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.

Where are the skippers ?...

Today was eve of Louis Vuitton Final, one of the most covered yachting event taking place only every 3-4 years or so.

This is absolutely the most media covered sailing event, with hundreds of journos attending, live TV uncluding many host national TV.

Today was the press conference before racing goes on tomorrow. It was a full press room with journalist coming from everywhere in the world.

Guess what ?... The skippers just did'nt show !... Gone elsewhere, busy on just another meeting or on their way to another testing. Luna Rossa sent american team member Andy Horton and ETNZ (yes, the very nationalistic Team New Zealand) another american, their tactician Terry Huchinson.

Can you imagine Rafa Nadal sending his coach to the live press conference before the final of Roland Garros or Mac Laren sending the chief mecanician before Monaco Grand Prix ?... No. In fact, if they don't come, they are fined because it is in their competitor contract. ACM who is so quick to make things mandatory or forbidden just forget to put that in the rules !...

Sailing is complaining because it's always running short of money, but sailors, especially some of most known, sometimes surprise me in the way they handle the media part of their job.

Not only they ususally don't show, but when they do, most of the time they just throw off perfect platitudes when they are requested to talk to the world about their sport, their technique. Result : those press conferences are perfectly useless and boring.

How do you want the world to learn better about the complexity of the sport if the sailors themselves don't make the effort of explaining to the media what it is all about ?...

Is it so damageable if M. Dean Barker come to explain that they change the keel in such manner and adapt their sails in such way to cope with Italian way of sailing which is like this and like that ? That's just media want to hear so they can use in their next day comment or written story. That could give some interesting fuel to their next day coverage. But as they are short of it, they just talk about the only thing they know about : money.

America's Cup is now the only sport in the world where you are categorized not on your experience and talent but on the xxx million dollars you have put in your campaign.

Come on sailors !... Is it so difficult to take care of your own media destiny !...

Gone with the wind

Here we are !...

First post on this blog created may 31st 2007 from Valencia, Spain.

Welcome to all !...

(not sure many people attending at this stage ...)