I wonder what state the challenger teams in the America’s Cup would be in right now if the original AC90 class had gone ahead as planned. It was only just over a year ago when Alinghi revealed the fruits of their design work with a number of other challenger teams, for an ambitious 90-footer, of which any team would be allowed to build up to two hulls. Two hulls would have meant having two full-time crews to train, tune and race in them...
Just got back from a windy week at Weymouth where the world's best Olympic sailors have been battling at Skandia Sail for Gold. We've created a special page at SailJuice.com full of videos and interviews with some of the sailors we spoke to in Weymouth.
Watch a John Belushi lookalike hand out some wonderful advice to the crew from the comfort of the cockpit. A great example of how to encourage the very worst from your team mates. It almost makes you wonder if this is a spoof, but I don't think so....
In part 2 of our interview with Stevie Morrison, the 49er World Champion tells how much of an influence the Exmouth sailing scene had on his - and many other sailing stars' - careers. Stevie also looks at his 49er career to date and his hopes for the Olympics in China...
Olympic sailing partnerships are a hard thing to get right. Getting the chemistry right between two ultra-competitive, highly driven individuals is very tough. Normally, a helm and a crew will seek each other out because they recognise each other for their talent. They work on the friendship later. And there have been very successful partnerships that have worked like that, where the friendship was very much secondary to the professional sailing relationship. Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes, on the other hand, have been friends with each other since they were in short trousers.
Rohan Veal shows how it's done in the International Moth. Sailing on Lake Garda where he won the 2007 World Championships, Rohan takes his Bladerider through foiling tacks and gybes and makes it look easy.
Tornado World Champions, Roland and Nahid Gaebler, use the power of the catamaran to pull along a wakeboarder behind them! Nice work, and beautifully executed video...
After nearly two years working with Movistar on the Volvo Ocean Race, Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez have picked up their 49er Olympic campaign right where they left off. They won Gold in Athens in August 2004 but raced in just three regattas during 2005. The Spanish returned to competition on home waters at the Princess Sofia Regatta in early April where they finished fourth. And then at the ISAF Grade 1 Olympic regatta in Hyeres they won, including the final Medal Race.
How Andy Rice & Nick Murphy won the 2003 Bloody Mary in the 49er. "We expected to have a fight on our hands with Dave Hall and Simon Hiscocks, but when their jib came separated from the forestay on the first tack, we had a clear jump on the rest of our fleet. This was a huge benefit for us, as now we could focus on looking forwards...."
Heading out into the Atlantic 15 hours later, Desjoyeaux surely had little more in mind than getting to Guadeloupe in one piece. But little was anyone to realise that the demolition derby was only half way through. With five capsizes and numerous retirements - not to mention the complete disintegration of Peyron's Fujifilm - the outcome of this race was proving about as predictable as the Grand National at Aintree.....
Watch a John Belushi lookalike hand out some wonderful advice to the crew from the comfort of the cockpit. A great example of how to encourage the very worst from your team mates. It almost makes you wonder if this is a spoof, but I don't think so....
The Notice of Series and the Rules of the Series....
Rohan Veal shows how it's done in the International Moth. Sailing on Lake Garda where he won the 2007 World Championships, Rohan takes his Bladerider through foiling tacks and gybes and makes it look easy.
Tornado World Champions, Roland and Nahid Gaebler, use the power of the catamaran to pull along a wakeboarder behind them! Nice work, and beautifully executed video...
How Andy Rice & Nick Murphy won the 2003 Bloody Mary in the 49er. "We expected to have a fight on our hands with Dave Hall and Simon Hiscocks, but when their jib came separated from the forestay on the first tack, we had a clear jump on the rest of our fleet. This was a huge benefit for us, as now we could focus on looking forwards...."
Heading out into the Atlantic 15 hours later, Desjoyeaux surely had little more in mind than getting to Guadeloupe in one piece. But little was anyone to realise that the demolition derby was only half way through. With five capsizes and numerous retirements - not to mention the complete disintegration of Peyron's Fujifilm - the outcome of this race was proving about as predictable as the Grand National at Aintree.....