the horse's mouth

Tillerman Tuesday. (Team NZ Damage Wingsail In Dramatic Incident.)

Is the Tillerman behind this mishap? He is madly promoting some old guy sailing contest in Newport.

More on the incident here.

Wednesday Wipeout! (Oracle Faw Down An' Go Boom)

"To be seaworthy, a vessel must be able to defend herself against the incursion and peril of the sea."- C. A. Marchaj.

Mr. Spithill, thanks for pushing the boat to the limit, your wages will be garnished starting with your next paycheck.

It's a good thing that Mr. Deep Pockets has money to throw around and can fund this endeavor.

hat tip to my lawn guy. 

Wednesday Wipeout.

Yes fellows, it does get a tad bit windy on the Bay. Let the mayhem begin!

Photo: Luna Rossa/Carlo Borlengh
More oops moments at Sail World.

Let's Create A Marketing Video For The New AC45!

Oooo...wow...I'm sold...not. "The Best Sailors!" "The World's Greatest Sailing Race!" Come on, guys. Enough with the hype and arrogance! I'm starting to get pissed off.

Los Kitty Cats De Larry.

Meow!

Dos gatos zooming across the water.

Hey, how come you guys didn't pitchpole? I had my camera for crying out loud. It's no fun watching you tear up the bay without a little mayhem. Come on, what's a Wednesday without a wipeout or two?

note: They had a fleet of Mommy boats and a couple of accursed waverunners following them. Those idiots on the PWCs zipped at full throttle right through the kids sailing their Optis.

Save The Date.

Be there or be square.
Via David.

Meanwhile, Down In Kiwiland!

They launched a boat. Look Mommy. it has training wheels.
See more at Pressure Drop. For a boatload of photos, saddle up and head on over to America's Cup Media.

Thanks, Larry. It's Already A Better New Year!

San Francisco will host the "Cup!"
Sorry, Newport and you know who.

Rumor From New Zealand? Oracle To Take Cup To Europe!

I'm taking this with a grain of salt until we have more sources or a direct statement from Oracle.

From the New Zealand Herald: 

Oracle is set to shun the United States and hold the next America's Cup in Europe.

It's understood there isn't the financial willpower in the US to stage the regatta with the State of California broke.

Commentator PJ Montgomery says Larry Ellison is also poised to announce the Cup will not be raced in mono-hulls.

He says we should know in the next couple of months that the America's Cup will be raced in multi-hulls in La Maddalena in Italy.

Montgomery says there could be a small revolution from challengers on Oracle's hands.

He says Team Origin has already indicated it is not interested in multi-hulls.

- NEWSTALK ZB

This from stuff.co.nz: 

Veteran New Zealand yachting commentator Peter Montgomery is predicting the next America's Cup will be held in Europe

Larry Ellison and his BMW Oracle Racing team won the cup off Alinghi in a multi-hull best-of-three race off Valencia in February this year and had widely been expected to set up the next regatta around San Francisco.

BUt Montgomery claimed on Radio Sport today that the State of California was broke and the financial clout required to host such an event will come from Europe.

Montgomery predicted the regatta would held in La Maddalena in Italy and will be raced in multi-hulls.

However, Montgomery believes the multihull decision could result in a small revolution from challengers with Team Origin already indicating it is not interested in multi-hulls.

Hat tip to Craig Russell over at H2uh0.

Cross-pollinated at Pressure-drop.us

Happy Valentines Day, Larry.

Did someone win a race?



Now kiss the cup and say goodnight.
I wonder if the guys over at the St. Francis are kicking themselves? The best thing to come out of this "race" is that the little Golden Gate Yacht Club has bragging rights over the snobby St. Francis.

What's All This Talk About A Race?

I know I just fell off the turnip truck, but I'm pretty sure that it's a beauty contest and not a race.
Miss Alinghi, looking good!

Via Juanpa. Foto: copyright Luca Buttò/ALINGHI

Technorati Tags: alinghi, bikini, , give me any excuse to show a wahine, sailing?, america's cup, wahines,

Thar She Blows, Larry's New Bimmer

Brad Is Mad! [Breaking Sailing News]

The choice of the Middle East emirate of Ras al Khaimah for the next America’s Cup has been vetoed in the latest in a barrage of law suits lodged by the challenger BMW Oracle in the New York Supreme Court.

Judge Shirley Kornreich ruled that, under the terms of the rules governing the event, drawn up in 1887, the match scheduled for February next year, must either be staged in Valencia or in the southern hemisphere.

Her decision was based on the stipulation in the 1887 Deed of Gift that the America's Cup cannot be sailed in the Northern Hemisphere between Nov. 1 and May 1, not on concerns by the Americans that RAK was unsafe due to its proximity to Iran.

"I don't believe that I have the ability to deviate from the Deed of Gift," Kornreich said.

Meanwhile in RAK:
Alinghi's New Zealand skipper Brad Butterworth accused Oracle of delaying tactics.

"BMW Oracle should clean up their unsportsmanlike behavior with a dose of saltwater and sunshine and challenge for the Cup on the water. Otherwise they should stand aside and let other teams compete," he said. Boo hoo, Larry Ellison is a big meany.

What a joke this race has become......well, it's always been a joke. One design is the closest we get to real racing.

Technorati Tags: america's cup, sailing

Sailing Photo Of The Day.

Look Mr. Tillerman, even Oracle likes training wheels.
Big version here.

Via Jaunpa Cadario.

Technorati Tags: team bmw oracle, americas cup, sailing

Speaking About X 40 Cats, See Them In Action.

The America's Cup should be exciting with these bad boys sailing the waters off of Valencia.

Technorati Tags: x 40 catamaran, catamarans, multi-hull sailing, sailing, sailing video

Oracle's Cat Attack.

Multi-hull baby, that would be a Cat Mac!
Pobresito Tillerman, it ain't your Grand Dad's Laser.

Via Valencia Sailing.

Technorati Tags: americas cup, team oracle sailing, multi-hull sailing, catamaran sailing

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Sorry Ernesto.

You lose!

Justice Herman Cahn has ruled in favor of the Golden Gate Yacht Club
in their challenge to the legitimacy of the Challenger of Record,
Club Nautico Espanol de Vela.

“We are very pleased by the decision as it enables everyone to focus on getting the
Cup back on track quickly,” said Russell Coutts, CEO of the club’s
BMW ORACLE Racing team.



What does it mean Joe?
There's going to be a race.

How about we put both Larry and Ernesto in Lasers.
Wouldn't that be a sight to see?

Tags: sailing, americas cup

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Have A Better Weekend Than This Guy!

"Team New Zealand I Fly Some Screwy Middle Eastern Airline" bowman
tries out his swimming skills during the America's Cup.

Photo via .sNIPEOUT.

Tags: sailing, america's cup, oops

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What Happnes When You Have A Big Sailboat And No Wind?

You get tow from a giant zodiac.
Ah the fond memories of towing my students back and forth across
Richardson Bay in search of wind.

¿Dónde está el viento?
(From The Independent) One day of racing does not make an America's Cup, and
there was barely enough puff to make the postponement flag flutter for the fifth time
in six days yesterday. However confident the organisers were about the race track
when they chose this Mediterranean city over Lisbon, Marseilles and Naples, the
record so far has been little short of dismal, with just one day's racing in the first week
of the Louis Vuitton challenger series....more.

Tags: americas cup, sailing

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The French K-Challenge. FRA 57

Getting ready for the "Cup." Click to enlarge image.
Photo from Valencia Sailing.