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Americas Cup
Alinghi wins the 32nd America's Cup
By Mike Hanlon
July 3, 2007 Alinghi finally won the 32nd America's Cup Match 5-2 this afternoon, winning its fourth consecutive race in dramatic fashion. The final race of the America's Cup was befitting of what has been the closest, most exciting America's Cup since the Cup was won by Australia II in1983, ending the longest winning streak in the history of sport 131 years. The skipper of Australia II, John Bertrand, was quoted at the time as saying, “this puts yacht racing back on the map!” His words were prophetic indeed, as the Cup is now the most expensive and technology infused peacetime contest other than Formula One. Emirates Team New Zealand spent much of the race ahead on the advantage line, but with Alinghi in strong tactical position on the right hand side of the race course. The Kiwis were never able to get a big enough lead to cross ahead and switch sides, finally crossing the line just one second behind Alinghi. Read More
Alinghi moves within one race of America's Cup win
By Mike Hanlon
June 30, 2007 Swiss boat Alinghi came from behind for the second consecutive day to beat Emirates Team New Zealand this afternoon, effectively snuffing out the challenge for the cup. The Swiss have won the last three races to grab a 4-2 lead in the best-of-nine series and the oh-so-close NZ team now needs to win the next three races to win the America's Cup. One more win for the Swiss will see Alinghi hoist the America's Cup again, its first defence a success. Alinghi led early in the race, but halfway up the first beat, Team NZ was able to squeeze up and force Alinghi to tack. When the boats next converged, it was NZL 92 which had gained on the left to lead around the first mark. The Kiwis held on for the run, but on the second upwind leg it was Alinghi's turn to find the shift, making a gain on the right side of the race course. The Kiwis tried to fend them off with lee bow tacks, but couldn't make the third one stick, and Alinghi grabbed a lead it would never relinquish, effectively ensuring the America’s Cup will remain in Europe. Read More
Alinghi wins Race Four to tie the America's Cup Match 2-2
By Mike Hanlon
June 27, 2007 America's Cup defender Alinghi beat Emirates Team New Zealand to square the match at two wins apiece here today in Valencia. The Swiss team led the entire race, on another day of tricky, shifty conditions, with the light 8 to 10 knot wind blowing out of the East. SUI 100 helmsman Ed Baird won the right hand side of the starting line and Alinghi was in a powerful position for the rest of the race. The scoreline reads 2-2 with Thursday a scheduled 'off' day, and racing set to resume on Friday. Read More
America's Cup Race 3 – another Emirates Team NZ victory
By Mike Hanlon
June 26, 2007 Emirates Team New Zealand won its second consecutive race in the 32nd America's Cup Match here today, beating Alinghi by 25 seconds in a thrilling race that will go down in the books as one of the most exciting matches in Cup history. With difficult weather conditions which saw massive windshifts over much of the race course area, the Team NZ built a massive lead early, only to see it disappear during the middle portion of the race. The final run to the finish in a dying breeze gave them a second chance, and this time skipper Dean Barker and his afterguard were up to the task, finding more wind on the right side of the race course and streaking past Alinghi for the win just metres from the finishing line. Read More
Race 2 to NZ – it’s all square in the America’s Cup
By Mike Hanlon
June 24, 2007 Just when we thought the high-tech Alinghi had the edge, Emirates Team New Zealand came from behind to square the score in the 32nd America’s Cup Match. Conditions were ideal with a 10 knot breeze, and an enormous spectator fleet surrounded the course (see image gallery). The first half of the race was a carbon copy of the first race but the second lap belonged to the Kiwis, who made the pass on the second beat and extended on the run to the finish. Racing will resume on Tuesday in the best of nine race series. Read More
Alinghi wins first race of America’s Cup match
By Mike Hanlon
June 23, 2007 America’s Cup Defender Alinghi won the first race of the 32nd America’s Cup Match on Saturday afternoon in the waters off Valencia. In perfect conditions for racing, with a stable 12 knot sea breeze, Emirates New Zealand skipper Dean Barker won the start, but within a few minutes, Alinghi showed enough pace to force the Kiwi boat to tack, and from there, the Swiss were in control. Alinghi is now long odds-on with bookmakers to win the best of nine race series, Read More
Emirates Team New Zealand claims The Louis Vuitton Cup
By Mike Hanlon
June 7, 2007 The entire Emirates Team New Zealand squad climbed up on the prize giving stage to receive the Louis Vuitton Cup on Wednesday evening, after winning the fifth race of the Final, to sweep their way into the final of the America’s Cup. The 5-0 sweep was a first time in Louis Vuitton Cup history and the next task for Emirates Team New Zealand is facing Alinghi in the 32nd America’s Cup Match. Throughout the four years of preliminaries (Louis Vuitton Acts), the Kiwis and the Alinghi team have sailed 10 matches, with the Kiwis up 6-4. Last year, the Kiwis won 4 of 5 races. The intriguing battle for this global trophy which showcases the best sailors and the finest nautical technology begins in a little over a fortnight - 23 June. You can follow the racing on the internet in several ways such as the official race tracker, Live Sailing’s real-time 3D animation with real-time boat speeds, time and distances, live weather data, and audio commentaries and free on demand Internet video coverage of the 32nd America's Cup on your PC or Mac. Read More
Why the America's Cup is the oldest and richest prize in sport
By Mike Hanlon
May 22, 2007 In a fascinating study, Allianz, the main sponsor of BMW ORACLE Racing, has released details of a report into the economic impact of participating, winning and hosting the America's Cup, the oldest trophy in international sport. The report takes into account a range of factors such as infrastructure investment, international visitors, media, sponsor, business, construction, accommodation, hospitality, retail, entertainment, transport and logistics and the conclusion is that it provides a massive fiscal injection. The report makes interesting reading. If Alinghi won the Cup and took it to Dubai, the economic impact for Dubai would be US$10 Billion. If BMW ORACLE Racing were to win the Cup and take it to either San Francisco or Newport the corresponding economic impact would be US$9.9 B or US$4.5 B. Total economic return for hosting the 33rd America's Cup in Auckland, New Zealand would reach US$1.75 B, however Emirates Team New Zealand could expect to generate increased revenues if it chose to host the event in Dubai. Total economic return from Luna Rossa winning and then hosting the America's Cup in Genoa, Italy would be in the region of US$3.75 B. Right now, the most likely scenarios involve Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand will fight out the final where they will win the right to take on Alinghi. Read More
2007 America's Cup: Louis Vuitton Cup starting Monday to determine a challenger for Swiss powerhouse Alinghi.
By Loz Blain
April 12, 2007 The eyes of the nautical world are all on Spain at present where the biggest show on water has convened to determine the contender to take on Alinghi for "ye auld mug". The completion of the Lois Vuitton Ranking fleet races gives us time to pause and reflect before the one-on-one Louis Vuitton Cup races begin next Monday to decide on a final challenger to the defending Alinghi team in the 2007 America's Cup regatta. Read More
America's Cup secrets revealed
By Mike Hanlon
April 2, 2007 Since 1851, the America's Cup has transcended the sport of sailing to become a symbol of the pursuit of excellence. For the first 133 years, THE CUP was indeed the America’s Cup, as America had a grasp on the trophy which could not be broken until Ben Lexcen’s winged keel helped Australia II to victory in 1983. Since then the event has become truly global and this year we’ll see the 32nd America's Cup Match between the defender, Alinghi, and a new challenger beginning June 23, 2007. Racing starts tomorrow to begin sorting out who the defender will be and yesterday was an important day – the day when all 12 contenders had to drop the protective skirts that had been guarding the underbodies of their race boats. Although there were no visible breakthrough design innovations on the scale of the fabled winged keel, many observers were astonished by the range of solutions to the same basic design question posed by the America's Cup Class Rule. Pics of all the keels inside. Read More
Alinghi clean sweeps Louis Vuitton act 6 America's Cup lead-up
By Mike Hanlon
August 31, 2005 Since 1851, the America’s Cup has transcended the sport of sailing to become a symbol of the pursuit of excellence. So it has been interesting to watch as the lead-up races to the next America’s Cup to be held in 2007 in Valencia, Spain play out. Racing for the 32nd America’s Cup (Valencia) began with a series of Louis Vuitton Acts in 2004. The competition continues in 2005 and 2006, with several more Louis Vuitton Acts in Malmo-Skane (Sweden), Trapani (Sicily), and Valencia, the Host City of the 32nd America’s Cup. Currently, ACT 6, a series of seven days of match racing in Malmo Sweden has just concluded with the Defender, Team Alinghi, clean sweeping (11-0) and maintaining an unbeaten record in the 2005 match racing season under helmsman Jochen Schuemann . Act 7, a series of fleet races over three days begins on Friday. Read More
Century-old Transatlantic Record broken by two boats
By Mike Hanlon
June 2, 2005 Having established a new transatlantic race record between New York and the Lizard, UK, yesterday morning, the afternoon saw Robert Miller’s Mari-Cha IV making an unexpected 20 knots up the English Channel towards the Needles and the finish line of the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge race. The wind, forecast to drop off, held, and shortly before dusk, in a seascape so misty and overcast that it merged grey sky with grey sea, the high-tech schooner charged past the Needles Fairway buoy to the west of the Isle of Wight to take line honours, as well, in the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge. Mari-Cha IV crossed the finish line at 19:18:37 UTC, setting a course time between Ambrose Light (in the U.S.) and the Needles of 10 days, 1 hour, 8 minutes and 37 seconds. This compares with Atlantic’s time of 13 days, 10 hours and 15 minutes in the 1905 race for the Kaiser’s Cup. Up the Channel, in hot pursuit of Mari-Cha IV, was Maximus, the new sloop of New Zealanders Charles Brown and Bill Buckley, who had passed the four-mile long gate off the Lizard at 19:18:37 UTC yesterday (1 June), making it to the Needles finish line at 00:35:08 UTC this morning (2 June), 5 hours 16 minutes and 31 seconds behind Mari-Cha IV. While this was disappointing for the crew, the consolation prize was a handicap win in the Grand-Prix division. Read More
Terotech
- November 21, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
