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Larry
Ellison starts well in regatta on SF Bay (06/21/03)
(source
:
SF
Chronicle)
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Billionaire skipper Larry Ellison (and
afterguard which includes Kiwi helmsmen Chris
Dickson and Gavin Brady) captured the first
race on San Francisco Bay on Friday in fickle
winds ranging from 20 knots to near zero.
Ellison's boat drifted over the starting line
in a light breeze, then dominated the race.
Heavy gusts blew out the spinnakers of Il Moro
di Venezia and two other yachts on the downwind
leg. As the Oracle chief sailed to victory,
the wind dropped and his four competitors were
becalmed on the final legs of the 24-mile course.
Ellison's yacht finished about 40 minutes ahead
of its closest rival, NZL 14.
Ellison holds a distinct advantage in the regatta:
He is sailing USA 76, one of two ultra-fast
yachts his team built last year for the America's
Cup trials in New Zealand. Others are sailing
vintage yachts from the 1992 America's Cup races,
which have been restored with new fittings,
paint and fresh racing sails. |
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The first regatta of the Challenge Series
for this season, kicks off on Friday June 20
and final preparations are well underway. The
fleet is sporting new sails and crews have been
supplemented with professional sailors hot off
the recent America's Cup 2003 campaign in New
Zealand.
Yachts scheduled to race this weekend include
USA 11 (helm - John Sweeney and Tina Kleinjan),
USA 76 - Oracle BMW Racing (helm - Larry Ellison),
NZL-20 (helm - Karie and David Thomson), ITA
1 - Il Moro di Venezia (helm - Peter Stoneberg),
and NZL 14 (helm - Mary Coleman).
Former members on Seattle's OneWorld Challenge
will be on board NZL-20, with Charlie McKee
as tactician and David Endean on bow. The new
Oracle BMW Racing team will see Gavin Brady
and Chris Dickson in the afterguard. On board
Il Moro di Venezia Dee Smith will be on tactics.
USA 11, sponsored by Wells Fargo, will have
David Barnes calling tactics. Barnes' prior
America's Cup experience includes positions
as Team GBR manager, Team New Zealand skipper
and crew member on America True. |
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The Challenge Series has begun operations
at the new America's Cup Class Yachting Center
on Pier One at Treasure Island in the heart
of San Francisco Bay. The compound will provide
a base for the America's Cup Class yachts that
will be racing in an annual regatta series on
San Francisco Bay.
Pier One is being subleased from The Treasure
Island Development Authority, which is charged
with managing the transition of the island from
the military use to the public use.
"Treasure Island is a fantastic home for these
special, historic yachts, particularly given
it's location in the middle of the Bay, offering
close proximity to San Francisco and our company
base in Sausalito," commented Tina Kleinjan,
co-founder of The Challenge Series. " |
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Wells Fargo, a diversified financial services
company with more than 13,000 team members and
350 financial services stores in San Francisco,
today announced it will sponsor The Challenge
Series.
The Wells Fargo team will compete on USA 11
(formerly Stars & Stripes), a 75-foot yacht
that sailed Team Dennis Conner to the 1992 America's
Cup Finals.
"Wells Fargo is proud to support this world-class
series of yachting events," said Herb Myers,
Business Priority Banking Head with Wells Fargo
in San Francisco. "The thrill of big boat racing
will be right here in the San Francisco Bay."
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The International America's Cup Class of
San Francisco (IACCSF), today announced that
its annual Regatta Series has been officially
named, The Challenge Series.
The regatta series, launched in San Francisco
during the 2002 summer racing season, was previously
and informally referred to as IACC SF. Following
the success of the 2002 IACC events raced on
San Francisco Bay, event founders John Sweeney
and Tina Kleinjan confirmed that the series
would become an ongoing annual event.
"Over and above the success of our informal
series in 2002, the desire was apparent from
the challenger teams who participated in the
2002-2003 Louis Vuitton and America's Cup Regattas
in New Zealand to keep the racing momentum going
with the current class of America's Cup yachts,"
stated John Sweeney. "The Challenge Series held
annually on San Francisco Bay will provide that
opportunity."
In the past, the very expensive America's Cup
yachts have been used for testing and then simply
discarded once The America's Cup events have
finished. John Sweeney and Tina Kleinjan have
built a business rebuilding older International
America's Cup Class yachts and providing the
perfect racing environment for them on San Francisco
Bay.
With up to ten teams participating in the 2003
season, including Larry Ellison's Oracle BMW
Racing, corporate sponsors such as Wells Fargo
see The Challenge Series as an ideal marketing
tool.
Yachts currently scheduled to race this season
include Stars and Stripes, New Zealand Challenge,
Il Moro di Venezia, NZL-20, Le Defi Areva, and
K-Yachting Challenge.
The complete 2003 IACCSF racing schedule is
as follows:
- The Sausalito Cup - June 20-22,
- The Il Moro Trophy - July 25-27,
- The Golden Gate Cup - Sept. 6-14,
- The 2003 IACC Worlds on Oct. 11-19. |
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