America's Cup: Statement from Golden Gate Yacht Club

by Jane Eagleson

The Golden Gate Yacht Club and BMW Oracle Racing intend to meet with Société Nautique de Genève as soon as possible in an attempt to remove the question mark hanging over the legality of Alinghi's yacht that they will use to defend the forthcoming 33rd America's Cup.

Foremost is the nationality clause in the America's Cup Deed of Gift document which governs the event and requires the yachts of the Challenger of Record and the Defender to be constructed in the country of the yacht club they represent ("CIC").

Last week SNG was informed by GGYC of the obvious illegality of its yachts USA-built sails. Yesterday SNG responded and agreed to meet on the matter.

"With racing scheduled to start in Valencia in just six weeks, we want this serious issue dealt with before the boats come to the starting line," said GGYC spokesman Tom Ehman.

The 33rd Match starts in Valencia, Spain, on February 8th.

"We don't think the sailing world would tolerate the two teams failing to sort this out, especially given that the GGYC first put SNG on notice concerning CIC in July 2008," Ehman said.

"Virtually every racing sailor in the world knows North Sails' molded-construction is proprietary and unique to its Minden plant in the USA. It is the only place in the world where such sails are constructed. Nevada is not Switzerland."

When the two sides meet, GGYC is prepared to give the defender reasonable time to manufacture sails in Switzerland and take other remedial measures.

"Alinghi's sails are not their only CIC problem, only the most obvious," Ehman said.

Failing a satisfactory outcome, GGYC will take the CIC issue to the International Jury.

"What no one wants is the question mark hanging over Alinghi to turn into a question mark hanging over the result of the Match. The time to sort this matter out is right now, not during or after the Match," said Ehman.

Q & A

What does the Deed of Gift require of the Challenging and Defending Yachts?
"... a yacht or vessel propelled by sails only and constructed in the country to which the Challenging Club belongs, against one yacht or vessel constructed in the country of the Club holding the Cup."

What does a yacht or vessel include?
Historically, "yacht or vessel" has always included the hull, appendages, rig and sails.

What does this mean?
Exactly what it say. Constructed does not permit parts made in Switzerland to be added to Alinghi 5 in Italy or Ras Al Khaimah, or sails manufactured in the USA to go to Switzerland for "finishing" and then be called Swiss-made.

Are sails the only issue?
Unfortunately, no. The Nevada sails are the most visible violation. However, Alinghi will need to calrify where other major components have been manufactired and/or fitted to its yacht.

Does Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth believe the Jury should sort out such problems before the Match?
Yes. At the recent World Yacht Racing Forum both Russell Coutts, BMW ORACLE Racing's CEO, and Brad Butterworth agreed that the result on the water should be free from litigation. Coutts said: "Put the Jury in place now and use that Jury to answer open questions that, perhaps, still need to be resolved." Butterworth was asked if this made sense. "Yes it does," the Alinghi skipper replied.

Why is GGYC raising the question now?
We want all issues resolved before racing begins for the 33rd America's Cup. Complying with the Deed of Gift's CIC requirement was first highlighted by GGYC in July 2008. It is much better to get all remaining rules issues resolved now, to avoid protest or litigation during and after the Match as well as causing possible delay to the 34th America's Cup. GGYC has waited for more than a year for SNG to allow ISAF to establish the International Jury. The five person panel was named three weeks ago, but the legal sign-off to enable the Jury to sit is still being held up by SNG.

SNG said GGYC only wants to litigate?
On the contrary, GGYC is trying to avoid litigation be resolving this issue before racing begins. CIC is a central requirement in the Deed and GGYC will not allow SNG to recklessly disregard the rules. SNG must realiye this, especially given that 13 of 14 decisions made by the New York courts have found the Swiss defender's interpretations of the rules to be wrong.

Golden Gate Yacht Club

RSHYR: Wild Oats XI arrives in Alfa Romeo’s wake

Wild Oats XI passing Tasman Island on their way to claim second over the line, 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart. Image copyright ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo.

by Bruce Montgomery

Mark Richards, the skipper of Wild Oats Xl, the four-time line honours winner and record holder of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, vowed to return next year after finishing second to arch rival and near sistership, the New Zealand supermaxi Alfa Romeo, just after midnight this morning.

Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI from NSW crossed the Castray Esplanade finish line at 12.05 am, two hours behind Alfa Romeo and 16 hours outside her own 2005 race record.

It reversed the position when they last met in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, 2005, when Wild Oats XI set the race record of one day 18 hours and 40 seconds, beating Alfa Romeo across the line by 49 minutes.

Richards was gracious in defeat this morning, declaring Neville Crichton had sailed a faultless race.

“It was a tactical race and we never got a look in really,” Richards said, adding that he believed Alfa Romeo had a slight upwind edge exiting Sydney Harbour and on the first evening of the race, which made a difference.

“They had a little edge on us on the first night and the next morning we were in a big parking lot together. They got out first and put 30 miles on us before we knew what had happened. That’s the way it is and congratulations to those guys,” he said.

“We’ve had four wins and a second. You can’t really be unhappy with that. We gave it our best shot and that’s all we could do.

“You have to be a good winner and a good loser; that’s all part of sport. That’s yachting and we’ll be back next year to have another crack at it.”

That promise was echoed by Bob Oatley, who said he was not disappointed by the boat’s performance, even though he had wanted to win the race five times.

Wild Oats XI’s navigator, Adrienne Cahalan, commented: “If I could change anything it would be the way we approached Gabo Island,” adding: “There’s nothing like coming first, but we worked hard and we don’t think we made many mistakes.”

Mike Slade’s ICAP Leopard and Sean Langman’s Investec LOYAL are the next two yachts due to finish the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia organised race. The two super maxis currently have ETA’s of just after 4.30am and shortly after 5.00am respectively.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

RSHYR: Jubilant Crichton glad it's all over

Dockside Presentation of Rolex Yachtmaster and the J H Illingworth trophy – L – R, CYCA Vice Commodore Howard Piggott, Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania Commodore Clive Simpson, Neville Crichton, owner Alfa Romeo and Matteo Mazzanti, Rolex SA. Image copyright ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo.

by Rolex Sydney Hobart media team

A remarkably relaxed and fresh looking Neville Crichton steered his 100 foot supermaxi Alfa Romeo into Constitution Dock this evening after taking line honours in the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

It had been a long haul up the Derwent River, let alone all the way from Sydney, with the variable breeze on the River forcing two headsail changes in the last seven miles. At one stage they dropped down to two knots of boat speed as the breeze evaporated and for 15 minutes it looked as though the dreaded Derwent midnight doldrums were about to descend.

But the breeze picked up and the giant yacht powered up again to about 13 knots for the final lunge to the finish line, crossing at 10.02pm. “I’m glad Wild Oats XI wasn’t at our heels then,” Crichton joked dockside.

In fact Alfa Romeo finished almost 20 nautical miles ahead of her rival, which finished at 12.11am.


Neville Crichton receiving the Rolex Yachtmaster timepiece from Matteo Mazzanti, Rolex SA. Image copyright ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo.

Crichton was positively beaming as he thanked the large crowd that had gathered dockside to welcome him. “We didn’t expect to see anything like this crowd. We’re certainly honoured,” he said. “I’d like to thank the 21 guys in my crew. We didn’t have any problems and I don’t think there was any time in the race when we were passed.”

The scene was very different to four years ago when a despondent Crichton trailed Wild Oats XI across the line by just 49 minutes in her historic double line honours and handicap win.

So was revenge sweet? “Absolutely! Every win is a good win, but it’s taken four years to come back to do it, so it was even nicer.

“They were good competitors but at the end of the day we had the better team.”

Crichton said that he was not surprised at the closeness of the race. At one stage earlier in the day Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI clawed back much of Alfa Romeo’s lead, to be within six miles of her.

“I always believed you could put a blanket over the two boats and that’s the way it was for the whole race. (The difference was) the 21 guys we have. We’ve got the best crew in the world.”

Crichton described the race as very tactical. “There were occasions when we had to take a gamble and hope it paid off. We were very busy the whole race. There were occasions when there was a lot of breeze, and occasions when we drifted, so it made the race much more interesting.

“I don’t think there was any part of the race that counted any more or less. We all had periods we were parked up. I think it was the advantage of making the least amount of mistakes of anybody that won us the race.”

Tom Addis, Alfa Romeo’s navigator, said that the hardest parts of the race were off Gabo Island Sunday morning, and getting through the big hole in the bottom half of Bass Strait last night. "It was a park-up,” he said. "We were confident off Gabo, even though Wild Oats XI came up on us. It was painful, but you just have to be calm and get through it. “The Derwent is hard too,” he added. “You go into it unaware of what the future holds. You see a glassy patch and your heart falls, but you just have to get there and deal with whatever is there, whereas the rest of the race you can plan.”
Helmsman Michael Coxon said that what made the race so taxing were the number of parking lots. “We averaged a 15 to 20 mile lead over Wild Oats XI but you can park up in the last 70 miles of the race and they can sail straight through you. That’s always in the back of your mind.”

This is the 144th win Crichton has enjoyed at the helm of Alfa Romeo, but winning line honours this time has been especially sweet. Unfinished business has at last been done.

“The Rolex Sydney Hobart is the ultimate,” he declared, “and to win it is a good thing to have on your resume. We’ve done it twice.”

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

RSHYR: Alfa Romeo Gets the Gun at the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

ALFA ROMEO, Neville Crichton, crosses the finish line off Hobart. Image copyright ROLEX/Daniel Forster.

by Susan Maffei Plowden

After sailing a near perfect tactical race in extremely difficult conditions, with extremes from a testing 25-knot southerly, with a bumpy seaway through the first night, to a calm in the notoriously rough and windy Bass Strait, Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo was first to finish in the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, with an elapsed time of two days, 9hrs, 2mins, 10secs for the 628nm course.

The line honours win, with a Reichel-Pugh designed canting keel 100-footer, was Sydney-based New Zealander Crichton's second in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. His previous win, in 2002, was with his first Alfa Romeo maxi, a water-ballasted Reichel/Pugh 90.

Alfa, with good speed and crew work, as well as tactics, led from the start, holding off all challenges from her arch-rival Bob Oatley's R/P 100 Wild Oats XI, a very similar design from the same builder, McConaghy Boats in Sydney, launched only a few months apart in 2005, and Mike Slade's (UK) Farr 100, ICAP Leopard.


Matteo Mazzanti, Rolex SA presents Rolex Yachtmaster to Neville Crichton, ALFA ROMEO. Image copyright ROLEX/Daniel Forster.

Wild Oats XI won their first line honours battle with Alfa in the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race by an hour and 16 minutes. Crichton then took Alfa Romeo to the northern hemisphere for the Mediterranean regattas in 2006 and 2007 where Alfa and Oats swapped line honours wins until Wild Oats XI broke her mast in the 2007 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo and was shipped back to Australia. This year's Rolex Sydney Hobart was their first encounter since in a major offshore race.

Crichton's fears of slowing in a southwest headwind in calms in the River Derwent over the last 11 nautical miles to the finish were unfounded. She stalled only once in a light patch and finally steamed home to get the finishing gun at Battery Point just after 2200, with Wild Oats XI 17nm behind (Wild Oats eventually finished just over two hours later.)

A crowd of several hundred people crowded the Constitution Wharf marina to watch the finish and cheer Alfa in to the dock. Asked, as Alfa Romeo berthed, how he was feeling, Crichton said: "It's fantastic and the welcome here in Tasmania is unbelievable."


Neville Crichton (Alfa Romeo) receives the JH Illingworth trophy. Image copyright ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo.

He praised his crew, half of them New Zealanders and half Australian: "The 22 guys I have are the best crew in the world. The two days coming down the coast was hard work and it was good; the boys did a helluva job on the boat and it was very, very close racing."

Was the lack of wind frustrating? "Oh no, we were very busy the whole race."

Did he see the win as sweet revenge for the 2005 defeat by Wild Oats XI? "Every win is a good win. It has taken me four years to come back and do it, so it was even nicer. He added, "Winning the Rolex Sydney Hobart is the ultimate in ocean racing."

Crichton was presented with a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece and the JH Illingworth trophy for his line honours win. The victory-pumped Crichton showed his mischievous sense of humour at the dockside presentation; MC Steve Barker asked Crichton if he had any message for the skippers of Leopard and Wild Oats, who had challenged a couple of times. He raised a big laugh with the answer and a gesture toward the River Derwent: "Where ARE they?"

At 0015, ICAP Leopard was 35.6nm from the finish making 8.6 kn. There were 93 yachts still to finish from a fleet of 100 starters, with five retired.

Audio from Neville Crichton on Alfa Romeo's victory.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

RSHYR: One More Hurdle

Wild Oats XI. Image copyright ROLEX/Daniel Forster.

by Susan Maffei Plowden

Rolex Sydney Hobart Race leader Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo leading over the final miles to the finish of the 628 nautical mile classic and with a healthy 17nm advantage over nearest rival Wild Oats XI faced a final hurdle -- a strong sou'-wester that will give his weary crew a final hard upwind workout.

Through another day of stop-start sailing, Alfa retained the race lead she has held since clearing Sydney Heads. Wild Oats XI, a near sister Reichel/Pugh 100ft maxi, passed Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard and gained on Alfa, which had led her by up to 30 miles throughout the morning.

The three supermaxis had opened a huge 80nm gap on the remainder of the fleet by emerging first from calms and light air created by a high pressure ridge in Bass Strait, then ran into more frustrating light patches off the east coast of Tasmania.

Leopard, the heaviest boat of the three, suffered most, down to just over a knot of boat speed at noon while Alfa and Oats also lost time "parking" in the soft spots.

Wild Oats XI passed Leopard and gained on Alfa to be 13nm behind off Maria Island, 70nm from the finish, with both yachts under spinnakers and traveling at about 14 knots on a nor'-wester that swung northeast under the influence of coastal sea breezes.

But the with the southwest change looming, the race for line honours was not over, Crichton warned. "We still have a lot of racing to do because we are 30 miles from Tasman Island, with another 40 miles into the Derwent and the forecast is for 20-30 knots on the nose, so anything can happen.

"It's difficult because we are going to run into the southerly first and they are still under spinnaker. I guess we will have to wait until we get into the sou'-wester and see where they are, but we will certainly cover wherever possible."

Australia's most respected yachting forecaster Roger Badham sees another hurdle in the wind pattern: a curtain of total calm descending on the Derwent River over the last 11nm to the finish after 2100-2200 hrs.

Wild Oats XI tactician Iain Murray said there were still opportunities to catch Alfa after rounding Tasman Island. "It's a difficult part of the day; sailing into the night. We're in a north-easter; we know there is a sou'-wester around the corner, there will be a transition zone. It's been a very challenging race, keeping the boat going the whole time, obviously doing a lot of tacking and gybing, changing sails. It keeps you right on your toes."

At 1800, Alfa was only 5nm from Tasman Island, 17nm ahead of Oats and making 12.4 knots to Oats' 11.9 kn with Leopard another six miles behind.

The next-sized group of boats, the 50-70 footers, got going again through the day after clearing the Bass Strait doldrums, to make fast progress in the nor'wester which freshened to 15-20kn off Flinders Island and 20-25kn off Eddystone Point at the north-eastern extremity of Tasmania.

On the final miles of the Bass Strait crossing they reached at speeds of 15-17kn under reaching headsails and staysails. One of them, the British Judel/Vrolijk 72 Ran (Niklas Zennstrom), jumped to the top of the overall IRC handicap calculations at 1800, followed by Yendys, Geoff Ross' Reichel/Pugh 55, the TP52 Shogun (Rob Hanna), Reichel/Pugh 63 Loki (Stephen Ainsworth) and Farr 55 Living Doll (Michael Hiatt). Alfa Romeo, which until this morning had led the corrected time calculations, was back in 16th place. But this group still had to traverse the light patches along the Tasmanian coast.

For much of the day, the smaller boats in the back end of the fleet remained stuck in the Bass Strait doldrums or in light southerly headwinds. This afternoon Love & War, the 1970s vintage Sparkman & Stephens 47 that won the Tattersall's Cup IRC overall in the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race in strong upwind conditions, was doing only 3.8kn and was calculated to be 72nd on overall IRC corrected time.

Another 1970s S&S design, the 41-footer Pinta-M (Atse Blei) from the Netherlands, was down to 2.7kn and 54th overall on IRC.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

RSHYR: Alfa Romeo Takes Line Honours

Alfa Romeo passing Tasman Island earlier this afternoon on the way to claiming line honours in this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Image copyright ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo.

by Rolex Sydney Hobart media team

Neville Crichton’s New Zealand supermaxi Alfa Romeo has taken line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, crossing the finish line opposite Castray Esplanade on the Derwent River at 22:02:10hrs for an elapsed time of 2 days, 9 hours, 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

Averaging 10 knots in a reasonably consistent N/NW breeze on the river, the silver maxi made easy work of the final stretch. At last the seasoned crew of twenty two Australian, New Zealand and British round the world and America’s Cup sailors could stop looking over their shoulders.

Crichton led the race from the early hours of Sunday morning when she opened a 20 mile lead on Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI and Mike Slade’s British supermaxi ICAP Leopard.

The win is sweet revenge for the New Zealand yachtsman. Four years ago these same, near identical Reichel Pugh designed maxis staged a dramatic dual in the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart. That year it was Wild Oats XI’s turn, beating Alfa Romeo across the line by 1 hour 16 minutes. Ironically, then it was first use of a wind shift off the NSW coast that gave Wild Oats XI her decisive break. This year it was Crichton’s turn to get the jump, again off the NSW coastline.

That year it was Wild Oats XI’s turn, beating Alfa Romeo across the line by 49 minutes. Ironically, then it was first use of a wind shift off the NSW coast that gave Wild Oats XI her decisive break. This year it was Crichton’s turn to get the jump, again off the NSW coastline.

After that heartbreaking near miss, Crichton took Alfa Romeo to Europe to campaign on the northern hemisphere circuit. This victory marks his triumphant return to the Australian ocean classic.

The Mark Richards skippered Wild Oats XI still had 16 miles to go when Alfa Romeo crossed the line, with ICAP Leopard a further 24 miles astern.

Crichton’s victory brings to an end an extraordinary run of four straight line honours wins for Wild Oats XI, including a rare double line honours and handicap win, plus a new course record set in 2005.

This is the second line honours victory for Crichton. He won in 2002 Rolex Sydney Hobart with a previous Alfa Romeo.

Despite the late hour, one of the biggest spectator fleets in years, accompanied Alfa Romeo up the final few miles of the 628 nautical mile course, while a sizeable crowd gathered along the foreshore to welcome the victorious crew.

Tonight’s win caps an extraordinary tally of 143 line honours wins worldwide for the 100 footer. This year it has set new records in the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic and the TransPac race.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

Vote for Adam Minoprio

Adam Minoprio with the World Match Racing Tour trophy. Image copyright Sander van der Borch/SubZero Images.

by Anne Hinton

Show your support for young successful Kiwi sailors by voting for World #1 match racer, and World Match Racing Tour champions, BlackMatch Racing's skipper, Aucklander Adam Minoprio for this month's Seahorse Sailor of the Month. Click on this link.

World Match Racing Tour