The radical hull appendage, expected to deliver
the defenders a performance advantage in next month's
America's Cup final, may be a one-regatta wonder.
A review of the cup rules will begin after the best-of-nine
final and technical director Ken McAlpine suggested
the clip-ons or second skins on NZL81 and NZL82 were
sure to be discussed.
McAlpine confirmed he would be making recommendations
about the clip-ons but refused to reveal whether he
would push for rule changes aimed at closing the loophole
Team NZ exploited.
However, the fact he sees a need to comment suggests
he believes a change is needed.
"There will be a review of the class rules and that
(the clip-on) would be one matter which will be very
carefully reviewed I would suggest but I don't have
a public position on this at all" he said. "It is
not my place to have a public position. It would be
inappropriate".
The highly respected McAlpine and his measurement
committee will play a crucial role in the review of
rules for the cup class. They will gather views from
syndicates and others on how the rules can be improved.
McAlpine and his team will then prepare drafts for
approval before giving a final list of recommendations
to the new challenger of record and the defender.
McAlpine expects it will take about six months before
the drafts are finalised.
As the draft changes are discussed, it will become
clear whether syndicates want to bar the Kiwi clip-on
from future regattas.
The appendage could simply be outlawed or there could
be allowance made for hollows in certain areas of
the hull that would negate the benefits of the clip-on.
Under existing rules, hollows or other irregularities
in the hull are prohibited. Team NZ circumvented this
restriction by developing the hula, which is classified
as a non-movable appendage.
The
first who knows the secrets (01/11/03) (source
: NZ
Herald)
America's Cup yacht measurer Ken McAlpine leads
a tiny and elite team who may be the only independent
minds to know the secrets of Team New Zealand's radical
new design.
McAlpine, an Australian naval architect, is the chief
of the four official measurers, who determine whether
boats meet the rules of the class and regatta. He
has worked as a measurer for 30 years, and at six
America's Cups.
He guards his team's integrity jealously, knowing
the compliance process - which allows measurers to
view in confidence the most detailed of syndicates'
design secrets - depends on complete discretion.
Team New Zealand worked closely with the measurers
when developing their false hull appendage, known
as the hula, to ensure their campaign yachts were
built within the rules.
Before the hulls' unveiling this week, McAlpine's
team inspected the hula and declared it legal. Valid
measurement certificates were issued for NZL81 and
NZL82.
How McAlpine's team checked the hula is confidential,
but teams such as Alinghi, of Switzerland, are trying
to work it out, in part by asking probing questions
this week of the measurer and international jury.
Alinghi asked if electronic devices should be fitted
to boats to make sure hulas never touch the hull -
a rule requirement - and if colour stains could be
used to check scuff marks.
McAlpine said earlier this year that only four people
had seen all the America's Cup boats and their secrets
would be guarded.
America's
Cup to use on-board umpires (01/09/03) (sources
: ISAF&
NZ
Herald)
Representatives for Alinghi Team, Oracle BMW
Racing, defender Team New Zealand and the International
Jury have finalised an agreement to utilise onboard
umpire observers for the Louis Vuitton Cup and the
America’s Cup Match.
The idea was raised during the last America's Cup
regatta, but could not be carried out because of technicalities
such as the communications bar being in the way on
some boats, fears of radiation and insurance liability
problems.
The objective of the system is to provide umpires
with accurate information from an onboard perspective
and to inform afterguards of crucial rule-related
information.
The two teams have agreed to the plan and the umpires
are ready to proceed. Both Alinghi’s SUI-64 and Oracle
BMW’s USA-76 have had safety bars fitted across the
transom scoops behind the roll bars to give the umpires
a hand hold.
Representatives for Alinghi and Oracle BMW, the Louis
Vuitton Cup finalists, say they're happy with the
development.
"We’re in favour of the system," said Alinghi
spokesman Bernard Schopfer. "The more accurate
their view, the better their calls."
"We’ve been in favour all along," said Tom
Ehman, Oracle BMW Racing Director of Rules Compliance.
"It has been done before in these boats, in practise
regattas and training."
The idea will be tested today, and if all goes well
and insurance liability problems are resolved, it
will be used in the challenger series final which
starts tomorrow.
"Insurance liability could kill the plan, but
we’re doing what we can to resolve the issue,"
said Willis.
The onboard observers will communicate with a third
umpire in the hard-bottom inflatable, who will relay
the information to the two umpires calling the match.
The observers will relay his observations on the boat
to the umpires and relevant information from the umpires
to the afterguards.
Teams can still have the 17th men because the umpires
are positioned just half-a-metre from the back of
the boat.
No
protests over Kiwi "clip-on" (01/08/03) (source
: NZ
Herald)
Rival America's Cup syndicates Alinghi and Oracle
had questioned whether the clip-on was within the
rules and had until 3pm yesterday to lodge protests
with the international jury or the America's Cup Arbitration
Panel.
Chairman of the international jury and chief umpire
Bryan Willis confirmed yesterday that no protests
had been received but the Swiss syndicate put to the
jury a series of questions about the false hull, which
circumvents stringent restrictions on hull shape because
it is classified as an appendage rather than part
of the hull.
"It will be the responsibility of Team New Zealand
to prove it doesn't touch the hull," said Alinghi
design co-ordinator Grant Simmer. It is understood
that Alinghi have questioned whether the jury can
rely on a "simple assurance" from a competitor that
such an appendage does not touch the hull during a
race.
Team New Zealand rejected their rivals' criticisms,
saying they would not have been issued certificates
for yachts NZL81 and NZL82 unless the measurers were
convinced of the false hull's legality.
"The measurers laid down stipulations that the appendage
not touch the hull while the boats are racing and
we have made sure that they don't touch when the boats
are sailing at any time," New Zealand design team
head Tom Schnackenberg said.
"The requirements were quite stringent and we have
had the gaps big enough and designed the boats full
enough so they don't touch. "It was our obligation
to prove to the measurers that it doesn't touch the
hull and we have proved that."
Further issues can be raised after the challenger
finals, starting on Saturday, and before the best-of-nine
race America's Cup match which starts on February
15.
Oracle
escapes penalty for now (12/25/02) (source
: NZ
Herald)
Seattle's OneWorld Challenge last week asked
the regatta's jury what sorts of radar or lasers were
allowed under the racing rules. The jury has ruled
all radars and lasers are illegal, but OneWorld did
not formally protest against Oracle's equipment so
the results of past racing stand.
That means Oracle's clean-sweep over OneWorld Challenge
in the semifinals repechage cannot be overturned so
billionaire Larry Ellison's team remain a finalist
in next year's Louis Vuitton Cup against Alinghi of
Switzerland.
Exactly what the suspected radar system on the back
of Ellison's boat does is still not known. Rivals
claim it has been developed using military know-how
and may be capable of picking up significant performance
data about Oracle's opponents.
OneWorld had asked if it could transmit a cloaking
beam to block their boat from Oracle's detection,
and the jury has also ruled that would be illegal.
Also caught up in the ruling are the commonly used
hand-held laser rangefinders which are now also said
to break the regatta's rules, but they provide far
less data than a sophisticated radar system.
International jury chairman Bryan Willis said they
had not yet asked Oracle what the device on their
boat could do, or if it was a radar. No one had asked
them to.
Instead, the questions from OneWorld and other teams
had been "generic" about what systems were legal or
not.
A clash of rules meant that while the protocol appeared
to provide some legitimacy for laser rangefinders,
another set of rules, in the Notice of Racing, prohibits
teams using anything capable of transmitting or receiving
information off a boat, including readings on wind
speed and direction.
Mr Willis said Team New Zealand and the challengers
would be asked for their views on rangefinders and
other similar equipment, and officials may ratify
their use in the challenger finals and the America's
Cup races.
However, that will still leave questions hanging over
Oracle's device, nicknamed "the goose". In answer
to OneWorld's inquiries, the jury ruled many standard
functions of radars would be illegal.
If Oracle continues to race with the "goose", Alinghi
and Team New Zealand may go one step further than
OneWorld and formally protest, forcing the San Francisco
team to reveal to the jury what the device can do.
Oracle
BMW Racing under legal attacks (12/23/02) (source
: NZ
Herald)
OneWorld will not ask the Arbitration Panel to
investigate documents which appeared to show Oracle
obtained prohibited design data when they bought assets
belonging to 2000 Cup challengers AmericaOne.
"We have heard from Doug Smith for Oracle and he has
assured us Oracle never had those plans," OneWorld
spokesman Bob Ratliffe said. "We have accepted his
word and we will behave like gentlemen. We will not
be taking the matter further."
Like gentlemen but OneWorld has now lodged a question
with the International Jury in asking to check whether
Oracle's radar system is within the rules. Two other
teams have joined McCaw's team.
The radar, nicknamed "the goose" by Oracle crew, has
attracted rival crews' curiosity for some time. Now,
OneWorld is asking the jury if the equipment is legal,
and, if so, can they try to block it.
"We are just seeking clarification," said OneWorld
executive director Bob Ratliffe. "We want to know
if it tracks our boat and our boat speed and whether
we can block our boat."
OneWorld chief executive Gary Wright said his team
had the technology to disrupt the signal and ensure
their boat "disappeared" from radar. "We can either
do that with equipment on the race boat or by beaming
a blocking signal from our chase boat," Wright said.
The jury also would be asked to determine whether
the radar was linked to systems on Oracle's weather
or support boats, which is banned under Louis Vuitton
Cup regatta rules. (America's Cup yachts can receive
data from their weather boats until 10 minutes before
the start of any race).
The jury will continue deliberations, which begun
Sunday night.
