New Sail Number

This morning ACC Technical Director Ken McAlpine informed the teams via email that he has allocated sail number 92, meaning that a team has commenced construction of a new yacht.

Notably, 92 is a pentagonal number, and the atomic number for uranium.

This morning Valencia is buzzing with anticipation for today's head-to-head match-ups, and now with speculation as to which team is in the "carbon phase." Both SWE and CHN have recently announced boat-building plans.

CC Meeting -- In progress...

...this morning at the Holiday Inn here in VLC, on what otherwise is a day off from racing between the end of the Act 12 Round Robin and the start of the semi-finals on Friday.

The meeting opened with congrats all around to NZL for their winning ways in the round robin, and also to SWE for the hard-fought win in their match with Alinghi. The Challengers were generally pleased with the format of Act 12, and appreciative of the concerted efforts of Regatta Director Dyer Jones (USA) and his race management team led by Peter "Luigi" Reggio (USA) and Harold Bennett (NZL).

More than one Challenger Rep commented on how pleased we should all be that SUI got their collective butts kicked in the Round Robin.

Chair Alessandra Pandarese (ITA/MLC) is leading us through another long agenda of pressing issues, notably continuing concerns over the quality of the TV production.

Another pressing issue is the lack of promotion and exposure for the AC Park, and especially for the teams based south of the Media Center.

The prices being charged for berthage within the AC marinas and at the superyacht dock are considered far too high, especially those recently published to come into effect for next year.

As always we shall endeavor to get a full report posted here on both CC meetings held here during Act 12.



Wired.

Comm. Frank Snyder

Frank V. Snyder, age 83, passed away yesterday at home in Martha's Vineyard. Current NYYC Commodore George Hinman Jr called him a "visionary" NYYC Commodore (1988-90). Comm. Snyder played a key role in that club's first-ever (since 1851) challenge for the Cup in 1987 at Fremantle, W.A., and was a key supporter of and advisor to those who drafted the original AC "Protocol" (1988) -- as well as the signatory on behalf of NYYC -- during the controversial "Big Boat vs. Catamaran" defense. He also spearheaded the purchase of Harbour Court, NYYC's magnificent shoreside clubhouse in Newport, RI. Well known to many in the Cup community, Comm. Snyder will be missed.

Revised CC Directory...

...from Michael ten Bokum has been posted, passworded for CC members only. Click on the CC Directory link on the sidebar under "Kiosk."

A New Vision

Overnight one of our search engines turned
up a new brand of luxury shades. Toto, I don't
think we're in Kansas anymore.

23 June

We see that many today are writing about this being the start, one year hence, of the 32nd America's Cup Match -- the AC finals between the defender Alinghi and last-standing Challenger (winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup). Here's a little different perspective on that theme....

23 June is also the day -- in 1812 -- on which Napoleon and his advisors decided that the stars were properly aligned to begin his ill-fated invasion of Russia. Had his offensive been successful, or had he not marched in the first place, who knows? Would Great Britain have been ruling the waves come 1851? Many say likely not, which could have meant no Great Exhibition in London that summer? No "all-nations race" around the Isle of Wight for the "Hundred Guinea Cup"? No America's Cup? Yikes -- no 1812 Overture??

Happily (for most, one assumes) the Cup happened. Now this week 194 years after Napoleon's disatrous dash to Moscow, the Challenger Commission and the Defender are tacking and gybing (at least on land) around another of M. Bonaparte's legacies -- the Napoleonic Code. Details of that is perhaps the subject for a future blog post. Can any of our dear readers imagine why?



What would the world be without
the 1812 Overture, let alone the
America's Cup?

AC on TV in the USA

Good news last evening from OLN, (soon to be "Versus") the TV rights-holder in the USA -- they will carry Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 12 on a highlights and tape-delayed basis as follows:

Fri 30 Jun: 4:30 - 5:00 PM
Sat 1 Jul: 11:00 - 11:30 AM
Sat 1 Jul: 4:30 - 5:00 PM
Sun 2 Jul: 4:30 - 5:00 PM
Mon 3 Jul: 4:30 - 5:00 PM

Pretty good time slots, to boot. Times indicated are for New York and the East Coast (Eastern Daylight Time).

German Sailing Grand Prix

Congrats to United Internet Team Germany (GER), BMW ORACLE Racing (USA) and Team Shosholoza (RSA) for the announcement yesterday of the "German Sailing Grand Prix" exhibition regatta to take place among their teams in Kiel, Germany at the beginning of August.

More than 40 media reps were present in Kiel, Germany for yesterday's announcement. Details from a Bruno Trouble press release here.



Heart of northern Europe: for the first time in the 155-year-old Cup history, three challengers will meet in Germany to compete against each other in a regatta.

The "DaSena Code"

[Updated 11 July 06]

This evening we are advised by ACM that they have adopted the following shorthand to refer to the twelve AC 32 teams during the upcoming Act 12 and going forward, including for TV graphics and similar:

CHN = China Team
ESP = Desafio Espanol
FRA = Areva Challenge
GER = United Internet Team Germany
NZL = Emirates Team New Zealand
USA = BMW ORACLE Racing
ITA/39 = +39
ITA/LR = Luna Rossa
ITA/MLC = Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team
RSA = Shosholoza
SUI = Alinghi
SWE = Victory Challenge



With apologies to Leonardo DaVinci -- and
Dan Brown.

CC Meeting -- In progress...

...today at the Holiday Inn in Valencia. Chair Alessandra Pandarese is leading us through a long and detailed agenda, and the spirit of cooperation and agreement within the CC is stronger than ever. We will endeavor to get a report on today's proceedings posted here on the CCB tomorrow if not yet this evening.



Wired: good and productive working atmosphere at the Holiday Inn VLC. Most important issue of the day is the quality and distribution of the host broadcast for Act 12 and beyond.



From left: Salvatore Sarno (RSA), Jean-Charles Scale (CHN), Bjorn Ohde (SWE), Paul Henderson (ITA/39), Wolf Dietz (GER), George Clyde and Dawn Riley (FRA), Michael ten Bokum (CC Assistant).



From left: CC Chair Alessandra Pandarese (ITA/ML), Luis Saenz and Bruno Finzi (ITA/LR), Tanis Rey-Belter (ESP), Jim Farmer (NZL), Russell Green (USA). Not pictured, Tom Ehman (USA).

CupInfo.com: Louis Vuitton Rankings

Nice post on CupInfo.com today on the LV Rankings from a historical perspective. The chart below is only part of the information they have posted. Well worth checking out.



As usual, click on the image to enlarge.

Nice Ink: Chinese Take on Yacht Racing

As your Ed. is in New York this week for the BMW ORACLE event at Rockefeller Center (which is also shaping up to be an excellent promotion for all the teams involved in AC32 as well as for Valencia), we noticed some good ink for China Team and the Cup in today's Wall Street Journal. The 1,000+ word article begins:


Red Sails in the Sunset? The Chinese Take On Yacht Racing
By Hugo Restall

The first time Zhao Fei went to the top of the mast on the China Team's America's Cup Class boat, it was practically on a dare. "The skipper, Pierre, asked me, 'Can you do it?' I felt like he thought I couldn't. So I just said sure."

Mr. Zhao's rapid ascent sums up China's first foray into sailing's most illustrious event, which holds its finals in Valencia, Spain, in June of next year: Chinese sailors are being hoisted aloft by an experienced crew of mostly French yachtsmen.

Despite its name, the China Team is really a joint venture....

Valencia: The Monaco of Spain?

Turns out VLC may soon have something else in common with Monaco, and not just a Formula One street race -- CCTV surveillance cameras. This from today's Valencia Life newsletter:


It was also revealed yesterday that the European union has given the go-ahead for Valencia to install 1,000 CCTV cameras to ensure security for special events, such as the visit of the Pope. However, the lateness of the European decision in effect means that the cameras will finally be ready for the Americas Cup races. Valencia is the first city in Europe to undertake these measures.


They must have meant, "the first city in the EU." Regardless, apparently soon "Smile, you're on candid camera" will take on new meaning here. The same VL article said that, no surprise, the hotels are chockers for the Pope's visit:


Whilst work continues apace on the building of the altar for the celebrations of the World Family Forum, with under a month to go before the event takes place, every hotel in Valencia Province is putting up the ‘full’ signs for the dates the event takes place. As a result many pilgrims’ groups are seeking hotels in nearby Cuenca and Albacete Provinces, as, according to Miguel Angel Fernandez of the Valencia Hoteliers Association: “ No city in the world has the capability of accommodating a million and a half visitors for a few days.”


July 8-9 here we come -- or go.

21st Century Tall Ship

This may be a bit off-topic so far as the current Cup is concerned, however there is a significant Challenger link. And the boat is something to behold....


Photo courtesy Latitude 38's online publication 'Lectronic Latitude.

That's Maltese Falcon, just launched in Turkey by San Francisco's Tom Perkins, a senior New York Yacht Club member and backer of a number of AC challenges over the years (though, to our knowledge he is not connected with a team this time). Mr Perkins was in evidence in Auckland during both Cups there, and one hopes he will make it to Valencia with his astonishing new 287-footer before the end of AC 32 next July.

Do you suppose those are inflatable battens? ;)

Check out the report on the commissioning of Maltese Falcon in the 8 June special edition of 'Lectronic Latitude. And thanks to Tom Leweck's Scuttlebutt for the heads up in this morning's edition.

Speaking of the Pope...

...in this case Pope Benedict XVI, we gleaned this from the Vatican Radio website this morning in re. the Pontiff's visit to Valencia early next month -- in case team members were looking to participate in, or avoid, the action:


Pope Benedict XVI will preside over the last two ceremonies on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July. After arrival at Valencia’s Manises airport on Saturday July 8th at around 11.30 a.m. the Pontiff will be welcomed with a ceremony, followed by his address to the gathering. From the airport the Pope will be driven in an open vehicle to the cathedral of Valencia in the city centre. Pope Benedict will then visit the cathedral, the Holy Chalice Chapel and the Basilica of the Virgin of the Helpless. After reciting the Angelus in the basilica's square, the Pope will be received in the residence of Archbishop Archbishop Agustín García-Gasco of Valencia, where the Pope will reside during his stay in Valencia. The Bishop of Rome will then go in an open car to the testimonial meeting, which beginning at 8 p.m., will gather more than a million pilgrims at the Puente de Monteolivete in a context of prayer and testimonies. On Sunday 9th July the Pontiff will preside over the solemn closing Mass at 9:30 a.m. and deliver the homily. At the end of the Mass he will lead the recitation of the Angelus. After taking bidding farewell to the pilgrims, the Pontiff will leave Manises at 1 p.m. on his flight back to Rome.


The purpose of the Pontiff's visit is, of course, the 5th World Meeting of Families. The official website, in a number of languages, is here.

Too bad His Holiness is not arriving the weekend before; no doubt he would be more than welcome as an 18th man with any number of teams. Problem would have been choosing which one given all the possible connections, to name a few: local hosts Desafio Espanol seguro que si, all three Italian teams for the obvious reasons, United Internet Team Germany (he is, after all the first German Pope since the 11th century), the Munich-flavored BMW ORACLE Racing (he's not only German, but Bavarian), even perhaps Alinghi given Serono's historical convent connections.



One of the posters found on the World Meeting of Families
site, nicely tuned to current events in Valencia even if the
yachts are circa 1977. That's Sverige (S-3, upper left) and
Australia (KA-5) in the days when S was the sail code for SWE
and KA, obviously, for AUS. Dyer reminds us these yachts
raced in both the 1977 and 1980 challenger trials off New-
port. Can anyone tell us which year this photo was taken?

TV Fix

Updated -- 9 June, 0800.

From today's Valencia Life:


BARBERA ON THE ATTACK

During an official visit to Valencia’s Central Market yesterday, Mayoress Rita Barbera unleashed a series of accusations against state broadcaster RTVE, starting by saying that she highly supported the decision of the advisory body of the World Family Forum in that local broadcaster RTVV be the host for the meeting ‘as RTVE simply cannot be trusted’. She also added that she failed to see why the Americas Cup Consortium should pay RTVE eight million Euros in production costs for them to cover the races in Valencia, when virtually no national airtime at all was offered to the event. “RTVE belongs to the Government who also have a stake in the Cup races, which makes this attitude doubly strange,” she went on, “ By comparison RTVV has both special programmes and special Americas Cup sections in their newscasts.” Michel Bonnefous, the Director of the Americas Cup Management Committee also offered a similar, if somewhat more discreet point of view, stating that he was ‘not at all pleased’ with the coverage the Americas Cup was getting at the hands of RTVE, but refused to go into any details about how he hoped to alter RTVE’s attitude towards the international event.

A spokesman for RTVE stated that Louis Vuitton Acts 10 & 11 were broadcast live on the broadcaster’s TeleDeporte Channel, but this is only available on cable or on the various digital platforms.


Speaking of ACTV, by all accounts the production of the host broadcast during Acts 10 and 11 was disappointing. The CC has written a strong letter with constructive comments to ACM, and have received an encouraging response from ACM's COO Michel Hodara. All are hoping Act 12 will see a dramatic improvement.



As Pope John Paul II reportedly said, "If it doesn't happen on TV, it doesn't happen."

Market Survey: Excellent News for the Cup

If this is the case in 2006, it should only get better in 2007. Nice to see the AC finishing ahead of many other prestigious events. Press release from yesterday one of our search engines turned up overnight:


June 06, 2006 11:00 AM US Eastern Timezone

Luxury Institute Survey: Ultra High Net Worth Consumers Rate The Masters, Wimbledon, and the America's Cup the Three Most Prestigious Elite Sporting Events in 2006

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 6, 2006--Which of the truly elite global sporting events do America's highest net worth consumers think are the most prestigious? Where should luxury goods and services firms invest their sponsorship funds for maximum co-branding prestige effectiveness? According to the 2006 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey of Sporting Events, conducted by the New York City-based Luxury Institute (www.luxuryinstitute.com), The Masters Golf Tournament, The Championships Wimbledon Tennis, and the America's Cup sailing event are the three most prestigious events in 2006, as rated by America's ultra high net worth consumers.

"The Masters Golf Tournament ranks highest of all events on the 2006 Luxury Brand Status Index, and on each component dimension of the LBSI, except exclusivity," said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. "On being truly unique and exclusive, the Masters ranks second behind the America's Cup. The Masters is the sporting event deemed most worthy of a price premium and is the event wealthy consumers are most willing to recommend. Not surprisingly, this event is also the most likely to be considered a "must-see" or "must- attend" event."

Twenty-four high-end Sporting events were rated including: the America's Cup (Sailing) Australian Open (Tennis), Belmont Stakes (Horse Racing), Breeders Cup (Horse Racing), British Open Championship (Golf), Davis Cup (Tennis), Del Mar National Horse Show, Formula One Auto Racing Series, French Open (Tennis), Kentucky Derby (Horse Racing), Monaco Grand Prix, NASDAQ 100 Open Tennis, Olympics- Summer, Olympics- Winter, PGA Championship (Golf), Ryder Cup (Golf), The Masters Golf Tournament (Golf), The Preakness (Horse Racing), Tour de France, US Open (Golf), US Open (Tennis), Wimbledon (Tennis), World Cup Finale, World Series of Poker (included to test the prestige qualities of poker).

A nationally representative sample of 500 wealthy consumers were surveyed online. Respondents are required to have a minimum gross annual household income of $200,000 and net worth (incl. home equity) of $5,000,000. The survey results are weighted to match the demographic and net worth profiles of the same audience according to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances from the Federal Reserve.

About the Luxury Institute

The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and objective research institution that is the voice of the wealthy consumer. The Institute provides a portfolio of proprietary publications and research that guides and educates high net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them on leading edge trends, wealthy consumer rankings and ratings of luxury brands, and best practices. Publications include the monthly Wealth Report, the Luxury Brand Status Index surveys, the Luxury Best Practices surveys and the Luxury Consumer Experience Index surveys. To reach the Luxury institute, please call 646-792-2669 or go to www.luxuryinstitute.com.

Valencia Crónica #50

Valencia Crónica #50 (5 June issue) is now available. Congrats to Bridget Baker (NZL, BMW ORACLE Racing) and her many contributors from most all the AC 32 teams for building this helpful newsletter up over the past year or so, and reaching a milestone 50th issue. How time flies....

As always VC is password-protected to protect the privacy of contributors' phone numbers and email addresses. To obtain the password, or to be added to the email distribution list for each week's Crónica, please write Bridget at valenciacronicaspain [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] nz.

A few weeks ago we put many back issues of VC (#23 through #48) into one zipped (compressed) archive folder for easy download by any of you with the password. It's a 5.5mb file, so better if you have a fast connection. To download the VC archive, click here. Or just scroll down through the CC Blog, or check the monthly Archives in the sidebar, for previous issues.

Again, a reminder that Valencia Crónica is not intended for general consumption, but for use by team members in Valencia and their partners/families. VC contains little information of interest to, or use by, the general public.

Name Game: Style & Grace

Louise Dier, with her namesakes Dyer and Luis, outside the ACM offices this week. Louise runs the Foredeck Club (background) with style and grace. "Geez Louise" is always calm and collected, even after a minor construction-related explosion caused the evacuation of the Foredeck just before this photo was taken. A rose by any other name is....

Shuffling the Deck

From today's Valencia Life newsletter:

The resignation of Fernando Huet from the head of the Americas Cup Coordination Committee in Valencia was widely expected, and the naming of his deputy – Jorge Gisbert – as his successor was accepted by all sides: Valencia Town Hall in the person of Mayoress Rita Barbera, Gerardo Camps for the Valencian Government, and Jordi Sevilla for the Madrid Government.

However, that did not satisfy Joan Ignasi Pla, the leader of the Valencian Socialists who kept insisting that Mr. Gisbert was ‘too close’ to the conservative Partido Popular. As a result, Mr. Sevilla is now faced with a serious problem: either leave things as they are in the Coordination Committee or cave in to Mr. Pla and in the process endure the wrath of Mrs. Barbera and Mr. Camps, especially since the finals of the Americas Cup races are a little over a year away.