Thursday: GSGP Day 1 Aug 4, 04:45
Day 1 in a nutshell: great venue, good organization, nice weather, enthusiastic mayor, fun pro-am regatta, shakedown sail for USA 71 and the sailing team, unexpectedly large public turnout (5000+), eating ostrich (interesting) at the teams' BBQ hosted by Shosholoza.
Sam Usher (GBR), head of the TV production for the World
Match Racing Tour, is running the television show here which
includes live coverage and regular news features on German
TV, highlights packages being fed by satellite each evening to
the USA and South Africa (among other countries), and live
coverage of all the racing each day on the TV screens
around the venue.
Tom Ross is a lawyer by day here in Kiel. An avid racing
sailor, he also heads the organizing committee for Kieler
Woche -- the famous annual regatta here in "Kiel Sailing
City" which, year after year, is one of the world's largest
sailing events. Tom is also head of the local organizing
committee for the GSGP.
)
Things were in full swing at the venue early Thursday, where we were greeted with the casual German morning greeting, "Moin, moin."
)
All systems go: the 0900 "event operations meeting."
)
Bruno Trouble (FRA, left) is here to run the Louis Vuitton media center. Karen Webb (USA, Oracle Corp and BMWOR marketing team) is managing the VIP Hospitality Center. Benedict Horber (GER, marketing team) is the overall projekt manager for the GSGP, and has done a nice job pulling the details together here in Kiel over the past several weeks.
)
Sam Usher (GBR), head of the TV production for the World
Match Racing Tour, is running the television show here which
includes live coverage and regular news features on German
TV, highlights packages being fed by satellite each evening to
the USA and South Africa (among other countries), and live
coverage of all the racing each day on the TV screens
around the venue.
)
Tom Ross is a lawyer by day here in Kiel. An avid racing
sailor, he also heads the organizing committee for Kieler
Woche -- the famous annual regatta here in "Kiel Sailing
City" which, year after year, is one of the world's largest
sailing events. Tom is also head of the local organizing
committee for the GSGP.
)
As the ops meeting was wrapping up in the VIP Center, a ferry boat passed by the venue headed for the docks just to the south of the venue. One of many ferries each day coming in and out of Kiel, this one I believe makes the run to and from Goteborg, Sweden. Many of the GSGP races (fleet and match) will be started and finished where the ferry boat is in the photo above -- which will give great viewing for the public onshore as well as for the hundreds of spectator boats expected.
)
The Louis Vuitton media center was already in use Thursday morning. Over 100 media have been accredited, more than for Act 12 in Valencia.
)
Press information is being provided in five languages.
)
Meanwhile back at the hotel, the sailing team was studying the charts of the racing area. Above left is Ian "Fresh" Burns (AUS, sailing/design teams) who will the navigator on USA 71, Skipper/CEO Chris Dickson (NZL) and bowman Tony Kolb (GER). Tony has sailed extensively at Kiel and has plenty of local knowledge, onshore as well as afloat. Racing will be in the fjord, so avoiding the shallow spots will be one of the challenges for Fresh and chase boat captain Craig Christensen (NZL).
)
Making final adjustments to the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions: Race Director Eckhart Reinke, Race Committee navigator Juergen Gottschald, Principal Race Officer Benjamin Storm (all are esteemed local sailing officials), and Jury Chairman Tom Ehman (USA, BMWOR's head of external affairs). Other members of the jury (not pictured) are Capt. Salvatore Sarno (RSA, managing director of Team Shosholoza) and Wolf Dietz (GER, UITG's rep to the Challenger Commission and a member of their sailing team).
)
Support team members taking in the opening ceremony: Capt Craig Christensen (NZL, chase boat), Scotty "Laurent" Sandford (NZL, logistics manager), Kevin Batten (NZL, masts/rigger), Pete Balash (USA, winches), Ryan Godfrey (AUS, sails) and Tim Hacket (AUS, shore team mgr).
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Mayor Volkquartz welcomes the teams and public to the GSGP....
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...taken in by some of the dozens of media in attendance including all of Germany's major TV networks...
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...and a surprisingly large crowd for a Thursday afternoon. Organizers reported over 5,000 people passed through the venue yesterday.
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Late afternoon the teams were introduced in a tow-by parade, first "host team" United Internet Team Germany's GER 72 led by skipper Jesper Bank (DEN).
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Then came Team Shosholoza's RSA 48 skippered by Mark Sadler (RSA). Mark won yesterday's informal pro-am regatta run in J-80s.
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Last but hopefully not least came BMW ORACLE Racing's USA 71 towed by Chase 2 manned by members of the support team...
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...then the "clean look" of USA 71 and our sailing team in their "summer whites." A nice touch: each of the sailors on all three teams were introduced by name and home country by the GSGP shoreside commentator.
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After the parade it was time to relax in the convivial atmosphere of the "teams' compound" at a South African barbeque hosted by Shosholoza. If we get time later today we will post some more shots from this friendly and enjoyable affair.
Kiel | by TFE
