A Lament for 2013

The "Sneaky Frenchman". Photo Mark Wharton Reid, from a "privileged" pier somewhere in San Diego.


While we all watched from an adjacent pier to the majestic aircraft carrier the US Midway with much anticipation, waiting the action to begin in this new era of the “stadium sailing” America’s Cup; swiping stories; it became apparent from the start (starts) that the game has changed. Not just with a reaching first leg, or two hulls rather than one but, with a great many things.
We understand the urgency that the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) now feels when they think they have to resurrect a dinosaur. It has been tough to recapture the energy and excitement of the “greatest spectacle in (yacht) racing.”
There was nothing like the euphoria that was felt when Alinghi inched over the finish line in Race 7 against Emirates New Zealand by 1 second off Valencia in one of the greatest races in the history of the event; sans 1983 when Australia 2 captured the ‘Cup.
The emotion of the moment was overwhelming and poof!! It evaporated in a nano- second when the Swiss snubbed the Kiwis in victory lane and shortly thereafter announced that the Club Nautico Español de Vela (CNEV) would be the Challenger of Record (COR) and ever since then the makers have been trying to market whatever magic was in that bottle at the time. PS: The genie is long gone!
As for the racing. There was some good stuff. The fog comes courtesy of San Francisco. Terry Hutchinson and Artimus Racing captured the day with some tricky maneuvers, though not quite as slick as the French who nipped Oracle 5 to make the final.
Holding a 10-second lead early in the race, ORACLE Racing Coutts misjudged the optimum course to the leeward gate. Skipper Darren Bundock and crew were forced to perform an extra maneuver which allowed Aleph to gain the lead and extend to an unassailable advantage.
“We’re a little disappointed with that race,” said Bundock, skippering his first ACWS event. “We got off the start line well and were going well but got stuck at the bottom mark. We didn’t quite lay it properly and Aleph had the inside and we had to jibe away.”
Leaving the American Team to lament on the way to the locker room when asked; "what did they learn today?" That they got beat by the "sneaky French."
There was an aire of familiarity to the whole scene; a steady onslaught of light shifty breezes, false starts, protests, course corrections; many of the names on the backs of the padded out dumpling-like warriors were the same. Though a note to the ACEA; change the protective gear.
Sometimes it makes many of the crew look like little kids who stuffed their tight long underwear, with pillows to battle each other with their cardboard swords in makeshift forts in the family room.
You’d think with the European “fashionistas” like Louis Vuitton, Puma and Prada would dress up the crews to look like the Volvo or Vendee Globe teams. Those crews have a look of space age coolness to them that only Jules Verne could have envisioned, not these jock strap uniforms that look like grand-dad in diapers.
In fact it isn’t every day when an America’s Cup Village is swarming with Boise State fans’ from Idaho. That was surreal in itself. Not to mention the replica of the America drifting around the space age AC 45’s like the ship was lost in a time warp. Oh yeah, we’re next to the Midway, not the Nimitz! This isn’t the “Final Countdown” after all.
But, just as they have assimilated into the BSC mainstream like they have always belonged, so have they here; the Bronco Nation were quite interested, quite articulate and they loved the AC 45 interactive experience ride, must have been the “bucking” action on the trampoline netting!
Speaking of Europe, the organizers need to remember that we are not in Valencia, Spain anymore! The 2013 America’s Cup is going to be held here, in America, not in the crumbling Eurozone. Be it San Francisco (hopefully), which is about as European of an American cities go.
But, alas all is not the same in San Diego. “The world has changed,” indeed as Sir Russell Coutts lamented last year, “this is not you father’s America’s Cup” it is certainly reminiscent of the “facebook” generation, who ironically are fleeing the fading fad in droves as the corporate world erect, enact higher & higher levels and walls of security.
As we traded barbs on that pier, like we were sitting back on the sprawling lawns of Castle Hill in Newport, RI trading words of “cupspeak” someone astutely pointed out “why are they racing in these boats?” There are no points involved. “It’s practice man, we’re talking about practice!” Thank you, Alan Iverson. The AC 45’s aren’t even the boats they will be competing for the ‘Cup in.
In fact training on an AC 45 is like “practicing” for the Indy 500 in stock cars. The point being, this is really AC 34 101. Its back to school for an entire generation of America’s Cup monohull rock stars who need to learn how to race catamarans. Don’t get me wrong, these guys are good. What Jimmy Spithill did and learned on BMW Oracle’s tri-maran in two short years was brilliant!
As far as the AC 45’s go, they do look pretty cool. There is a technical level of sophistication to them. They do take off in a puff like birds on flights of fancy, but they need to be put out to pasture; soon, and given to the kids for the AC Youth World Series.
Why wait to launch the AC 72’s? Money? Cost savings?
No, its called competition. The America’s Cup has never been about a level playing field. Its about an inherent advantage by the home team. Right now, Oracle has a corner on the market in large monohull wing technology and multiple AC 45’s! The shorter the time span for training and development, the bigger the advantage for the defenders.
Even with Emirates Team New Zealand and Italy’s Luna Rosa pooling design resources, it may not be enough to climb the mountain, this time. For the most part all the teams are spending their millions for next time.
What is lacking is star power and soap opera drama. Not Bill Walton, no offense, but Kim Kardeshian!.
To get this America’s Cup off the ground and into the mainstream, we need for Larry Ellison, when he’s kicking back on their 450 ft yacht; the Rising Sun, with his friend David Geffen to have the media mogul exert his vast influence to draw in some Hollywood wives into AC 34.
Even with the new AC 45’s there is a feeling of; “been there, done that.” As with the press debacle, the event is caught up in a web of its own making that was spun generations ago; of sophisticated snobbery.
The America’s Cup is the majestic sport of kings. Of the Gods! After all, Artimus, daughter of Zeus is being invoked into the imagery here. What is missing is drama. There is no Dennis Conner plotting to reclaim the ‘Cup from the Australians who stole it in a “Dutch” boat or the “evil” Michael Fay sneaking in a Deed of Gift challenge to the San Diego Yacht Club while the “bickering Bickerson’s” were trying to figure out if the races were going to be in San Diego or Hawaii.
Even the corporations are missing. I guess its tough to rub elbows with someone, who has put the fear into his corporate competitors of getting rubbed out! The styrofoam “safer barriers” with the names of a few corporate providers, being dragged around and on the race course, just doesn’t cut it’
This is a great event, in spite of itself. They are trying to do good things. Put the pretense behind, open the doors of your world to everyone and relish in the possibilities of 2013 in San Francisco.
In conclusion; an observation, there are good things going on. This has a chance to be more than a one-time affair. The prospect of AC 72’s thrashing and crashing it out on San Francisco Bay as they rip around Alcatraz Island will be like a mind blowing thrill ride for all in attendance. And its free!
Though a note to the challengers; yacht designers are doing great things with monohulls these days, they are not just “lead bottomed money gobblers”.