Thu, Aug 28, 2008 page19

• BMW Oracle’s sailors ecstatic over new boat

  • AP
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  The new trimaran built for BMW Oracle Racing might not make it to the starting line of the America’s Cup because of an ongoing fight in New York courts. But it certainly is impressing the sailors who are about to put it through its sea trials on Puget Sound.

  “It’s awesome, mate. The first time you see it in real life it’s a shock factor, to be real honest,” James Spithill, a helmsman for BMW Oracle Racing, said by phone on Tuesday from Anacortes, Washington.

  “It’s just so big. Obviously it’s an extremely impressive boat; very, very powerful,” Spithill said.

  

  A handout picture taken on Monday shows BMW Oracle Racing’s new 90-foot carbon-fiber trimaran after it touched water for the first time in the town of Anacortes, Washington. US team Oracle plans to use the boat in its America’s Cup duel against reigning champions Alinghi. The 33rd edition of yachting’s showpiece event could take place in the Mediterranean port of Valencia in eastern Spain if a long-running court battle over the rules of the event between the two teams ends with a decision in favor of Oracle.

  PHOTO: AFP

  The three-hulled boat, which measures 90 feet (27.4m) by 90 feet, was commissioned on Monday with the traditional smashing of a bottle of champagne across the bow. It was lowered by crane into Fidalgo Bay, and its giant mast was then fitted into place.

  On Tuesday, BMW Oracle Racing began stress tests to make sure the carbon fiber boat can handle the enormous loads that will be put on it by the rigging.

  SHOWDOWN

  BMW Oracle Racing, owned by Silicon Valley tycoon Larry Ellison, built the trimaran in anticipation of a one-on-one showdown against two-time defending America’s Cup champion Alinghi of Switzerland.

  Whether this boat ever sails for the oldest trophy in international sports depends on how the New York State Court of Appeals in Albany rules this fall.

  San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), which backs BMW Oracle Racing, and Switzerland’s Societe Nautique de Geneve, the club that backs Alinghi, have been at odds since the end of the last America’s Cup in July last year.

  The GGYC initially secured a court ruling that it was the rightful Challenger of Record, meaning it had the right to negotiate terms of a traditional multichallenger regatta with Alinghi. When the two syndicates couldn’t agree to terms, it appeared they were headed toward a showdown in giant multihulls.

  But last month, the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division ruled 3-2 that Spain’s Club Nautico Espanol de Vela, not the GGYC, should be the Challenger of Record. That appeared to send the Cup back to its traditional format of several challengers vying for the right to face the defender in the America’s Cup match.

  The GGYC filed a last-chance appeal.

  Until there is definitive word from the court, the sailors will continue preparing their boat.

  Spithill, a 29-year-old Australian who is preparing for his fourth America’s Cup campaign, said he was trying not to think about the court case.

  FOUR-LETTER WORDS

  “We think we have a solid case,” he said. “For us, at the end of the day, it’s all part of our preparation. When you look at this boat you just think, ‘Boy, who wouldn’t want to see two of these boats race each other?’ It’s amazing. I can’t tell you how many four-letter words people have used when they see it.”

  In a good way, of course.

  Sea trials are expected to begin early next month. Deciding on a crew size will be part of the learning curve, Spithill said.

  Initial estimates are perhaps 14 or 15.

  “It’s something that I’m pretty excited about. The main thing with multihulls is you always try to sail as light as you can. But with a boat like this and the power it’s got, it’s also going to take a lot of physical effort by the crew. It’s going to be an interesting few months,” he said.

  Spithill thinks the trimaran can exceed 40 knots in the right conditions.

  “We’re going to be very, very conservative and take things very slowly,” he said. “Obviously if things go wrong on a boat of this size, it can be extremely bad. The important part is to take our time.”
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