Louis Vuitton Pacific - Off to a flying start
Louis Vuitton Pacific Series - Off to a flying start
� Juerg Kaufmann
Welcome to the third Sail-World newsletter for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series
The opening stanza of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series were played on the Waitemata Harbour today under slightly overcast skies and a moderate southwesterly breeze.
Sailing conditions were excellent and sailing got underway on time and finished on time.
You couldn't have asked for more on the first day in a new innovative event, where everyone is feeling their way.
The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series sits comfortably between the World Match Racing Series and the America's Cup. It seems to have picked up the best elements of each, and will develop further as this series grows over the next 15 days.
Certainly the atmosphere in the Louis Vuitton Village is very relaxed. The mingling of competitors, officials and media is long overdue and will be for the long term betterment of the sport.
On the water the racing is close, as those more at home on the Match Racing circuit push the limits. And those more experienced in America's Cup competition, know where those limits lie, where the advantage should be pushed, and when it is time to take a more measured view.
Team Origin
in retrieval mode at the leeward mark rounding Paul
Todd/Outside Images
In this issue we feature some overviews of the first day's racing, plus the team reports.
Juerg Kaufmann of www.go4images.com has provided a sequence of the hard contact collision between the Greek Challenge and Alinghi from the prestart of the final race of the day.
There were just two penalties issued by the umpires today - the one mentioned against Greek Challenge - and another in the opening match against China Team for forcing a passage at the leeward mark.
The out-take from today would be that the established professional teams still hold the sway, even though everyone is still blowing the rust out of heir pipes. But some have a lot more rust to blow out than others. The length of this series will mean that as the newer combinations come together, the established teams could be in for a fright or two.
Greek Challenge lines up Alinghi's transom as the Swiss slow down in the prestart of the Louis Vuitton Cup, Day 1 � Juerg Kaufmann
Tomorrow a new edge will come into the competition as Russell Coutts in BMW Oracle Racing will be keen to score a win over Dean Barker in Emirates Team New Zealand. The outcome will be that one of the fancied teams will have a loss on their scorecard.
That will lift the intensity of the series from Day 2, and from then on, every match will be a keeper.
Don't miss the story and images on double P class champion, 15year old Oscar Rorvik, and his Practice Day with BMW Oracle Racing as captured by the fine lens of Gilles Martin-Raget. This was another great gesture by BMW Oracle Racing, and another side bar on this friendly series.
Louis Vuitton Pacific Series - Day 1 -
Repairing the Greek Challenge bow Richard Gladwell
You can follow the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series via the live broadcast of the racing on a new station BSport Sailing broadcasting on 103FM and carried on the internet on www.bsport.co.nz. Television New Zealand will also be carrying coverage on www.tvnz.co.nz/sailing..
Stay tuned to www.Sail-World.com for the latest news, images and reports on the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series which will be carried on our network of six websites around the world.
Good sailing!
Richard Gladwell
Editor, Louis
Vuitton Pacific Series
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Louis Vuitton Pacific Series - Day One
- upsets in the air?
Keith Taylor,
The hint of upsets
to come were in the air today off Auckland's North Head as
contestants in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series completed
four races in building gusty, shifty conditions that tested
the skills of crews.... [ more]
Greek's Startline Shunt in
Louis Vuitton Pacifics by go4image.com
Juerg Kaufmann,
go4image.com,
Swiss sailing photographer was positioned
on one of the umpire boats today in the Louis Vuitton
Pacific Series, and took this short sequence of the contact
between Greek Challenge and Alinghi in the pre-start of the
final match of the day...
Images Louis Vuitton Pacific
Series: Day 1- Emirates TNZ vs Italia
Richard Gladwell,
Sail-World,
Images from the match Emirates Team NZ vs
Damiani Italia Challenge... [ more]
Images Louis Vuitton
Pacific Series: Day 1- K-Challenge v China Team
Richard
Gladwell, Sail-World,
Images from the match K-Challenge
vs China Team... [ more]
Team Origin take their first
win in Louis Vuitton Pacific Series
Leslie Ryan,
TEAMORIGIN vs. LUNA ROSSA was the second race of the
day, scheduled to start at 12pm. Near perfect conditions
with about 10-12 knots, slightly overcast. The starting
sequence got underway at 12.10pm and saw the two teams
engage quickly and carry out quite a bit of ‘duelling'
ahead of the start gun. Team Origin headed for the line and
crossed first but only 10m ahead of Luna Rossa.... [
more]
Images of Louis Vuitton Pacifics: Oscar's day
with BMW Oracle Racing
Gilles Martin-Raget,
Less than
a week ago, 15 year old Oscar Rorvik (Tauranga) won the
second leg of the P class double - the Tauranga Cup. He won
the Tanner Cup the week before, joing an elite group of New
Zealanders including Chris Dickson and Dean barker who have
won both trophies. Yesterday Oscar was out on BMW Oracle
Racing with skipper Russell Coutts, himself a winner in the
P class, of the Tanner Cup, back i... [ more]
Images
Louis Vuitton Pacific Series: Day 1- Alinghi vs Greek
Challenge
Richard Gladwell, Sail-World,
Images from
the match Alinghi vs Greek Challenge... [ more]
Images
Louis Vuitton Pacific Series: Day 1- Team Origin vs Luna
Rossa
Richard Gladwell, Sail-World,
Images from the
match Team Origin vs Luna Rossa... [ more]
Shosholoza
ready for battle against the world's best
Di Meek,
South Africa's Team Shosholoza is among the line up of
ten crack international teams representing the cream of the
America's Cup, the Olympics and the World Match Racing
circuit ready to do battle when the inaugural Louis Vuitton
Pacific Series started in Auckland, New Zealand today.... [
more]
Greek Challenge has encouraging debut in Louis
Vuitton Pacific Series
Pierre Orphanidis, Greek
Challenge,
Greek Challenge, the first ever America's Cup
team from Greece, made its debut in the Louis Vuitton
Pacific Series facing one of the toughest possible
opponents. Gavin Brady and the rest of the Greek Challenge
crew had the formidable task of racing against the Defender
and 2-time winner of the America's Cup, Alinghi.... [
more]
Audio: Louis Vuitton Pacific Series Media
Conference - Day 1
Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com,
Audio file of the Media Conference following the
conclusion of racing after the first day of competition in
the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. Hear Gavin Brady (Greek
Challenge) and Ed Baird (Alinghi) discuss their perspective
of the pre-start contact incident.... [ more]
France's
Pataugas by K-Challenge beats Team China
Stephainie
Nardin,
First day, first race, first point: the Louis
Vuitton Pacific Series have started well this morning for
the Pataugas by K-Challenge crew, who was sailing against
the new China Team, with Ian Williams, current World Match
Racing Champion, leading the team.... [ more]
Louis
Vuitton Pacific Series finishes first day with some
surprises
Richard Gladwell, Sail-World,
The first day
of racing in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series has just
concluded in Auckland. Sailed in a moderate southwesterly of
up to 15kts, which blew straight down the Waitemata Harbour,
the established teams carried the day, however they were
given a hurry up by some of the newer players.... [
more]
Louis Vuitton Pacific Series - Accomodation and
Viewing packages
Maggie Joyce,
Louis Vuitton Pacific
Series - Mariner Boating Holidays have accommodation and
race viewing packages available during the series.... [
more]
Louis Vuitton Pacific Series skippers meet the
Press on eve of battle
Keith Taylor,
Ten of the
world's top match racing skippers met the press tonight in a
crowded ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
(RNZYS) and all promised to deliver two weeks of close and
intense racing for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series
Trophy.... [ more]
Ben Ainslie and TEAMORIGIN ready to
lock horns and start racing!
Leslie Ryan,
TEAMORIGIN,
the British Challenger for the 33rd America's Cup, is one of
10 teams set to lock horns on Friday 30th January in the new
‘Louis Vuitton Pacific Series' event taking place in
Auckland, New Zealand. They will compete in the initial
series of round robin races over five days against their
‘pool' of four other America's Cup teams... [
more]
Louis Vuitton Pacific Series
30/01/09
The
Louis Vuitton Pacific Series is being held in association
with the New Zealand Government, Emirates Team New Zealand,
the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS), Auckland City
and Sky City
Group...
ends