In the past week or so, the Technical Director has issued sail numbers 92 and 93. Will we get to ACC sail number 100? Will it be Alinghi's?

Speaking of crystal balls, you may find today's post in this regard on the Challenger Commission Blog of interest.


Grazing, like a Swiss cow, into the future?

From another thoughtful Matthew Sheahan story, today on the Yachting World website:

Of course that's not Chris Dickson 's view, his comments about the team's radical boat make it clear that he believes that there's plenty more golf in the hole so to speak. A radical boat that will accelerate like a multihull and turn like a figure skater suggests that there is more to be learned. Their jumper-less rig was aboard USA-87 for the fleet racing Act and while it would be difficult to attribute their poorer showing in this Act than the previous one to the rig, something was clearly up in the fleet racing for them to prise out a fourth overall.

But America's Cup racing would be nowhere without conspiracy theories and surely this Act will end with the most obvious. None of the big three wanted to be in front of Alinghi. When it comes to the big boys, fleet racing benefits Alinghi more than anyone else, leaving little reason for the Kiwis and the rest to show their hands, even when teased by Alinghi.

Full story


Photo courtesy of Alinghi's team photog (for a change), Thierry Martinez.

A good story about BMWOR and USA 87 on the Yachting World website tonight. Good ink for our team that highlights some of the intrigue surrounding the racing that begins in a little over 12 hours.


Intriguing ink, indeed.

Just to say that the nice pic of New Zealand Challenge (NZL 20, a.k.a. the "Red Rocket" twin-keeler) in the post "What Goes Around Comes Around" from a few days ago (scroll down) has, we see, been linked and otherwise referred to by any number of websites. The photo credit belongs to "Editor Robert" of the excellent CupInfo website and was used with their kind permission. One hears he took the photo in Auckland back in 2003 on the day Robert sailed aboard NZL 20 with the OLN TV crew. Thanks again, Robert.

While we are at it, we also want to thank Valencia Sailing for the continuing good coverage of not only of our team and our new USA 87, but of all the teams and Cup activity in general and especially around Valencia. Much appreciated, Pierre.

While we are on the subject of photos, we have received a number of emails today asking what teams can and cannot do, under the Cup rules, to "recon" the other teams' boats and training sessions. This I promise will be the subject of a future post sooner than later, but suffice to say that underwater photos are at all times strictly prohibited. Specifically, section 11.2 (e) of the Protocol states that "the use of divers, submarines or other means to observe or record another Competitor’s yacht below or from below the surface of the water" is prohibited.

Many of us here today at the Team Base have not had such a good laugh in a long, long time. Some suspicious scribe's fertile imagination has been working overtime, to say nothing of having too much time on his or her hands. The silly season has begun. Click here then scroll down to "Oracle's Early April Fool's Joke?" Good times.

Anarchy reigns, and the Louis Vuitton
Cup doesn't even start for another 12
months.