Audemars
Piguet with the Swiss Team
(04/19/01) (source
: sail-online.fr)
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.
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)
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.
Swiss
and British may train together (03/15/01) (source
: Madforsailing)
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.
UBS
with Swiss Challenge (01/23/01) (source : Swiss
Challenge)
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.
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).
Desperately
seeking Swiss sailors (10/23/00) (source : Le
Défi.com)
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.
Jochen
Schuemann to Join Bertarelli (10/16/00) (source : Le
Temps)
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".
