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Audemars
Piguet with the Swiss Team
(04/19/01)
(source
: sail-online.fr)
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The Swiss Challenge for the America's Cup and Audemars
Piguet, Watchmaker who was sponsor with the former Fast
2000 syndicate, have just signed a new contract. The swiss
firm will become the fist co-sponsors.
The Swiss Challenge, which will reveal its definitive
name on May 11 of this year, is supported by two main
partners, among which UBS, as well as by three co-sponsors.
Audemars Piguet is the first one of them to join this
group.
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Kai Bjorn, three-time Bacardi Cup winner
who signed with the Swiss Challenge, arriving about a month
ago in Geneva and sent a very good weekly letter to sailingworld.
The letters are humorous and there is some good information
to be gleaned (confirmation of the decision to do the first
phase of sailing in the AC boat in the south of France,
intesting letter about a regatta beetween Russel Coutts
and Jochen Schumann...). |
The
Swiss syndicate fined (04/03/01)
(source
: NZ
Herald)
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Russell Coutts'
Swiss yachting syndicate has been fined $US3000 ($NZ7662)
for breaking America's Cup rules. The America's Cup arbitration
panel fined the Swiss and added $US1000 as costs after they
altered their yacht without permission.
The syndicate representing the Société Nautique
de Genève modified the hull of their training yacht,
the double-keeled boat of the Fast 2000 syndicate from the
last cup, Be Happy, also from Switzerland. They did not
inform the regatta's technical director of the change. Approval
is supposed to be sought to prevent syndicates breaching
rules which regulate the extent of alterations to old America's
Cup class yachts.
Coutts' syndicate has changed that to a single keel - a
modification which did not require approval. But alterations
to the bow and the stern of the boat should have been cleared
by the technical director.
The five-member arbitration panel says in a written ruling
that the breach of the rules was inadvertent, and the Swiss
had voluntarily brought the issue to its notice. Other syndicates
were not disadvantaged, the panel said.
The holder of the cup, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron,
asked the panel to rule if the Swiss boat was considered
a "new" boat for the next campaign. The panel said it was
not (under cup racing rules, each syndicate is allowed just
two new boats at each America's Cup campaign). |
A
new brief against Swiss Challenge ? (03/20/01)
(source
: scuttlebutt)
|
Word on the streets is that Team NZ has
filed a brief against SNG (Swiss AC Team), who modified
the Swiss AC boat without first getting permission from
Chief Measurer Ken McAlpine. The Swiss were apparently trying
to make the previously uncompetitive boat usable for training
purposes. There seems no question that the modifications
were minor, and nowhere near the "carve limits" that cause
an old boat to rank as a new boat (important, of course,
because all teams are limited to two new boats).
The Kiwis have acknowledged that the mistake (not getting
prior permission) was an administrative error - nothing
devious. Nonetheless, the Arbitration Panel suggests that
the appropriate penalty is for the Swiss to put the boat
back into its original condition, then get permission, then
re-do the modification.
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Swiss
and British may train together (03/15/01)
(source
: Madforsailing)
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Ian Walker, the director of sailing for
the GBR Challenge for the America's Cup, has confirmed that
he is considering an informal offer by Ernesto Bertarelli's
Swiss Challenge for joint training on the Solent this summer.
The offer from the Swiss comes as Walker and his team await
the arrival of the two Nippon IACC yachts, which the GBR
Team will use in UK waters for two-boat practice throughout
the summer. Walker said no formal proposal by Russell Coutts,
the Swiss Challenge skipper, had been made but he was aware
that they were interested in training against the Brits.
"I wouldn't rule it out," he said. "I think we'll have to
see where we've got to and if it fits in with what we are
trying to achieve." Walker said he was concerned that his
own team may not be ready to try-out against the Swiss who
have many more experienced sailors and are further ahead
in the game. He felt it might prove a counter-productive
step.
"Whether we do it, would depend on whether we are suitably
practised and ready for it and on the right terms," he said.
"Obviously if they were to come over (early in the summer)
then we'd look pretty stupid. But equally, we couldn't fail
to learn if they did come over. But, to put it in context,
I haven't spoken to them and they haven't spoken to me,
so I wouldn't get too excited about it."
Walker disclosed that the delivery date for the two boats
- JPN 44 and JPN 52 - has again been put back. Originally
the boats, which were campaigned by the Nippon Challenge
in the last Louis Vuitton Cup, were supposed to reach Southampton
on February 24th. Now the lastest ETA for them is March
25th.
Walker said the reasons for the delay are purely to do with
shipping matters - the boats had actually been on board
a ship and en route from Japan for two months already. He
said the delay will have an effect on the GBR Challenge.
"Is it going to affect us? In a way, yes. Obviously the
later they're here, the more time we lose. But on the other
hand, it's time which is not being put to waste. I think
we'll be a hell of a lot more organised by the time they
get here, so we'll be in a better position to just crack
into it all."
Walker is still planning to work-up one of two boats first
before he gets them both out racing. "Rather than rush it
over a couple of weeks, our view is we want to work through
it properly and do it slowly and then slowly build-up. It's
not like we haven't got any sailing time. The delay is eating
into our UK sailing period, but we are here for four of
five months, so it's not a big drama," he added.
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The Swiss Challenge for the America's Cup
and UBS, a leading financial services firm, have just signed
an important partnership contract. The Bank will become
one of the main partners of Swiss Challenge.
"We are enthusiastic about taking on the challenge with
UBS," stated Michel Bonnefous, Executive Director of the
Swiss Challenge. "The manifestation of this first principal
partner confirms the serious nature of the work carried
out to this point and establishes the credibility of our
Challenge. We are convinced that this partnership will be
profitable."
Marcel Ospel, UBS CEO announced, "Sailing of this caliber
calls for perfect interplay between strategy, tactics, stamina,
speed and mastery of state-of-the-art technology. These
key factors, implemented by a highly motivated team, are
what carry a racing yacht to success. In global finance
business, they also decide who can sail harder to the wind."
After extensive evaluation of the most prominent sports
at this time, UBS decided to become partner of Swiss Challenge
as a result of the perfect symbiosis between its brand values
and attributes and those of Sailing and Swiss Challenge
in particular.
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Swiss
Challenge acceptance (11/02/00)
(source : NZ
Herald & GPS)
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The Societe Nautique Geneve, the yacht
club of Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, lodged its
challenge with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on August
18, but it has not been accepted by the holders, the Royal
New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Russell Coutts, who defected
to Bertarelli from the Kiwi club after successfully defending
the Cup earlier this year, revealed this shortcoming in
his plans after winning the Colorcraft Gold Cup here on
Sunday. "I don't know why they haven't accepted our entry,"
said Coutts with a wry grin, "but we have fulfilled all
the necessary requirements."
He said that he realized that the RNZYS wouldn't make it
easy for the Swiss, possibly because he had made his move
to Switzerland with the core members of the crew who'd been
with him in 1995, when they had beaten the American holders
in San Diego and for the defense against the Italian Prada
syndicate.
The whole issue revolves around Switzerland's landlocked
geography.
The Deed of Gift, which governs the regulations of the Cup,
demands that the challenging club, which in the Swiss case
is the Yacht Club de Geneve, must "Hold it's annual regatta
on the sea, or an arm of the sea". Coutts says that this
requirement was fulfilled in the summer when the challengers
held their regatta at Cannes (the Regattes Royales), to
which they had invited representatives of the RNZYS. "I
don't know whether they came or not," said Coutts, "but
the regatta was held and we have evidence of it."
The vice-commodore of the RNZYS, Bill Endean, said the regatta
was held after the Swiss lodged their challenge. So the
tender issue has now been referred to an independent arbitration
panel, which is still being put together. "The squadron
is simply looking for guidance on this. But we don't understand
where Russell Coutts is coming from. The Swiss challenge
has agreed to submit the question to the panel," he said.
Coutts, who left Team NZ for the Swiss campaign, accused
the squadron of immediately banking Bertarelli's cheque
for the $US150,000 entry fee. But the squadron says the
cheque is still sitting at its headquarters.
Bill Endean said the legality of another entry was also
under consideration, but he would not disclose the identity
of the challenger.
The Swiss have strengthened their team even further with
the addition of Jochen Schumann. Triple Olympic Champion
(in 1976, 1988 and 1996), medallist in the Sydney Olympics
in the Soling category and skipper of the "BeHappy"
in the latest edition of the America's Cup, Jochen Schumann
will take up the position of second helmsman, supporting
skipper Russell Coutts. In addition, he will be in charge
of the crew's technical and physical preparation.
"I am happy and proud to be associated with the Swiss Challenge
for the America's Cup", he said. "For me, this is a wonderful
challenge since the team which is now building in Geneva
promises to be one of the best in the next Cup. Most of
the members of the Swiss Challenge have the advantage of
great experience, and I think that this is one of our best
assets: the various viewpoints and open-mindedness of the
crew members are going to make us extremely competitive”.
The "BeHappy" (SUI 59), now owned by the Challenge
of Geneva's Societe Nautique, arrived at the Decision SA
Shipyard today where it will soon undergo a rejuvenating
course. The Swiss Challenge plans to launch be SUI-59, now
configured with conventional appendages, and is talking
to other teams about a regatta on Lac Leman (Lake Geneva).
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Desperately
seeking Swiss sailors (10/23/00)
(source : Le
Défi.com)
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Part of the Bertarelli America's Cup
Team moved to Port-Camargue (France), October 13-15, in
order to begin selecting the "swiss part" of the
swiss team (the sailing team already announced are Josh
Belsky and Curtis Blewett, both formerly with the AmericaOne
programme in 1999-2000, Richard Bouzaid, Brad Butterworth,
Warwick Fleury, Simon Daubney, Dean Phipps and Murray Taylor,
all from New Zealand, Andrew Cape from Australia, Marco
Constant from South Africa, Jann Neergaard from Denmark,
Francesco Rapetti from Italy and Pieter van Nieuwenhuyzen
from Holland).
A lot of swiss sailors (few formerly with the Fast Challenge)
have competed for 20 places in the new team. Competitors
enjoyed a variety of challenging conditions over the three
days racing and practicing in Port-Camargue.
Selections are done by the swiss Kiwis (Russel Coutts, Brad
Butterworth...) based on attendance and performance at a
series of qualifying regattas and practices. Results to
be published in November.
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Jochen
Schuemann to Join Bertarelli (10/16/00)
(source : Le
Temps)
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| The most successful sailor in German yachting
history (3 olympic gold medals and a recent silver one,
a world champion title and numerous national and international
titles), meets Ernesto Bertarelli and Russel Coutts today.
"the deal has not been formally concluded but I
will probably again race in the America's Cup under swiss
colors". |
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