barker led the match by some 3-4 boatlengths halfway up the windward leg when he crossed Spithill. Barker kept going inshore, however, which allowed Spithill to switch offshore. The crew that’s been offshore seems to find more wind and Spithill closed the game up so that the two crews were bow-to-bow at the windward gate.</p> <p>Spithill crossed on starboard while Barker ducked behind. But neither crew could lay the gate and both tacked, Spithill making a starboard rounding and Barker a port rounding. Spithill led by 5 seconds and only had to perform one jibe on the run while Barker had to make two, and Spithill held on for the win by 13 seconds.</p> <p>Next up is the day’s first fleet race, the fifth of the series, scheduled to begin at 2:50 pm PDT.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 2: 1420 hours</strong></p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS (Russell Coutts) has defeated Artemis Racing White (Terry Hutchinson) in the first semifinal match of the event match racing championship. Coutts had a great start, gaining a late leeward hook with about 10 seconds to the start and took the lead onto the racecourse. Coutts led by 12 seconds at the leeward mark and then protected the right side of the upwind leg. But Coutts let Hutchinson get to the right late on the leg and a port-starboard ensued at the windward gate, with Hutchinson on starboard. Coutts, however, was inside the three-boatlength circle of the mark, indicated by the flashing green light on his boat, and Hutchinson had to give way. Coutts rounded with a 5-second advantage and went on to win by 21 seconds.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 1: 1330 hours</strong></p> <p>At 1254 today a weather buoy on San Francisco Bay in the vicinity of the ACWS racecourse recorded wind strengths between 8 and 10 knots with gusts upwards of 16 knots. Forecasts are calling for the winds to increase to 15-20 knots, but the heavy cloud cover and patchy fog might hinder that development.</p> <p>First up on the schedule is the first semifinal match between Artemis Racing White (Terry Hutchinson) and ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS (Russell Coutts). It is scheduled to start at 2:05 pm PDT. The second match, between Emirates Team New Zealand (Dean Barker) and ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill) is scheduled to start at 2:22. The day’s first fleet race, No. 5 in the series, is scheduled to start at 2:50 pm PDT, followed by race No. 6 at 3:25 pm PDT.</p> <p>The racing will be broadcast live around the world on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/americascup" target="_blank">America’s Cup YouTube channel</a> (subject to territorial broadcast restrictions). It will also be broadcast live on television in the Bay Area on NBC Bay Area 11.2 and throughout California on Comcast SportsNet California.</p> <p><strong>More information can be found at:</strong><br /> <a href="http://noticeboard.americascup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ACWS-Format-100812.pdf" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Event Format</a><br /> <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/results-standings" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Results</a><br /> <a href="http://34th.americascup.com/media/files/m4737_ACWS%20SF%20AUGUST_Crew%20list%20FRIDAY.pdf" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Crew List</a><br /> <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/events/ac-world-series-2012-2013/san-francisco-us-aug-21-aug-26" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Event Page</a></p> <p><strong>ORIGINAL POST: 1050 hours</strong></p> <p>From the shore to the water, ACWS San Francisco is delivering as much as the fans can handle.</p> <p>On the water the action includes the semifinal round of the match racing championship and fleet races five and six. Shoreside activities include America’s Cup Day at AT&T Park, a fan appreciation event between the San Francisco Giants and ORACLE TEAM USA, and a free concert featuring <a href="http://drdogmusic.com/">Dr. Dog</a> this evening at the Race Village at Marina Green.</p> <p>Racing is scheduled to begin at 2:05 pm PDT with the first semifinal match between Artemis Racing White (Terry Hutchinson) and ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS (Russell Coutts). Hutchinson won the 2011-12 match racing season championship and Coutts won the final event match racing championship of 2011-12 at Newport.</p> <p>Coutts damaged his No. 5 boat yesterday when he crashed into the starboard quarter of the race committee boat at high speed, leaving a chunk of his bow embedded in the hull. The team’s shore crew repaired the damage last night and the boat was expected to be launched by 11:00 am PDT this morning.</p> <p>The video on YouTube has been viewed nearly 25,000 times since it was posted last evening. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0li5rH_2j0&feature=share&list=PL59BD5480A8795C5F">Click here</a> to watch the video.</p> <p>The second semifinal match pits ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill) against Emirates Team New Zealand (Dean Barker). There’s little that can be said about this pair that hasn’t already been written in volumes. The two skippers are friends on terra firma, but fierce combatants on the <em>agua</em>.</p> <p>After Spithill overcame Barker in yesterday’s second fleet race he took opportunity in a television interview to needle Barker: “No doubt the New Zealanders will be worried after that.”</p> <p>Barker countered with, “I’m looking forward to having a good battle with them. They know this racecourse well and they’re the most practiced team here, so it will be tough.”</p> <p>The day’s fleet racing action is scheduled to begin at 2:50 pm PDT, with a second race planned at 3:25 pm PDT. ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL leads the standings with 39 points, followed by Team Korea (Nathan Outteridge) with 31 points and Luna Rossa Piranha (Chris Draper) with 30 points.</p> <p>Go to <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/results-standings">ACWS San Francisco Results</a> for the full standings.</p> <p>Before the racing the fleet of AC45s will sail past AT&T Park, the home of baseball’s San Francisco Giants. ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill will throw out the first pitch of the Giants’ game, and the America’s Cup will be on display. Read more at <a href="http://oracle-team-usa.americascup.com/news/1351/san-franciscos-world-conquering-teams-join-forces">San Francisco’s world-conquering teams join forces</a>.</p> <p>The Giants, winners of the World Series in 2010, have embraced the America’s Cup. Last night Luna Rossa skipper Max Sirena (below, right) threw the first pitch during Italian night.</p> <p>The day wraps up this evening with a free concert in the Race Village featuring the band <a href="http://drdogmusic.com/">Dr. Dog</a>. The concert begins at 5:00 pm PDT and is scheduled for three hours.</p> <div id="attachment_6174" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/LunaRossaSF_cb12_183761.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6174" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/LunaRossaSF_cb12_183761-780x504.jpg" alt="Italian heritage night - San Francisco Giants" width="780" height="504" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© Luna Rossa Challenge 2013</p></div>
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Coutts crashes out, Korea makes a move at the AC World Series in San Francisco
Read More<div id="attachment_6136" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9440.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6136" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9440-780x520.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 3" width="780" height="520" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS (Russell Coutts) crashed out of the America’s Cup World Series races in spectacular fashion on Friday, hitting the Race Committee boat at speed during the start of fleet race number three.</p> <p>The veteran had been trying to squeeze into a narrow gap between the start boat and his stablemate, ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill), but there wasn’t enough room and a violent collision resulted.</p> <div id="attachment_6133" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9334.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6133" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9334-360x240.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 3" width="360" height="240" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>“I thought there might be a gap there, and there wasn’t,” said Coutts. “It was a tough break. I didn’t think it was that risky. I thought they were going to turn down and start the race and they just kept turning up and shut the door.” (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0li5rH_2j0&feature=share&list=PL59BD5480A8795C5F" target="_blank">Click here</a> to watch a video of the incident.)</p> <p>The top performer on the day was Nathan Outteridge and his Team Korea crew. In the first race, Outteridge battled Paul Campbell-James and his Luna Rossa Swordfish crew for the lead before penalty trouble dropped the Koreans back to fourth place. In the meantime, the Italian Piranha crew grabbed second place and Yann Guichard’s Energy Team sailed their best race to place third.</p> <div id="attachment_6135" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9432.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6135" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9432-360x240.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 3" width="360" height="240" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>“It was a big day today. There was a bit of breeze and we were usually at the front of the fleet, which is great for us,” said Outteridge, the recent Olympic gold medalist. “A fourth and second, you’re going to take that any day. Consistency is the key for the first three days and then on the last day you’ve got to pull out the big one and send it pretty hard.”</p> <p>In the day’s second fleet race, Emirates Team New Zealand (Dean Barker) was able to power off the starting line to lead into the first mark but on the second upwind leg, ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL pushed into the lead to win the race. Outteridge again performed well, stealing second place from the Kiwis on the final sprint to the finish. Ben Ainslie had his best result of the fleet races, taking fourth place.</p> <p>“JK (John Kostecki, tactician) has spent a lot of hours on this Bay,” said Spithill. “I don’t think anyone can know the Bay completely, but it certainly helps for him having spent a lot of hours out there. It was incredible racing. It feels like you’re in a stadium and I think that’s what we’ve created here. We appreciate the support and are looking forward to an even bigger turnout over the weekend.”</p> <div id="attachment_6134" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9425.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6134" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9425-360x240.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 3" width="360" height="240" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p>The results leave Spithill at the head of fleet, with Outteridge and Team Korea vaulting into second place. Coutts, after a strong opening day in the fleet races, tumbles down the leaderboard to 10th place.</p> <p>The afternoon started with the final two pairs of the match racing quarterfinals, and following the first match J.P. Morgan BAR skipper Ainslie apologized to his crew after mistiming the start. That allowed Emirates Team New Zealand to romp to an easy win and advance to the semifinals. “Sorry about the start guys, still getting used to it,” Ainslie said when he crossed the finish line, as the most successful Olympic sailor of all-time works to find his feet on the AC45 circuit.</p> <p>The second match was closer. Coutts won the start and led for much of the first lap. But Energy Team’s Yann Guichard found favorable conditions offshore to cross ahead early on the upwind leg. Coutts then regained the lead and aggressively covered his French opponent, protecting a narrow advantage to the finish line.</p> <p>Coverage of the racing (2:00 pm PDT start time tomorrow and 11:30 am on Sunday) will be broadcast live around the world on the America’s Cup YouTube channel (subject to territorial broadcast restrictions). On television, coverage is available on Saturday throughout the Bay Area on NBC Bay Area 11.2, and in California on Comcast Sportsnet California. The Super Sunday finale will be broadcast live, coast to coast, in the United States, on NBC from 11:30 am PDT (there will be no live coverage in the United States on YouTube).</p> <p><strong>AC World Series San Francisco – Race Day Three</strong></p> <p><strong>Match Racing Quarterfinals Results</strong></p> <p>Emirates Team New Zealand beat J.P. Morgan BAR, 1-0</p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS beat Energy Team, 1-0</p> <p><strong>Match Racing Leaderboard (First to fourth still to be determined)</strong></p> <p>5. Energy Team</p> <p>6. Luna Rossa Piranha</p> <p>7. Luna Rossa Swordfish</p> <p>8. J.P. Morgan BAR</p> <p>9. Team Korea</p> <p>10. China Team</p> <p>11. Artemis Racing Red</p> <p>Go to <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/results-standings" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Results</a> for the full standings.</p> <div id="attachment_6137" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9455-1.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-6137" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S10_9455-1-780x520.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francisco - August Day 3" width="780" height="520" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div>
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ACWS San Francisco Day 2
Read More<div id="attachment_5927" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 790px"><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S09_8744.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-5927" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/S09_8744-780x520.jpg" alt="ACWS San Francis - August Day 2" width="780" height="520" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">© ACEA 2012 / Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget</p></div> <p><strong>UPDATE 6: 1615 hours</strong></p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill) won the second fleet race of the day and holds the fleet racing series lead with a 2-1.</p> <p>Spithill grabbed the race lead about two-thirds of the way down the first run, sailing over the top of China Team (Phil Robertson) on starboard jibe, and then spent the rest of the race fending off the two Artemis boats. In the end Spithill pulled out a 15-second win over Artemis Racing Red (Santiago Lange), which beat stablemate Artemis Racing White (Terry Hutchinson) by 11 seconds.</p> <p>After the race ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL tactician could be heard to say, “Nice start boys.”</p> <p>Spithill said, “We had a bit of a battle with the Artemis boats, but the boys stretched us out there at the end. There’s a definite tide line up the course and the wind was difficult to read at the top end of the course. Our maneuvers were flawless. We’re very happy with today and are looking forward to tomorrow.”</p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL holds first with 22 points, followed by ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS (Russell Coutts) with 18 points, Artemis Red, 16 points, Artemis White, 16, Team Korea (Nathan Outteridge), 13 points, Energy Team (Yann Guichard), 13 points, Luna Rossa Piranha (Chris Draper), 13 points, J.P. Morgan BAR (Ben Ainslie), 9 points, Emirates Team New Zealand (Dean Barker), 7 points, Luna Rossa Swordfish (Paul Campbell-James), 5 points, and China Team (Phil Robertson), 2 points.</p> <p>Racing resumes tomorrow at 2:05 pm PDT with remaining two matches of the match racing quarterfinals, followed by two more fleet races.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 5: 1520 hours</strong></p> <p>ORACLE TEAM USA COUTTS (Russell Coutts) has won the first fleet race of AC World Series San Francisco. Coutts leapt onto the racecourse, hitting the start line with great speed and led the fleet from wire-to-wire. Close behind was stablemate ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill), which finished 15 seconds behind.</p> <p>Luna Rossa Piranha (Chris Draper) finished third, 42 seconds behind the winner, and was followed by Energy Team (Yann Guichard, +50 seconds), Artemis Racing White (Terry Hutchinson, +:59), Artemis Racing Red (Santiago Lange, +1:10), Team Korea (Nathan Outteridge, +1:14), Emirates Team New Zealand (Dean Barker, +1:25), Luna Rossa Swordfish (Paul Campbell-James, +1:44), J.P. Morgan BAR (Ben Ainslie, +1:49), China Team (Phil Robertson, +3:31).</p> <p>After the race Coutts said, “I think time on the water helps, particularly us. We tried to put as much time in as we could over the past few weeks, it all helps. We got the start we planned, it was good that it works out every now and then. We found a gap, got in there and that was a big factor in the race.”</p> <p>The day’s second fleet race is scheduled to start at 3:25 pm PDT.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 4: 1440 hours</strong></p> <p>Artemis Racing White (Terry Hutchinson) and ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill) have won their quarterfinal round matches at AC World Series San Francisco and advance to the semifinal round.</p> <p>Artemis Racing defeated Luna Rossa Swordfish (Max Sirena) while Spithill beat Luna Rossa Piranha (Chris Draper). Both matches were one race affairs and were tight throughout. But the two winners extended their leads at the second windward mark when each Luna Rossa crew had difficulties rounding the mark.</p> <p>Luna Rossa Swordfish lost significant speed when it buried its port bow rounding the mark and Luna Rossa Piranha put in two tacks late, losing speed in the process.</p> <p>Two fleet races are on tap now this afternoon, with the first set to start at 2:50 pm PDT. Tune in on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/americascup" target="_blank">America’s Cup YouTube channel</a> (subject to territorial broadcast restrictions). The racing is also being broadcast live on television in the Bay Area on NBC Bay Area 11.2 and throughout California on Comcast SportsNet California</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 3: 1335 hours</strong></p> <p>With about 30 minutes remaining until the start of the day’s racing schedule reports from the racecourse indicate the wind has shifted to the west and is blowing around 12 knots.</p> <p>The first two pairs of the match racing quarterfinals are first up, with Luna Rossa Swordfish (Max Sirena) vs. Artemis Racing White (Terry Hutchinson) scheduled to start at 2:05 pm PDT. The second match pits Luna Rossa Piranha (Chris Draper) vs. ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (Jimmy Spithill), with the start scheduled for 2:22 pm PDT. The winners of the one race matches advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.</p> <p>Two fleet races will follow, scheduled to start at 2:50 pm and 3:25 pm PDT.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 2: 1235 hours</strong></p> <p>With about 90 minutes to the start of the first race of Day 2 at AC World Series San Francisco the wind is still light from the W/WNW. Forecasts call for it to shift to the SW and increase in strength to 15-25 knots.</p> <p>Today is Youth Day in the AC Village at Marina Green and youth of all ages are welcome to explore all that the America’s Cup in San Francisco has to offer. Activities include a high school sailing demonstration, as well as the enhanced Kid’s Zone presented by PG&E, where youth will be able to race mini AC45s, create posters to cheer on their favorite teams and partake in activities that teach about the environment.</p> <p><strong>UPDATE 1: 1130 hours</strong></p> <p>At 1100 weather buoy data from San Francisco Bay indicated W/WNW winds 7-10 knots, gusting slightly higher. Today’s weather forecast calls for the wind to shift to the SW and increase to 15-25 knots. Racing is scheduled to begin at 2:05 pm PDT with the first of two match racing quarterfinal matches.</p> <p><strong>ORIGINAL POST: 1045 hours</strong></p> <p>Welcome to Day 2 of the AC World Series San Francisco.</p> <p>Today’s racing program, slated to begin at 2:00 pm PDT, features one half of the match racing quarterfinals and the first two fleet races.</p> <p>The racing will be broadcast live around the world on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/americascup" target="_blank">America’s Cup YouTube channel</a> (subject to territorial broadcast restrictions). It will also be broadcast live on television in the Bay Area on NBC Bay Area 11.2 and throughout California on Comcast SportsNet California.</p> <p>First up on the water are two of the match racing quarterfinal pairs, Luna Rossa Swordfish vs. Artemis Racing White (scheduled to start at 2:05 pm PDT) and Luna Rossa Piranha vs. ORACLE TEAM USA SPITHILL (scheduled to start at 2:22 pm PDT). The winners of the one race matches advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.</p> <p>Two fleet races follow, with the first scheduled to begin at 2:50 pm PDT.</p> <p>Today is Youth Day in the AC Village at Marina Green and youth of all ages are welcome to explore all that the America’s Cup in San Francisco has to offer. Activities include a high school sailing demonstration, as well as the enhanced Kid’s Zone presented by PG&E, where youth will be able to race mini AC45s, create posters to cheer on their favorite teams and partake in activities that teach about the environment.</p> <p><strong>More information can be found at:</strong><br /> <a href="http://noticeboard.americascup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ACWS-Format-100812.pdf" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Event Format</a><br /> <a href="http://34th.americascup.com/media/files/m4725_ACWS%20SF%20AUGUST_Crew%20list.pdf" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Crew List</a><br /> <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/events/ac-world-series-2012-2013/san-francisco-us-aug-21-aug-26" target="_blank">ACWS San Francisco Event Page</a></p>
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Artemis Racing’s AC72 Arrives
Read More Artemis Racing<p><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/artemis/files/2012/08/12_046027_UnloadingAC72_SF1.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2774" title="12_046027_UnloadingAC72_SF1" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/artemis/files/2012/08/12_046027_UnloadingAC72_SF1-960x520.jpeg" alt="" width="960" height="520" /></a></p> <p>The Artemis Racing AC72 arrived in San Francisco at the crack of dawn yesterday morning, having docked out of Valencia less than a month ago onboard the container ship HR Maria.</p> <p>The AC72 left the Mediterranean, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and traveled through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean to arrive at Pier 80 before being towed across to the team’s base in Alameda.</p> <p>“We are all excited that the AC72 is here in San Francisco. We are looking forward to sailing this boat in the America’s Cup venue,” said Paul Cayard, CEO of Artemis Racing.</p> <p><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/artemis/files/2012/08/12_045847_UnloadingAC72_SF.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2770" title="12_045847_UnloadingAC72_SF" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/artemis/files/2012/08/12_045847_UnloadingAC72_SF-960x640.jpeg" alt="" width="960" height="640" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://americascup-news.com/news/artemis/files/2012/08/12_045913_UnloadingAC72_SF.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2771" title="12_045913_UnloadingAC72_SF" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/artemis/files/2012/08/12_045913_UnloadingAC72_SF-960x640.jpeg" alt="" width="960" height="640" /></a></p>
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China Team sets sights on October AC World Series
Read More China Team<p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-603" src="http://americascup-news.com/news/china/files/2012/08/F11_0079-960x639.jpg" alt="China Team sets sights on October AC World Series" width="960" height="639" /></p> <p>View the full gallery <a title="here" href="http://china-team.americascup.com/photos/72157631297454122">here</a>.</p> <p>In its effort to continue building a foundation for future America’s Cup endeavors, China Team today announced the Hilton San Francisco Financial District as a sponsor of the team for the next AC World Series San Francisco (Oct. 2-7).</p> <p>China Team principals including Vanessa Fang, the managing director, and Stanley Mo, the marketing manager, were on hand for the announcement, as were sailors Ying Kit Chang and Tie Wa Li. China Team plans to begin training for the next regatta on Sept. 16.</p> <p>The announcement also aimed to strengthen the relationship with the Chinese community in San Francisco. Mayor Ed Lee is the first Chinese-American mayor a major U.S. city, and his wife, Anita, presented opening remarks.</p> <p>“China Team, you are a wonderful ambassador for China to the America’s Cup,” said First Lady Lee. “We look forward to cheer you on in the races to come. More than one-quarter of San Francisco’s residents are of Chinese descent, and China Team’s participation helps us continue to foster cultural and economic ties with China.”</p> <p>America’s Cup Regatta Director Iain Murray also addressed the audience. He noted China’s recent sailing gold medal (in the Laser Radial class) at the Olympics, its first-ever sailing gold medal, and noted the team’s goal of developing a new generation of Chinese sailors.</p> <p>“We’re happy to have China Team competing in the second series of the AC World Series in October,” said Murray. “We admire the team’s ambition of building a young crew and support their vision for the long-term future of the America’s Cup.”</p> <p><iframe width="960" height="540" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tX2pCnto5_o?fs=1&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
Schedule & Standings
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The America's Cup Experience
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The World’s Best Sailors
Read MoreSkippers representing eight countries and ten teams currently compete in the AC World Series held at port cities around the world.
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A Journey Through History
Read MoreThe America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in sport with a rich heritage and tradition dating back to 1851.
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Red Bull Youth America’s Cup
Read MoreFor the first time in the history of the America’s Cup, young, talented sailors have a clear pathway towards competing for one of the most prestigious trophies in sport.
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Event Format
Read MoreThe 34th America’s Cup consists of 3 different stages: the America’s Cup World Series, the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup Finals.
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Worldwide Television Broadcast
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