Artikel-Schlagworte: „Emirates Team New Zealand“

Ex40 racing pauses for a thunderstorm

Storm clouds over Singapore….                                                       picture Mark Lloyd

 

Light winds and an interruption for a thunderstorm marked the start overnight of the Extreme Sailing Series regatta at Singapore.

Two races were held then, as the clouds darkened, the fleet was brought into the dock until the threatening thunderstorm passed over.

Lightening struck twice nearby as the crews sheltered. Racing resumed after 90 minutes. Dean Barker said the weather pattern that brought the storm is likely to be repeated for the next few days.

Barker and crew James Dagg, Glenn Ashby and Jeremy Lomas returned to series for the final regatta of the 2011 season. They had not raced together in the Extreme 40 catamaran since the second regatta of 2011 at Qingdao, China, in April.

Since then, their priority has been the America’s Cup World Series regattas and Emirates Team New Zealand’s sailing crew have been rotated through the Extreme Sailing Series.

The ESS competition has got tougher in their absence, as Dean Barker noted. “Very tight courses and some very competitive boats…. there is no question that every time I come back to the series  the fleet seems to have got better, so it’s really challenging.

“We’ve had a pretty tough day… we didn’t read it well. And didn’t get the starts we wanted.”

Five races were held in light and shifty breeze and heavy rain on the first day at Singapore. Emirates Team New Zealand’s finishes – 4,3,3,5 and 7 – was enough to secure fourth in the ranking at the end of the day.

1  Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT) 45 points
2  Luna Rossa (ITA) 39 points
3 Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA) 37 points
4  Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 29 points

5  Oman Air (OMA) 27 points
6  Team GAC Pindar (GBR) 22 points
7  The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 22 points
8  Alinghi (SUI) 21 points

9  Team TILT (SUI) 18 points
10 Team Extreme – the first club™  15 points

Shaping the things to come…..

Emirates Team New Zealand design engineer Jamie France takes his eyes off 3D models of the AC72 cat long enough to blog about what he’s up to…..

My main responsibility at Emirates Team New Zealand is to design and manage our core 3D model of the boat.

Affectionately known as “Grand Central”, because it is the main meeting point for all the inputs and outputs of the design team, hull shapes, sailor input and engineering go in one end, and the final boat comes out the other in a perfect 3D model, complete to the last nut and bolt.

I sit right in the middle of everything, helping to filter all the different parts of this multi-functional design effort into our best shot at an AC72.

I work with some of the best naval architects and engineers in the world, and balance that with ensuring that the sailing team is going to get the boat they want – one that is ergonomic and functional to enable them to push it to the limit.

Once the design is mature, (and it’s never really finished – we’ll continue tweaking right up until the last day) we move into the building phase, which is where we are right now with our first boat.

This is a stressful time as there are still a lot of design issues to resolve, but we don’t have the luxury of time to finish them all before we start construction. As a result we are always trying to stay just ahead of the builders, locking things down where we must and keeping other options open for as long as we can.

It certainly makes for a complex build but in this game, where it’s a first generation design and every team is looking to hit the optimum corner, you need to push things as hard as you can.

What I love about the Emirates Team New Zealand design team is the fantastic cross-pollination of ideas that come out of such a diverse team, and the sheer motivation of the group to get the design across the line no matter the effort it takes. It’s a rare experience to find a team that gels so well, and one that keeps you motivated when the stress levels get up there.

All in all we know we have a lot of catching up to do to match Oracle. They’ve got a good head start, but under this rule there’s plenty of scope for exploration, and it’s a design challenge that we’re really enjoying.

 

From the boat: on our way at last

Hamish Hooper blogs from on board CAMPER

My first thought of the day as I woke was that the overseas voting for the New Zealand elections had opened. This is great news, elections are so exciting!  I love the drama of election night!

The trouble is, I’m not really sure how getting voting papers to the Kiwis on board CAMPER in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean will work?
Any ideas?

Another thought of substance that occurred to me today was that I am stuck on a 70ft red missile surrounded by 10 fanatics in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Finally we hooked into the weather system that we have been aiming for days now, wondering if it would ever come. It has, and they guys are loving it.

We have 20- 25 knots from the north-west, and we are heading south.

To call them fanatics might seem a little over the top, but now you really see these 10 sailors operating at their peak. These guys are serious professionals that are seriously good at what they do. Some of the best in the world, (which is a comforting thought for me.)
Like the speed dial lighting up with speeds at times touching the excess of 28 knots boat speed, so do their faces,

“This is what these boats are made for!” said Will Oxley as I sat in the nav station with him watching the miles tick down so effortlessly.

It’s not so much craziness that drives these guys so hard – it’s simply and purely their desire to win.

The last few days have been full of frustration, and I know it’s because we aren’t at the front of the pack. And the fact that these are the conditions the guys actually sail VO70’s for, not for upwind or no-wind sailing, but for hard and fast downhill running – and they get a big kick from it.

It seems that this race opens the world’s oceans to become  the sailors’ office, their home and their playground. Somehow I have ended up in the middle of it and bailing a lot of water in the process.

I tell Stu Bannatyne my thoughts of the day,

“This is nothing”, he laughs, “You just wait until we get some decent breeze!

He pauses with thought, “The elections… cool- how will we vote?”

HAMISH

•  CAMPER  with Emirates Team New Zealand has finally found the breeze the  crew had been looking for several agonising days.

Most recent position reports show the team to be making rapid progress. From a position more than 250 nautical miles behind fleet leader Groupama,  CAMPER had cut that back to just over 200 miles.

Groupama had carried the breeze down the African coast, but now seems to be losing momentum as the three yachts in the west – Puma, Telefonica and CAMPER – pick up a breeze of 20 knots plus from the north- west.

CAMPER  has also advanced on Puma and Telefonica,  and is now less than 40 miles astern, having clawed back 56 miles in six hours.

Skipper Chris Nicholson: “ Tonight CAMPER gained 28 nm in the period 1600 – 1900 and snatched back another 28 nm in the three hours leading up to the 2200 UTC report.”

Race headquarters reported that Nicholson had elected to take the inside track, 41 nautical miles (nm) to leeward of the two opponents in the west.  PUMA has upped its performance and taken 18 nm out of the leader, relegating Telefónica ) to third place, three miles astern.

“But it’s not looking quite so sweet for Franck Cammas and his team on Groupama 4 as they continue creeping along the shore towards the Cape Verde Islands at around 12 knots, sailing dead downwind.

“However, they are still ahead of the chasing pack, 28 nm off the southernmost tip of Western Sahara and 486 nm from the Cape Verde Islands, which they will leave to port.  Beyond the Cape Verdes is a vast windless zone, which they will need to avoid at all costs.

“For the first time in this 6500 nautical mile to Cape Town, we are starting to see some improved 24-hour runs after days of light airs and very little progress.”

Legends regatta brings balance to the bragging

With the inaugural Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta and Reunion having come to an end a new chapter has been opened in the Fisher Paykel New Zealand and Steinlager 2 rivalry and it’s one that Emirates Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton is rather happy about.

After some fierce racing in up to 30 knots of breeze the French entry L’Esprit d’Equipe from the 1985/6 race came out on top by just 21 seconds, but perhaps more importantly for Kiwis FP pipped Steinlager by two places.

This victory has brought to an end over two decades of boasting rights for the Steinlager crew who over the years have wasted no opportunity to remind Grant Dalton and other FP veterans of their supremacy in the 89/90 race.

Now with Fisher Paykel having beaten Steinlager over the finish time in their most recent encounter some equilibrium has been restored and Emirates Team New Zealand’s COO Kevin Shoebridge’s ribbing of Dalton has had to be tempered somewhat…

“I’m delighted to see the old boat come out on top,” says Dalton. “Not many people realise but we actually led for more miles around the world than what Steinlager did. This win finally settles that: FP is the faster boat not to mention the fact that we had a better looking crew 20 years ago as well.”

The Legends regatta was a great success with the fleet providing an impressive showcase of the Volvo/Whitbread’s  38-year history and the boats and personalities that make it such a special event.

Although some of the crew looked a bit worse for wear some mornings, and it’s fair to say that a number had fallen out of racing shape, competition was still fierce and the desire to win as strong as ever.

For the modern day Volvo sailors the Legends fleet was as poignant reminder of the heritage of the race and the fact that the appeal of sailing around the world is as strong now as it was three decades ago.

So with Fisher Paykel’s pride restored somewhat and with the hangovers beginning to recede the focus turns to the 2011/12 edition of the race and the start of Leg One in just a few hours.

A blast from the past for Dalts

With the Legends regatta about to begin here in Alicante we’re surrounded by reminders of a previous era in Volvo/Whitbread racing. Boats like Fisher Paykel, Steinlager 11, Rothmans, Viking and Kings Legend all bear testament to a very different time in this epic race.

Today, Emirates Team New Zealand CEO and 6 time Volvo/Whitbread veteran Grant Dalton or Dalts’ as he’s known to most had a very personal reminder of his long history in this race. While being interviewed by Sky Italia in front of Fisher Paykel (his entry in the 89/90 race) Dalts was approached by a current crew member of F P wanting to give him something that he had found on the boat.

The crew member then disappeared down below before remerging clutching a well-worn sunglasses case. Inside was a perfectly preserved pair of Ray-Ban aviators that after faithfully serving Dalts around the world had been lost behind a radio, only to be discovered two decades on when some work was being done on the boat.

Dalts was delighted to be reunited with his favourite aviators and wasted no time in whipping them on. It’s fair to say that while a few things have changed we were immediately transported back to an ocean racing age of bad moustaches, (slightly) more hair, smoking skippers, alloy rigs and Phil Collins cassette tapes…

After revelling for a few minutes in the memories of a colossal battle around the world between two great Kiwi sailing teams, Dalts was soon jerked back to reality by some good natured stick from Steinlager 11 crew member and  Emirates Team New Zealand COO Kevin Shoebridge.

The aviators have now been hidden away, but who knows if CAMPER is leading the fleet into Auckland they may just make a reappearance…

Introducing Doug

Suppliers to the team will know this face well – this is Doug Reid, known affectionately here as the Silver Fox. Doug is our Supplier Manager and is responsible for recruiting and looking after the 100+ companies who support Emirates Team New Zealand by way of services, goods and their expertise. If there is something needed for the team – be it for the boat, the base, the sail loft, the office - Doug is our man.

Doug joined Team New Zealand for the 2003 campaign having run the New Zealand side of Dennis Connor’s campaign here in New Zealand for the 2000. Not content with just a day job Doug has been hosting guests here at the team base on game nights and while I write this he is setting up for the final game tonight. When home is a farm with livestock to manage and relaxation is taking his classic yacht away for the weekend, being here on the Sunday of a long weekend is the perfect example of his commitment to what we do at Emirates Team New Zealand. I asked him what he thought makes ETNZ so special and sets us apart from the other teams – in his mind it’s pretty simple – our “New Zealandness”.  And with that he set about filling up the tomato sauce bottles for the hot pies he is serving tonight!

Lisa

Introducing Doug

Suppliers to the team will know this face well – this is Doug Reid, known affectionately here as the Silver Fox. Doug is our Supplier Manager and is responsible for recruiting and looking after the 100+ companies who support Emirates Team New Zealand by way of services, goods and their expertise. If there is something needed for the team – be it for the boat, the base, the sail loft, the office - Doug is our man.

Doug joined Team New Zealand for the 2003 campaign having run the New Zealand side of Dennis Connor’s campaign here in New Zealand for the 2000. Not content with just a day job Doug has been hosting guests here at the team base on game nights and while I write this he is setting up for the final game tonight. When home is a farm with livestock to manage and relaxation is taking his classic yacht away for the weekend, being here on the Sunday of a long weekend is the perfect example of his commitment to what we do at Emirates Team New Zealand. I asked him what he thought makes ETNZ so special and sets us apart from the other teams – in his mind it’s pretty simple – our “New Zealandness”.  And with that he set about filling up the tomato sauce bottles for the hot pies he is serving tonight!

Lisa

Emirates Team New Zealand Sets Sail in Social Media

So today is my very first blog which puts into question the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. I used to think email was hard enough, now I am part of a new on-line community and you know what, it’s pretty cool.

When I first met Andy Lark who introduced the team to Dell, as well as talking fast machines and server power he talked to me about this whole new world of social media – facebook, twitter, blogs, online communities and to be honest I glazed over – not only did I have no idea of what he was talking about but I never thought it was something that we could achieve given the immense pressures we are already under in terms of the “to do” list.

But in a few short months with the help of Dell and huge amount of work from RD2 Inc, an amazing group of people based in Dallas who have so much enthusiasm and passion for this medium of communication, I have been completely transformed. Well nearly. Actually I am only just beginning but I can see that I can get there!

What gets me so excited about the blog is that it gives us the ability to really engage with the people who support us at all levels. From the sponsors and suppliers of the team who we can’t live without to the young upcoming sailors who are one day going to take my place.

So as we launch today come and join our community, have a look around, send us your comments, thoughts and questions. Let us know what you want to see more of and where we can improve – there will be some bugs as we start out so don’t be too hard on us!

I hope you enjoy being a part of the family.

Grant

Article source: http://etnzblog.com/2011/09/emirates-team-new-zealand-sets-sail-in-social-media/

“It’s nice to win the match racing here after coming second in the last one,” Barker said after the sweeping victory. “It’s pretty cool to see this many people up on The Hoe. Hopefully we’re putting on a good show, and now we’ll get ready to do it all again tomorrow. It would be nice to get the double. It’s a winner-takes-all race and anything can happen, as you saw today.“

Earlier in the day, Chris Draper’s crew on Team Korea continued their giant-killing ways with a resounding 2-0 victory over Artemis Racing in the second Semi-Final. With four of Team Korea‘s crew from Great Britain, Draper’s success was very popular with the Plymouth crowds cheering on The Hoe. The wind was up and down, the sun battled to break through the rain clouds scudding across the Devon sky, but still the crowds were engaged and enjoying the action, especially Draper’s march to the final.

“We felt we learned a lot in Cascais, we’re really pleased we got it together and hope that we’ve got some energy left for tomorrow,” said an exhausted Chris Draper after sailing four races on Friday and three on Saturday – more than anyone else in the fleet.

“It’s disappointing in that we led both races at the bottom marks and then not to win them is not our best effort,” said Artemis Racing skipper Terry Hutchinson about his semi final loss. “But they sailed great races.“

Hutchinson’s team made amends for their Korean defeat by beating ORACLE Racing Coutts in the race-off for 3rd and 4th places. Russell Coutts fell foul of the course boundary just meters from the Plymouth shore, the ORACLE penalty turning a tight match into a relatively easy win for the Swedish crew.

In the battle to decide fifth and sixth places, ORACLE Racing Spithill applied some good old match racing skills in the pre-start, luffing up Energy Team and leaving them trailing in their wake down the first leg. From there James Spithill and crew were never threatened by the French.

In the fight for seventh and eighth, China Team looked set for a similarly dominant win when Green Comm Racing broke the start line a split second too early. By the time the Spanish boat had restarted, Charlie Ogletree’s crew was more than a leg ahead. But at the second leeward gate the Chinese rounded one of the gate marks from the incorrect side and from that point were unknowingly sailing the wrong course. It was only when they crossed the finish line that the Chinese realized their error, and Vasilij Zbogar’s team learned that they had picked up the win.

With a strong wind forecast for Sunday’s winner-takes-all race for the Plymouth Fleet Racing Championship, the crews will be keen to get plenty of rest for aching muscles and minds after a very challenging day on the water.

Racing is scheduled to start at 1500 local time (GMT+1). All racing can be seen live on www.youtube.com/americascup.

Quotes of the day can be found on www.americascup.com

Saturday’s Results
SEMI FINAL TWO
Team Korea defeated Artemis Racing; 2-0

PLACING FINALS
Green Comm Racing defeated China Team; 1-0
ORACLE Racing Spithill defeated Energy Team; 1-0
Artemis Racing defeated ORACLE Racing Coutts; 1-0

FINAL
Emirates Team New Zealand defeated Team Korea; 2-0

STANDINGS – PLYMOUTH MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Emirates Team New Zealand
2. Team Korea
3. Artemis Racing
4. ORACLE Racing Coutts
5. ORACLE Racing Spithill
6. Energy Team
7. Green Comm Racing
8. China Team
9. Aleph

www.americascup.com

Article source: http://www.sailing.org/36650.php

With nine boats on the start line, the competition was close, and with a tricky, patchy race course area, there were passing lanes throughout the day. ORACLE Racing Spithill jumped out to a convincing lead early, but couldn’t protect it. On the second lap of the race course, Kiwi skipper Dean Barker found more wind on his side of the race course to make the pass.

“For us it was fantastic,” Barker said. “It was always going to be a very difficult race, as the breeze never really established. There were big ‘holes’ in the race course, so it was about being at the right place at the right time.”

Artemis Racing, too, was able to work its way up to a second place finish from being back in the pack early; the early leader, ORACLE Racing Spithill, was forced to settle for third.

“The guys did an awesome job to battle us up into the race,” said Artemis Racing skipper Terry Hutchinson, after a day where he climbed back from mid-fleet to second place. “It’s probably the best we’ve gone in the entire regatta. It’s a very good finish for Artemis.”

But the feel-good story came from the Spanish Green Comm Racing. From a position of dead last early in the race, Vasilij Zbogar and his crew of dinghy champions began picking off the opposition on the final leg of the race to earn a fifth place finish, an incredible achievement for the novice crew.

“It’s a fantastic day for the team, we were last to arrive, and were very last for the first three races, then we have been improving every day,” he said. “We were eighth, then seventh, sixth and now fifth. Today the spirit of the team showed more than ever – we never give up. We fight to the end. Today, we are happy with our improvement, but still not happy with the result. We are a team of winners, so we won’t be happy until we win.”

Making its debut along with the AC45 catamaran was the new Guest Racer program – where each team takes a guest aboard its race boat to compete with the team. The list of guest racers this week included VIP guests like Yves Carcelle, the Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, pop singer Little Boots, Cecilia Meireles, the Secretary of State for Tourism in Portugal, along with names more familiar to the sailing world like former Cup winner John Bertrand, Artemis Racing CEO Paul Cayard and team principal Torbjorn Tornqvist, as well as ORACLE Racing founder and principal Larry Ellison, who was aboard ORACLE Racing Spithill today.

“We had a great start but both Artemis and Team New Zealand managed to pass us and that’s what these boats are all about,” Ellison said following the race. “It makes the sailing much more exciting; it’s not a matter of ‘you win the start, you win the race’. So it’s just what we hoped for when we decided on multihulls for the next America’s Cup… It’s really competitive and that’s what people want to see. They want to see close races and the best sailors in the fastest boats.”

The America’s Cup World Series now moves on to Plymouth, UK, where the same nine teams will compete from September 10-18, before moving to San Diego, California in November.

Article source: http://www.sailing.org/36483.php