What is this ?...

Yes, it's a boat. It's even a super yacht, and the only thing I can tell is that this young guy below is the builder. I met Sébastien Grall some years ago as he was fresh marine carpenter coming out of school. As a start of his career he did quite wonderfull refits including 8 m gaffer rig "Esterel" before starting his own yard. He is now building some of the most extraordinary machine of the super yacht industry in la Ciotat ( France). More to come at www.martin-raget.com ...

Louis Vuitton Box flying

The starting point of the Louis Vuitton Cup prizegiving was LV Cup arriving from the sky attached to the back of a parachute man. Quite spectacular, especially as they land exactly on the stage. brrrrr.... Not sure the Cup it self was in the bow. (in fact, sure it was not...)

Blue Eyes

No comment.

Robocop was there too !...

Jerôme Teigné is one of the top yachting cameraman in the world, he have been circumnavigating on big catamaran with LoicK Peyron during "The Race" and is a regular onboar shooter on the multihull trimarans. Now he is doing the hard job for ACM, shooting with the steadycam in the America's Cup park. 25 kg on the back, and you have to run !... So much easy to be a still photographer

!...

Cheers Carlo !...

Our good friend Carlo Borlenghi was the only one photographer with ETNZ team photographer Chris Cameron allowed to go onboard ETNZ after the kiwis crossed the line for the Moet Moment. Not sure the spot was that good !... Normal, with its orange jacket, he was the perfect target for Dean Barker !...

Nice job !...

Where are we ?... Sailing is certainly the only sport where the organisers manage to have a worldwvide televised prizegiving without any square centimeter of their sponsors names behind the winner when he receive the cup an lift it up !... Unbelievable !...

Logical

Not really a surprise. Emirates Team New Zealand being the challenger of America's Cup n° 32 was in the air since at least two years as they have always been ahead of the pack. On the timing, on the design point of view, on the annual point table. Only at one point -end of Round Robin 1 - they were behind their only two real opponents, BMW Oracle and Luna Rossa. Now, they face another challenge, certainly more difficult : to beat Alinghi in the America's Cup match. If I would be the swiss, I would certainly be afraid. Those guys in black want their revenge !...

I've seen better

Nothing very spectacular today in Valencia. Grey, light, not much action. So I took this opportunity to make a further step photowise using for the first time a x2 extender with the canon 600 mm, which means those shots have been taken with 1200 mm hand held. Well, it allows to come a bit closer to the crew during action. And guess what : yes, it looks that even Dean Barker is shouting to his guys despite his audio system. Isn't he ?...

Mom, I don't want to be a tactician !...

Poor Torben Grael !... The whole world, and especially the italian part of it have seen how Luna Rossa won the start, went on the right side of the course, get a nice puff, was able to cross ahead of ETNZ for the first time of this Louis Vuitton final. And few minutes later the same whole world and the same italian part of it have seen how Luna Rossa, after having tacked on the kiwis face and send them the other way just hang on too long on a port tack, giving Barker and c° too much separation. When the two boats converge again, it was too late. The kiwis had their private lefty puff in the meantime. Luna Rossa had to tack under and the story was told.

If you are bowman and make a small mistake, maybe the rest of the crew will make some remark, but that's ok. If you are a trimmer and you don't trim the sail perfectly, nobody except maybe the other trimmers and the helmsman will tell something. If you are a grinder and you don't push enough on the winch handle, nobody will notice it. As a helmsman, maybe you are more exposed during the pre-start, but that's OK. Unless you get penalized, not a big deal. But as a tactician, your decisions are written on the race course, everybody can see your choices, your decisions, and eventually what they think is a fault. So, for Torben Grael, tonight will certainly be tough time. Even with as many olympic medals he gets...

Grenier in Calais

While we are experiencing nice and warm sunshine, gentle breezes down here in Valencia, with many parties, a lot of people around and great racing in the prestigious Louis Vuitton Cup Final, my dear assistant Guilain Grenier was the whole last week in Calais, starting his journey with a bumpy delivery between Saint Malo and Calais onboard Jeremie Beyou Imoca 60 footer Delta Dore, then having to shoot the first racing start of the year for the Vendée Globe monos under cold, foggy and miserable weather conditions. Always tougher for the assistant !... Great shots anyways. He is good.

So many people

Sunday, warm and sunny, a good feeling that summer is definitely there, and that hollidays are not so far. Port America's Cup was full packed today with italian and kiwis fans puhing hard their team for dockout and dock in. The place to be is near the giant screen were you can follow the races in a hot ambiance. Lawn is confortable, the bar and Ice cream shop are right there, so not a big deal if you can't go on the water where you are miles away from the racing yachts.

3-0, ETNZ sails away

Not much to say of Race 3 in Louis Vuitton Final after ETNZ get a big solid lift few hundred meters after the start as the separation between the two boats was one full starting line difference. Not the kind of gift the kiwis need to sails away, push you in the corner and extend each time you are trying something to pass. The task look very tough now for Spithill and his crew. Monday is off, racing resume on tuesday.

Top drivers

Those guys (and girls) are good. Without them, you would'nt have any still or video pictures of the America's Cup. And providing the quality of the images you can see in the media or on TV despite the poor possibilities allowed by the organisers regarding placement around (I don't even think about being inside..) the course, they are doing a fantastic job. They are the drivers of our photos and TV boats, and I must say that it is a real pleasure to go at sea with those guys. On top, they like what they are doing, they like yacht racing, and they have a tremendous amount of seamanship when they go full throttle from one mark rounding to the other slaloming around the spectator fleet and negociating every (sometimes huge !...) super yacht wake. Top guns for sure !...

Not so close

Better start, better speed, tough protective tactics, better manoeuvres, all was on Emirates Team New Zealand side today in Valencia for Louis Vuitton final race n° 2 sailed in good breeze with a bit more waves than for the first race. Still good sunshine and biggest spectator fleet so far. More to come ...

Finally, a Yacht

Good to be able to watch a genuine yacht sailing in Valencia waters. The Lady Ann is around, sailing and well alive, and show its nice gaffer rig around the course. Many super yacht are now in Valencia, and spectator fleet is looking more and more as a super yacht boat show afloat.

Party time !...

Yesterday was party time for watchmaker Girard Perregaux who invite media at BMW ORACLE base with a very nice hospitality area setting including one of the swiss GP employe making a real watch (at least part of it...) during the evening and DJ from Hotel Costes. A fellow kiwi journalist won a team watch (lucky this man..., I don't even have one), but the top of the night was they call in switzerland a "chocolate fountain". Absolutely divine !... I am afraid I left the party with at least 12000 more calories than before coming...

Packing !...

To be one the most powerfull challenger of 32nd America's Cup is certainly a nice position to be in for a team, but when come the time of packing everything after a 4 years campaign, that's a huge task !... Everywhere in BMW ORACLE base people are busy storing things in sometimes specially made cases , from personal files to sails, keels fins, winches systems and even bulbs !... Not quite finished yet !...

Close it is

Even start, even speed, just a touch of better breeze for ETNZ on the first way up, Luna Rossa managing to stay very close all along the track, no fault form the kiwis in their defending position, this is sthe story of the first race of the Louis Vuitton Cup final sailed in a standard 11-13 knots sea breeze. Not much to say about, more fight to come.