It took just one race in the weather-delayed 33rd America’s Cup for BMW Oracle Racing to show that the radical wing sail on its monster trimaran is a game-changer.
So superior is Oracle’s yacht, it looks as if the Auld Mug will be safely back in American hands by this morning, barring a catastrophic gear failure or yet another weather delay in race two overnight.
What we witnessed in race one really was historic – a crushing 15m 28s victory to Oracle. The reason for such a convincing win is simple: their yacht is of another generation. Technical wizardry aboard this boat is unrivalled.
The speed, lift and horsepower generated from the wing created a huge performance gap that Alinghi have little hope of overturning.
Even Alinghi president Ernesto Bertarelli, at the helm for the Swiss in race one, seemed pretty resigned to the fact that the America’s Cup will soon be setting sail for the States.
So what will become of the event once the cup is in Larry Ellison’s clutches?
If the Americans win, it appears the bitter legal wrangling between the two billionaires will cease, but given their history we can’t be sure.
Certainly, there are very few legal avenues for Alinghi to pursue and Bertarelli has stated categorically he intends for the America’s Cup to be decided on the water at this regatta.
It would be the height of hypocrisy for him to turn around and try to wrest back the cup through the courts after accusing Oracle of doing the very same thing for the past couple of years.
If it is all decided overnight Oracle will very quickly announce a “hip-pocket” challenger and I expect the new protocol for the 34th America’s Cup will be drawn up swiftly.
The word around the traps is Oracle have a challenger of record sewn up and the framework of the new protocol is already written.
I hope it will be a traditional format in monohulls and opened up for the challengers without any interference from the defender, and the vibe I get from Oracle is that they will take their responsibilities as a defender to get the America’s Cup back on track very seriously.
The one regret I may have about seeing the prestigious event return to a traditional multi-challenger event in monohulls is that it would make white elephants of the magnificent machines we’ve seen in Valencia this week.
Perhaps this is why many people here keep asking whether there is a place for multihulls in future America’s Cup campaigns.
The popular view has always been that multihulls aren’t really suited for match-racing, but after the weekend’s race I’m a little bit undecided on that.
There were a lot of the times in race one that both boats were actually quite close to each other, and the only reason they got separated was because Oracle was so much faster than Alinghi.
The pre-start was exhilarating and there was plenty of action on the upwind leg. So who says multihull boats aren’t exciting?
I think the multihull option is one that should be left on the table.
Dear Mr. Lester,
I’ve followed the Louis Vuitton Trophy from Italy. It was my first approach to sailing so I was disoriented. I decided to listen to the English commentary because it included sounds live from the water. At first I didn’t know the technical terms and your accent was a bit unfamiliar to my ears, plus there was the 12 hour gap, so I had to fight with sleep all the time.
But as races followed races, thank to your 20 year-old bright and charming voice, along with your competence, I started to enjoy the trophy. Now I’m a member of the local sailing club.
If I am asked who made me love sailing, I’ll answer “a gentleman from New Zealand named Peter Lester.”
Respectfully,
Paolo
Hi Pete..quick note to say hi from christchurch,,hope all is well with you..Jan