REGATTA DIRECTOR -- Act 7 NOR Amendment No. 2

This afternoon the Regatta Director has issued Amendment No. 2 to the Notice of Race for Malmoe Louis Vuitton Act 7 as agreed last week by the Challenger Commission with no objection from the Defender, as follows:

20.7 If fewer than three races are scored at the conclusion of Act 7, the final results for Act 7 will not be included in the ranking of Challengers for the purpose of determining bonus points carried forward into the 2007 Challenger Selection Series for the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Nonetheless, the regatta will be considered valid for the purposes of scoring the ACC annual championship, the awarding of prizes, and in every other way provided at least one of the five scheduled races is completed.

The full text of the amendment is available here.

CC MEMO -- Modern Times

Will wonders never cease? Today Tom "Curmudgeon" Leweck, editor of the popular sailing (and Challenger-friendly) newsletter Scuttlebutt called via Skype. He won't mind me printing that his new Skype moniker is "leweck."

If Paul Henderson, and now Tom Leweck, can get set up on Skype, anyone can. And, no, we do not own stock in the company, but it has certainly enhanced communications among those CC members who have signed up to the free service, and many have.

JURY -- 24 Aug Memo from the Jury Chairman

Bryan Willis circulated the following email this morning to Competitors:

Competitors are reminded of their obligations under Notice of Race (Match and Fleet) 16.2(c) that “chase boats shall not have cameras onboard capable of taking still or moving pictures except for mobile telephones with cameras of 1.3mega-pixels or less…”

Practice races scheduled in NoR attachment 2 are subject to the same NoR provisions.

Guess we had better hold off buying that 2 megapixel phone cam. :)

CC MEMO -- Nice Ink

Since this blog was begun in February, a number of the best sailing and America's Cup websites have had a nice thing or two to say about this service we endeavor to provide Challengers, our friends in the Cup community, and other Cup aficianados.

The CC is committed to continuing the blog service, and Chairman George Clyde has been particularly supportive.

Constructive feedback is always appreciated. It can be sent to blog[at]tfehman[dot]com.

We note that a number of the Challengers are now blogging -- particularly well regarded are the Mascalzone and Shosholoza websites. The timely, insider information is a breath of AC fresh air.

Early on we added links in the sidebar to a number of "challenger-friendly" websites. Near or at the top of that list would be the 2007Ac Sailing Forums. Their moderator (to the best of my knowledge we have never met) posted this last evening:

(blogging excellence) a summary of the Challenger Commission meeting held this date is already posted at: http://www.challengercommission.com/ Some interesting details were covered / explained. Fans of the Cup worldwide continue to be enriched by this new transparency and greatly appreciate the efforts of the CC in cooperation with ACM, the Defender, the Challengers and various race officials. Hats off all round. Now ...
Let's Regatta -- Bob

We appreciate the kind words and support. It helps keep us motivated.

(And you gotta love anyone who says "let's regatta." Sounds better than "let's Act?"

MEDIA STATEMENT -- 23 August CC Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 August 2005 – 16:00

The Challenger Commission for the 32nd America's Cup ("CC") met at the call of the Chairman, George Clyde (K-Challenge) in Malmoe, Sweden on 23 August, hosted in part by Louis Vuitton.

Representatives from all eleven Challengers were present:

+ BMW ORACLE Racing (USA) -- Russell Green and Tom Ehman
+ China Team (CHN) -- Jean-Charles Scale
+ Desafio Espanol (ESP) -- John Cutler
+ Emirates Team NZ (NZL) -- Kevin Shoebridge
+ K-Challenge (FRA) -- George Clyde and Dawn Riley
+ Luna Rossa (ITA) -- Bruno Finzi and Luis Saenz
+ Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team (ITA) -- Tom Weaver and Alessandra Pandarese
+ Piu 39 (ITA) -- Paul Henderson
+ Team Shosholoza (RSA) – Salvatore Sarno and John Sweeney
+ United Internet Team Germany (GER) -- Uwe Sasse
+ Victory Challenge (SWE) -- Bjorn Ohde

Also present were CC Assistant Michael ten Bokum. At the invitation of the CC, ACM Regatta Director Dyer Jones, Jury Chairman and Chief Umpire Bryan Willis, and Jury Secretary Sasha Lines were present for a portion of the meeting.

Main decisions and points of discussion:

Sliding Keels and Centerboards – A proposal was unanimously supported to make a submission to the Jury asking, for the avoidance of doubt, for an interpretation that the provision in the Deed of Gift allowing centerboards and sliding keels on yachts can be modified by mutual consent, and that the Class Rule (which has been agreed by mutual consent) does, once again, effectively ban the use of centerboards and sliding keels for the 32nd America's Cup.

Acts 10 & 12 (2006) Match Racing Format – A proposal by ACM to split the 12 teams (eleven Challengers plus the Defender) into two pools of six teams each for a single round robin, with the top two teams from each pool then advancing to a semi-final, etc., was not supported. The Challengers were unanimous in their support for one pool for the round robin racing in both match racing Acts in 2006, giving each Challenger the opportunity to race Alinghi and each of the others Challengers.

Protection of AC Trademarks – It was agreed to ask ACM for further information on ACPI's program with repect to the protection of America's Cup trademarks and copyrights, especially in view of recent media reports about "America's Cup" events in both golf and volleyball.

Trapani Housing – It was reported that two cruise ships have now been contracted as the housing for AC teams and the organizers for the Trapani Louis Vuitton Acts 8 and 9 next month. Logisitical and other concerns were raised, and the Chairman will take those up with ACM.

Onboard TV Cameramen – The Chairman confirmed that an agreement has once again been signed (by him on behalf of the CC, by ACM and by the Defender), and thanked the Challengers for their unanimous support. It is essentially the same agreement as Act 4. Accordingly, for the match racing here in Malmoe the race committee will ask teams in certain matches to carry weight-equalized TV cameramen on board as an enhancement to the television coverage. The CC continues to insist that ACM provide remote-control, minicams for racing in 2006 (and beyond).

Image Rights – A proposal for a blanket consent agreement as between all Challengers and the Defender permitting the responsible use of photos in which others teams' yachts also appear (without seeking approvals photo by photo) was unanimously agreed.

Race Committee Mics – The CC confirmed their support for the consensus reached at the Act 4/5 debrief meeting that, if practicable, Race Officers Peter Reggio and Harold Bennett should be mic'd for broadcast, or at least their radio transmissions to the yachts (about race committee intentions and updates) be in the clear so spectator boats, media, etc. could listen in. It was noted that during the 2003 AC Match not only was the PRO (Harold Bennett) mic'd, but he had a TV camera aboard the RC boat covering his actions and comms with the yachts. All felt this had been interesting and helpful.

Sail Limits – A proposal to ban staysails for the balance of 2005 was not supported. A proposal was generally supported to reduce the new-sail limit for 2006 from 26 (which is the 2005 limit, and which was previously proposed as the limit for 2006) to 23, pending Reps taking guidance from their teams.

Minimum Number of Races to Constitute an Act – The CC asked the Regatta Director to consider what might be done scoring-wise should fewer than three races be completed in either of the remaining fleet racing Acts this year. In that case, the CC would prefer that the Act not be counted for the purposes of the Valencia Plan (Louis Vuitton Cup scoring). It was recognized that for other purposes (Act prizes and the ACC annual championship) completion of a single race should nonetheless constitute either of the fleet racing Acts.

Jury/Umpire Matters – The CC were pleased to receive a report from Bryan Willis on his team's ongoing efforts to improve the umpires' electronic signalling system (to the yachts while racing) which had been used to generally good reviews in Valencia for Acts 4 and 5. Bryan asked for the CC's support to take the system the next step, such that the GPS data from the yachts could be fed to a secure umpire computer system to instantly and automatically compute and display (for both the umpires and yacht) the relative position and speed of the yachts and hence indicate overlaps, laylines and when the yachts had entered the "zone" (for determining buoy room rights at turnings marks and the gate).

The Chairman closed the meetings by thanking all for their continuing cooperation and support, and commented on how effective the CC has been on getting any number of important issues resolved. The good efforts of ACM and the local organizers in setting up what, by all appearances, looks like a great venue and upcoming event here in Malmoe were also recognized.

The CC will next meet for a short debrief following Act 7 in Malmoe on Monday, 5 September at 10:00 (note new time) at a location TBD. Meetings in Trapani on Tuesday, 27 September (all day) and on Monday, 10 October (debrief at 09:00) were also set.



Michael ten Bokum and George Clyde.

CC MEETING -- Photo Op

The Challenger Commission is meeting today in Malmoe's historic and attractive Slagthuset ("slaughterhouse") Conference Center. A media statement with results of the deliberations will, as usual, be blogged here tomorrow morning if not yet this evening.



From left: Tom Weaver and Alessandra Pandarese (Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team), Bjorn Ohde (Victory Challenge), Salvatore Sarno and John Sweeney (Shosholoza), Uwe Sasse (United Internet Team Germany), Michael ten Bokum (CC assistant), George Clyde (CC Chairman, K-Challenge), Dawn Riley (K-Challenge), John Cutler (Desafio Espanol), Bruno Finzi and Luis Saenz (Luna Rossa), Jean Charles Scale (China Team), Kevin Shoebridge (Emirates Team New Zealand), Paul Henderson (+39), Russell Green and (not pictured) Tom Ehman (BMW ORACLE Racing).


ACM Regatta Director Dyer Jones (USA), Jury Chairman Bryan Willis (GBR) and Jury Secretary Sasha Lines (GBR) joined the CC for a portion of the meeting.


Dyer Jones


Sasha Lines


Bryan Willis

CC MEMO -- Recommended Reading

At today's CC meeting, +39 rep Paul Henderson (CAN) suggested CC members and others involved in the AC may wish to read the book "Olympic Turn Around" by Michael Payne. For more than 20 years Payne served as marketing director and the head of Global TV rights for the International Olympic Cte. He played a key role in the IOC's transition from a nearly bankrupt organization to one with multi-billion dollar revenues. He currently is a special advisor to Formula One chairman Bernie Ecclestone.



Michael Payne



Paul Henderson

CC MEETING -- 23 August, Malmoe Reminder

Reminder that the CC will meet next Tuesday, 23 August at the Slagthuset Conference Centre - Malmö. Meeting begins at 09:00 and will conclude in time for those attending the Competitors' Meeting at 18:30.

The CC Assistant has previously circulated the Agenda to CC Reps and Alternates by email. Please contact Michael ten Bokum if you have not received it.

REGATTA DIRECTOR -- Regatta Notice #22, Acts 6 & 7 Official Vessel Flags/Mtgs

The Regatta Director has issued Regatta Notice #22 announcing, among other things, meetings for Captains of Flagged Vessels (Malmoe LV Acts 6 & 7) next Wednesday, 24 August.

Dyer notes that Captains of Competitors' Tenders, Chase Boats, and Weather Boats do not need to attend meetings on 24 August.

Also issued with RN22 are the Course Marshall Instructions for both Malmoe Acts.

MEASUREMENT CTE -- PI 10, Hatch Openings

The Measurement Committee has issued a public interpretation concerning hatch openings, which begins:

For the purposes of Rules 20.1, 20.3 and 20.4 a “hatch opening” shall be the deemed to be the clear opening of the hatch as shown in the following sketches.

PI 10 is available in full here.

CC MEMO -- Malmö-Skåne

Click here for the local event website.

Below is a good Google Earth shot of the area -- note Malmö is almost due north of Berlin and east and a bit south of Copenhagen, just 20 minutes across the Oresund Bridge -- Europe's longest combined road and rail bridge.




Below is the greater Malmö-Skåne area, and showing the harbour and AC Park location; the bridge connecting Denmark is just to the south...




Finally, a closeup of the AC Park area in the Malmö harbour, a five-minute or so walk from downtown.

CC MEMO -- Consolidated AC 32 Scoreboard

We have consolidated the various scoresheets that have been issued into one simple spreadsheet showing the annual ACC championship results in 2004, the standings so far in 2005, and the current Louis Vuitton Rankings for the Challengers (who are racing for bonus points to carry into the 2007 round robins).

Click here for our simple, consolidated "AC 32 Scoreboard." Henceforth it will be readily available with its own link on the sidebar.

REGATTA DIRECTOR -- Regatta Notice #20, Malmoe Officials

The Regatta Director has published the list of officials slated to work the Malmoe LV Acts 6 and 7 as Regatta Notice #20.

Principal Race Officer Peter "Luigi" Reggio (USA) will again be leading the on-the-water race management team and in charge of one race course. Senior Race Officer Harold Bennett (NZL) will again be running the other course area.



Harold, pictured above during the 2003 AC Match in Auckland for which he served as PRO, is widely regarded for his excellent race management skills, and for his concise radio communications -- especially with then-challenger Alinghi's Brad Butterworth.

REGATTA DIRECTOR -- Regatta Notice #19, Malmoe Entries

Last evening the Regatta Director issued Regatta Notice #19 listing the entries for Malmoe LV Acts 6 and 7:

ITA 59 -- +39, Circolo Vela Gargano
FRA 60 -- K-Challenge, Cercle de la Voile de Paris
ESP 67 -- Desafío Español, Real Federación Española de Vela
CHN 69 -- China Team, Qingdao International Yacht Club
GER 72 -- United Internet Team Germany, Deutscher Challenger Yacht Club
SWE 73 -- Victory Challenge, Gamla Stans Yacht Sallskap
ITA 74 -- Luna Rossa, Yacht Club Italiano
SUI 75 -- Alinghi, Société Nautique de Genève
USA 76 -- BMW Oracle Racing, Golden Gate Yacht Club
ITA 77 -- Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team, Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia
NZL 82 -- Emirates Team New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
RSA 83 -- Shosholoza, Royal Cape Yacht Club

These are the same 12 yachts that raced in Valencia LV Acts 4 and 5, except for Victory Challenge which has switched from SWE 63 to 73.

REGATTA DIRECTOR -- Regatta Notice #18, 18 Aug Competitors Meeting

Today the Regatta Director issued Regatta Notice #18 announcing a Competitors Meeting with the Race and Measurement Committees in Malmö-Skåne on 18 August at 1730. Our unofficial, consolidated schedule for the Malmö Acts, previously posted, has been updated accordingly.

REGATTA DIRECTOR -- Act 7 SIs and Amended NOR

In follow up to our preceeding post in this regard, the Regatta Director has now issued the Act 7 Sailing Instructions and an amended Act 7 Notice of Race. The NOR is now conformed to the schedule amendments made in the Act 6 NOR.

CC MEMO -- New Shosholoza Website

Team Shosholoza, the South African Challenge, has an attractive and interesting new website. Turn up the sound on your computer before going there. Their old site is still up but has a link to the new one. The link on the sidebar in the CC Blog has been updated to the new Shosholoza URL.