Artikel-Schlagworte: „Auckland“

Third for CAMPER in Leg 3 but looking for more

After thirteen days at sea CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand has taken third place in Leg Three and retained their second overall position in the Volvo Ocean Race.

At the end of an exhausting last few days beating up the Vietnamese coastline CAMPER managed to hold off Puma to cross the finish line at 1528 local time/2028 NZT continuing their run of podium finishes.

However, it was a case of missed opportunities for CAMPER who despite a spirited fight-back did not manage to recover vital mile lost in a tactical error in the Malacca Strait.

CAMPER Skipper Chris Nicholson says that it was an incredibly challenging leg.

“It’s been really tough physically and mentally and while it’s another podium finish it’s not the direction we want to be travelling in. We thought and expected to do better than third to be honest.

“It’s a very long race and we’re staying in touch with the leader but the reality is that we’re not performing well enough and need to deliver a more consistent showing. It’s time for a first and hopefully that will be the next one as we come into Auckland.

“At one stage in this leg we were fifth and I think we showed a lot of character within the team to fight back to third. To grab that position is good and it’s a positive for us to finish on. However there’s still a lot of thought required about how we can start winning legs. There’s a lot of determination amongst these guys and even if at times we don’t have the fastest boat on the water we’ll do everything we can to scrap into a podium place.

“We now need to go away look at our performance in the leg, review and debrief everything in detail, see what went well and what didn’t and ensure that we come out absolutely firing for the next leg into Auckland.

“Heading back home and to where it all started is going to be massive for us and we want to deliver the best result for all our supporters.

“There’s a lot of work we need to do to achieve that so after a decent rest we will be back in training on and off the water to lift our performance.”

CAMPER picked up 19 point for the truncated leg from Abu Dhabi to Sanya to be sitting on a total of 80 points, 15 astray of Telefonica and 9 ahead of Groupama.

AC45 set for Auckland anniversary regatta

Emirates Team New Zealand relaunches its AC45 in Auckland … it’s Auckland’s anniversary day so the team is going sailing to join in the annual regatta where yachts large and small, old and new go racing as they have done for more than 150 years.

Something a little different on the water

The sailing team got a  taste of something a little different on the water this morning – dragon boat racing on Auckland Harbour. They were up a against a couple of teams from the Auckland Blues rugby team.

And while we had no previous experience of dragon boats – we’re  not sure about the Blues – after three races Emirates Team New Zealand was declared the overall winner, having won two races and gained a second in the third.

After racing, the Blues came to the team base for breakfast and a tour.  You’ll find the pictures here.

Still learning after all those years

Remember this? ….. the monohulls were fun, too

Ray Davies blogs from the best office in the world …..

My life has gone around a full circle. When I was young, I learned to sail an Optimist off Murrays Bay on the north shore of Auckland.

These days, when I’m at the “office”, I’m more than likely testing multihulls off Murrays Bay. All those years later I’m still learning. The boats are different but the purpose is the same – learning how to go faster and win.

The Hauraki Gulf is an ideal testing ground for our SL33 catamarans. It’s always possible to find a satisfactory sea state whatever the wind direction. We rarely miss a day’s sailing because of the weather.

We’re on the water for five to six hours a day. Test, test and test again. Sound boring. Not at all…. it’s the best office in the world. And the catamarans are seriously good  fun to sail, even when we’re testing rather than racing.

Remember those old monohull America’s Cup class boats? We did a lot of testing in them, too. Long days. Day after day. They are big, heavy boats. There have been cases when crew have fallen asleep.

There’s no afternoon nap on the SL33s.  They are fast and exciting, rather like a high performance dinghy. The sensation of speed is amazing. They are exciting even when testing five or six hours a day, five or six days a week. Looking back it was fun sailing the monohulls, too, but…

We have two SL33s to trial development concepts from the design team in the real world and for improving sailing team multihull skills. They are fitted with dozens of sensors that measure just about everything so we know almost instantly if a new design element as a beneficial effect on speed. Combined with a seat-of-your-pants  dinghy style we feel pretty well covered.

There’s no arguing with the data from the sensors. Over the past few months, we have accumulated a massive amount of data in all sorts of sailing conditions.

We now have two  wingsails in our 33s.  These cats were designing for sailing in light airs on European alpine lakes – not in 30 knots in a nasty chop on the Hauraki Gulf. We have given them a real thrashing and they are holding up really well.

100 days until Auckland

It’s 100 days until the Volvo fleet returns to Auckland after a 10 year absence so the guys on CAMPER took some time out while sailing to Cape Town to talk about what they’re looking forward to the most about getting home.

The never-ending quest for better-performing sails

Burns Fallow, head of the sail programme, blogs from the design office

Burtns Fallow

Although there are still nearly two years until the America’s Cup, there is plenty happening in the design department’s “sail world”.

On recent days, we have worked on four different programmes (Volvo, AC45, SL33 and America’s Cup). We are one of the few departments that “touches” all the different activities going on in the team at the moment.

In the Volvo we are working on the first replacement sails to be delivered to Cape Town. The Volvo rule is very restrictive on the number of sails that can be used in the race, but in some instances we are on to our fourth generation of a particular sail type (starting from when we launched the boat in April).  We are still learning flat out, and one of the tricks in the Volvo is continuing to improve performance.  We are looking forward to seeing the guys come home to Auckland in March.

The AC45 guys headed out to San Diego over the weekend for the third build-up event.  We have had to build only one new sail for this event, as the others are still in pretty good condition, and we are expecting pretty light conditions in San Diego – although from what I can remember from 1995, it can be pretty cold in November.

Our SL33s are test boats for the larger AC72. The SL33s have their own sail programme and it is a delight to work with such “sensible” sized sails.  I have just completed a couple of designs for these boats today and emailed the design to the 3DL plant in Nevada.  These will be on the water in early December.

That of course leaves the AC72 boat, which will not sail until the middle of next year.  However one thing I have noticed in this campaign is how integrated and inter-dependant every area of design is.  As we learn a bit about one area of design, it may affect work we have already done.  Therefore although we will not sail the AC72 for several months yet, we are well advanced in our sail and wing design program.

The way it used to be

The way it was …. early Whitbread stopover Auckland.

In less than two weeks the Volvo Ocean Race starts. It’s an exciting time for Emirates Team New Zealand after 18 months hard work by everyone involved in the CAMPER project.

It’s tempting to draw comparisons with round-the-world races of the 70s and 80s.

Back then we raced what were essentially cruising boats; they were slow and the gear was not very good. There were only four legs and half the race was in the Southern Ocean where large lumps of ice capable of sinking a yacht were our constant companions.

But there were some luxuries. On my first race (Lion New Zealand in 1985-86) were had a couple of microwave ovens and we had hot scones every second day.  Each bunk had a reading light, a fan, we had books and walkmen and plenty of music tapes.

Those were the amateur days. Then as professionalism and the weight watching took hold the finer things of life started to disappear. Less weight equalled more speed so non-essentials had to go.  While the Whitbread as it was then called was one big adventure the yachties still wanted to win.

Hot scones were gone, in their place free dried food, bunk lights and fans went so there was no need for books; sleeping bags were shared.

The professional era got its start at the end of the 80s with the Steinlager 2 and Fisher and Paykel campaigns.  Four years later New Zealand Endeavour took it further.

Today the boats are faster, the equipment is fantastic and there are nine legs with stopovers at exotic places.

Roughly 70% of the work on a Volvo Ocean Race campaign goes in before the boat is launched. That’s the way it has to be if you want to win. For the CAMPER project we started by selecting the key people then pouring effort into design, research, weather and assembling the right people for shore and sailing crews.

One of the big changes is in the communications from on board – HD video off the boats every day, GPS tracking so race hq knows where  he fleet is at all times. That makes it easier to follow the racing from on shore.

So it’s a different race. But is still as tough physically and mentally – and as potentially dangerous – as it ever was. What’s more every boat has a chance to win.

The way it used to be

The way it was …. early Whitbread stopover Auckland.

In less than two weeks the Volvo Ocean Race starts. It’s an exciting time for Emirates Team New Zealand after 18 months hard work by everyone involved in the CAMPER project.

It’s tempting to draw comparisons with round-the-world races of the 70s and 80s.

Back then we raced what were essentially cruising boats; they were slow and the gear was not very good. There were only four legs and half the race was in the Southern Ocean where large lumps of ice capable of sinking a yacht were our constant companions.

But there were some luxuries. On my first race (Lion New Zealand in 1985-86) were had a couple of microwave ovens and we had hot scones every second day.  Each bunk had a reading light, a fan, we had books and walkmen and plenty of music tapes.

Those were the amateur days. Then as professionalism and the weight watching took hold the finer things of life started to disappear. Less weight equalled more speed so non-essentials had to go.  While the Whitbread as it was then called was one big adventure the yachties still wanted to win.

Hot scones were gone, in their place free dried food, bunk lights and fans went so there was no need for books; sleeping bags were shared.

The professional era got its start at the end of the 80s with the Steinlager 2 and Fisher and Paykel campaigns.  Four years later New Zealand Endeavour took it further.

Today the boats are faster, the equipment is fantastic and there are nine legs with stopovers at exotic places.

Roughly 70% of the work on a Volvo Ocean Race campaign goes in before the boat is launched. That’s the way it has to be if you want to win. For the CAMPER project we started by selecting the key people then pouring effort into design, research, weather and assembling the right people for shore and sailing crews.

One of the big changes is in the communications from on board – HD video off the boats every day, GPS tracking so race hq knows where  he fleet is at all times. That makes it easier to follow the racing from on shore.

So it’s a different race. But is still as tough physically and mentally – and as potentially dangerous – as it ever was. What’s more every boat has a chance to win.

A quick look in the boat shed …

Andy Nottage, shore manager, gives us a quick look around one of the boat sheds at the Auckland base.

Article source: http://etnzblog.com/2011/10/a-quick-look-in-the-boat-shed/

America’s Cup Organizers to Shake Down Systems

Thursday, March 17, 2011

In preparation for the inaugural America’s Cup World Series this July, event organizers will stage on and off the water dress rehearsals in Auckland April 25-29 and May 2-6.

These test periods will focus on refining all of the courses, support systems and management procedures necessary to stage each AC World Series event and provide a superior experience for both the teams and spectators worldwide.

Led by America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM), the first test session will include race course configurations that enable tight, tactical racing as well as umpiring and race management that allows for instant calls during fast-paced competition.

“We are launching a new racing product in July,” said Iain Murray, ACRM CEO and Regatta Director for the 34^th America’s Cup and the AC World Series. “We have developed new rules and now we need to test those rules on the water.”

“We learned a lot of things about the performance of the AC45 during sea trials in New Zealand, but now we need to see them in simulated race mode. We will also test new race course configurations to make the racing more engaging for competitors and fans alike.”

During this period, ACRM will test:

• New Racing Rules for the America’s Cup
• New umpiring system based on the use of GPS data from raceboats and marks
• New race management using telemetry to and from mark boats
• Course configurations for both match racing and fleet racing
• Start line procedures
• On-water communications systems
• Emergency and safety systems
• Shoreside launching, mooring and docking procedures

The second session, led by the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA), will provide the first test of the next-generation broadcast images and graphics that change the way people will watch sailing on television.

“At each event, we want the viewer to not just see the action, but to really be part of it,” said Richard Worth, Chairman, ACEA. “Through our new on-board cameras and microphones, you will get to see the quick decisions being made, the athleticism of the sailors, the raw power of these boats – you will be right there with the teams as they fly over the water.”

During this period, ACEA will test:

• On-board cameras
• On-board microphones
• New broadcast graphics package including use of video and overlay graphics from GPS data

“Our new graphics overlay goes beyond being a viewing aid,” said Worth. “This system will connect viewers to the racing in a way that has not been possible before.”

The AC World Series is a regular circuit of eight regattas that will bring America’s Cup-level racing and the America’s Cup experience to top international venues. Televised to expose millions more fans to the sport of high-performance sailing, the AC World Series will feature both fleet and match racing at each event. At the end of each AC World Series season, a champion will be crowned. These regattas provide the fans the only opportunity to see all of the America’s Cup competitors racing together.

Article source: http://www.americascup.com/news/america-s-cup-organizers-to-shake-down-systems_71