Open letter to Ellison & Bertarelli

Larry Ellison, Team BMW Oracle USA & Ernesto Bertarelli, Team Alinghi SNG,


33rd America's Cup competition

Thursday, 11 Feb 2010, Valencia, Spain

You have the attention of a much of the world watching you attempt to sail your two exciting boats for the America's Cup. Time is running out, it is time to act. There are 4 days from today left in the week you announced to sail this regatta.

It is clear that the existing race requirements will not be easily met. A second day is being wasted each time the race is postponed.

Tomorrow, Friday is the next opportunity to hold a race.

I suggest you schedule races for each of the next three days. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

That you race each day without intervening days off.

If the weather or sea state is not suitable for the scheduled race, 20 milw windward-leeward for instance, that you authorize the Race Committee to set and run a suitable course for the conditions, keeping usual safety concerns in mind.

If it becomes possible to run more than one race in a day, that the Race Committee be authorized to do so.

All the machinery and personnel you would need to do this are on site at the moment. If you will simply agree to use them you can complete this regatta this weekend.

I appeal to you to apply your the talents of your teams to do this.

Sincerely,

David Cort

Los Angeles Yacht Club & Transpacific Yacht Club Race Officer

Weather or Not

Two good interviews on Valencia Sailing:  Ed Baird of Alinghi, and Jim Spithill from BMW Oracle discuss today's weather and the racing situation.


Valencia Sailing

But, still, what would it take to get the teams to stop wasting two days for every attempted race day?

What if they called a sailboat race, and nobody raced?

That's what's happening in Valencia.  Monday, wind at top of the 20 mile course, none at the bottom.  Wednesday, wind all over the course, consistent westerly as far as we could see, but a biggish northerly swell.  Not breaking, not chop, not anything that would worry any of us, but no racing.  Both boats sit ready in their corners, crews all dressed up, spectators stuffed with croissants and champagne, wired with espressos, but no racing.

Sorry to sound a bit frustrated, but a second day of everyone getting up before dawn planning on seeing the two big guys get the toys out, not to mention any names, but nobody showed their face on the race course.

Will they race Friday?  The weather is predicted to act up again.  Will they race Sunday?  Will they ever race?  Somebody will need a pretty damn big museum to display these to virgin dinosaurs!

Working on their tans.

These guys liked the sailing.  Rising Sun in background.

These guys were parked.

Wednesday Late (Early) Flash

0630 just about to walk out the door, and a friend in California lets us know the racing is delayed to at least Noon here today.  Great stuff the internet, now for a small nap!  Below from the BMWO Racing Blog:

Racing on Wednesday delayed


The Race Committee has informed the teams that the starting signal for the race on Wednesday will not be given before 12:00 CET (06:00 EST, 03:00 PST).

0600 VLC Update - Wednesday

36f outside. Supposed to be 57f, winds NW 13mph today. Sunny.
 Yee haa, maybe racing today???? We're wait listed we think for the spectator yacht.

Quiet Day in Valencia ~ Tuesday

Beauty sunny day in Valencia today.  Sun was out, but a cold wind was blowing.  Maybe too much to sail anyway???  Ciudad des Artes & Sciences is amazing!  people wearing team gear and AC33 gear all over town.

BMW HQ quiet, Alinghi putting new boards in the boat.

Will we see actual racing tomorrow?

Hopefully we'll be out there again, but maybe watching the feed on TV at the base.  Won't know until morning.

Gray Monday ~ No Racing Today

Up at 0530, both race boats already off the dock in the dark before 0700.  RC ready, boats ready, spectators ready, teams ready, helicopters, press, everything and everybody ready to go today.  We were very fortunate and scored an excellent ride out to the windward mark on the very pretty and hospitable 130' motor yacht Ineke IV.  Excellent food and beverages all day long.  A very large number of boats parked out a few miles off the Spanish Coast 15 or so miles South of Valencia.  A little disappointed we weren't on our way to the Start area, but we were out there on the water, and it wasn't even raining!
 
The breeze wandered thru and started out around 4 to 5 knots from a pretty southerly direction.  The 1006 start time came and went.  Very little info from the Race Committee to the crowd lurking 20 miles to windward.  Our TV on the boat came and went.  Finally EuroSport TV gave up and switched to ski jumping.  Brief excitement as a tracking program in the cabin started showing the two boats racing upwind...  excitement, but false alarm, it was only a simulation!!!!  Drat, but at least we had not dozed thru the start without noticing.  More "no info" from the RC.  Much speculation, interesting theories and discussion.  The wind at our end of the course got up toward 8 to 10 and shifted West a bit.

Finally around 1400 the word spread thru the boat, racing cancelled for the day.  What a disappointment for everyone.  We all charge back to BMWO HQ in the Darsena for more drinks and hors d'oeuvres.  The rain starts.  We talk to some of the folks who were near the start, apparently they never had any of the wind that we had 20 miles to the Southwest.

So, what now?  Well, the "rules" say that racing proceeds on alternate days.  So no racing tomorrow, even if it is 15 knots from the South and sunny-beautiful.  Next shot on Wednesday for race 1, the replay as far as we know.  Then 2 on Friday, and 3 (if needed we must say) on Sunday.  Hmmm, when was that flight home again?????

Dan studies the news while we wait

Ran into Kimball today and Jeff Brown from San Diego.  Cory Friedman with us on Ineke, also Peter Harken, several other interesting folks.
 

Nice Spectator Boat!