We have just learned that our team doctor, Francisco "Kiko" Espi-Escriva (ESP), was recently featured in an article in the Spanish national newspaper El Mundo, as well as on several television news shows.

Kiko is a young orthopaedic surgeon of growing repute here in Spain. He recently introduced a new, non-invasive surgical technique for feet which has proven very successful and helpful to many.

According to the El Mundo article, with the new technique the cut is so small that most of the time there is no need for a suture. In addition, with the traditional technique the patient had to be off the foot for a month, and with this new technique the patient enters and leave the operating room walking. In the General Hospital here in Valencia, Dr Kiko and his colleagues have already made more than one hundred interventions and none has required a second surgery, nor have there been any complications.

Kiko brushsed off all the publicity with a modest, "Just doing my job."

Nice ink for a cool, competent guy who is universally popular within the team for his ability not only to treat, or get fast treatment for, team members and our families whether an emergency or minor malady, but also for his friendly, spirited support of our mission in general.


Dr Francisco "Kiko" Espi-Escriva: another of the innovative
professionals staffing our BMW ORACLE Racing team.

There is a nice interview with sailing team member Brad Webb (NZL) up on the ACM website, covering life at the pointy end of the boat -- especially sharp in the case of BMW ORACLE's bow-spritted USA-87....

It is a radically different boat to others in the America’s Cup fleet, not least because the mast is positioned around 2 metres further forward and also with that distinctive bowsprit poking out the front.

All these changes, plus the ability of the boat to turn so quickly, have a big effect on Brad Webb’s precarious job up on the bow. “You have to cope with very rapid movements up there,” says Webb, who admits that things weren’t exactly running to plan at the moment that picture was taken. “You can see my feet are hooked around the bobstay, and I’m just trying to think of how the boat is going to move and I’m looking for that next handheld. I hope you won’t see me repeating that move!”

Full interview


Er, caption contest anyone? (Karen Webb not eligible.) Photo: Carlo
Borlenghi, ACM.

Peter Isler, navigator aboard the U.S. entry BMW Oracle Racing, said, "You have to balance out the paranoia of showing what you have with the need to spend time testing it and learning it yourself." --From a good AP story getting picked up all over the world with nice quotes by Dicko and Pedro.


Speaking of proven winners: two-time Cup winner Peter "Pedro" Isler
(crew, navigator) discussing strategy with Dr Joachim Faber (left, above),
CEO of team sponsor Allianz Global Investors, in Valencia on Monday.

Crew Chief Craig Monk (NZL) was interviewed for this morning's New Zealand Herald, about the upcoming Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts 10 & 11....


Yachting: Winding up USA87 for the challenge

By Julie Ash


What has the team been up to since last year's final regatta in Trapani?

BMW Oracle Racing has had a busy six months since the last regattas in Trapani. We completed construction of our new team base in Valencia, built our new race boat, and launched our new boat here in Valencia.

Earlier in the Valencia winter [New Zealand summer] we did some match racing in the New Zealand Grade 1 events to keep the guys sailing over the winter break. But our main focus has been on sailing our two boats here in Valencia.

How is your new boat USA87 going?

We've been sailing USA87 for about a month now and working it up to be race ready. In addition to the sea trials and testing, we have been doing a lot of in-house racing as well as hooking up with other challengers for informal racing which has all been great preparation for the pre-regattas.

You have indicated you are racing USA76 in first pre-regatta. Why that boat?

We are still working USA87 into race trim.

Full story


Former AC winner and Olympic medalist Craig Monk (sailing team, grinder).

Excuse the pun, but the widely-read German weekly magazine Focus has recently focused its substantial media spotlight onto the America's Cup.

Journalist Till Behrend, who covers the AC for Focus writes today that:

"I was recently invited to a sportsponsoring congress in Munich. Preparing for the panel, I went through all my sailing stories of 2005. To my own surprise, they added up to 13 full pages (plus a number smaller articles). 12 of the 13 dealt with the America's Cup. So, for the first time, there was about as much America's Cup in FOCUS as there was Formula 1. Just thought this might interest you."

Interest us, indeed! Good news for the sport, and especially for the AC, to have that kind of coverage focused on the Cup in the EU's largest marketplace.