Men in Black

Leading the way towards the White House yesterday, 

the men in black!

Preparing to meet a President

Speaking the day after meeting President Barack Obama and opening the NASDAQ exchange, skipper James Spithill said: 'It goes to show you, anything can happen in America! The White House was awesome. We were all excited by it, and then when you actually get there, it is amazing.'

And on the vibe in Washington and NYC, he said: 'It's good to feel the energy of the people. A lot of people are really excited about the America's Cup and that's great to see. I think it is important to take the Cup out and show it to people.'

Meeting the President

The team was welcomed into the East Room of the White House on Tuesday to meet with President Obama, who offered his congratulations on the America's Cup victory.

The President spoke with team owner Larry Ellison, skipper Jimmy Spithill and CEO Russell Coutts about the Match and said while he isn't a sailor, he'd be interested in having a go on the trimaran!

The President was also the first to see the America's Cup after the results of the 33rd Match had been engraved on the trophy.

More on the White House visit is on the America's Cup website.

(President Barack Obama greets members of the America's Cup Team in the East Room of the White House, June 29, 2010 - Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

NYC and NASDAQ

It's been quite a morning in New York for the team as the team made an appearance on CBS on 'The Early Show' and then opened the NASDAQ exchange.

Many team members are on the tour, which continues on to Newport, Rhode Island on Thursday. This is what trimmer Dirk de Ridder had to say on the trip so far...

The engraving of the Cup

BMW ORACLE Racing has had the result of the historical 33rd America's Cup Match engraved on the America's Cup trophy by Biro and Sons Silversmiths.

Trophy and team will be in New York on Wednesday and Newport, Rhode Island on Thursday.

(Images by Ron Sellers)

Watch the team on CBS

Skipper Jimmy Spithill and other team members are in NYC today. It's an early start, with the team opening the trading day on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

But first, a visit to the CBS Early Show. Check it out - the team is due up just before 0830 EDT.

BMW ORACLE Racing to open NASDAQ stock exchange

The BMW ORACLE Racing team, winners of the 33rd America’s Cup in February, will ring the NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell on Wednesday June 30th at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City’s Times Square.

Skipper James Spithill (AUS) will lead the American team in ringing the bell to mark the opening of the trading day.

The NASDAQ Opening Bell ceremony will be simultaneously displayed on the NASDAQ MarketSite tower, NASDAQ's iconic digital sign in the heart of Times Square and the NASDAQ MarketSite broadcast studio wall.

The America’s Cup represents one of the most demanding sporting and technological achievements in the world. The oldest trophy in international sport, it has been contested 33 times, and held by just six yacht clubs over its 159-year history.

The BMW ORACLE Racing team is an international line-up of the best sailing, design, engineering and boatbuilding talent in the world and was created 10 years ago by Larry Ellison (USA) with the goal of winning the America’s Cup and bringing it back to the United States. The team realized its ambition in February, beating the defender, Alinghi, 2-0 in a Match off the coast of Valencia, Spain.

The visit to New York City is part of a tour of the east coast of the United States. The team will visit Newport, Rhode Island (Thursday), the home of the America’s Cup for much of the 20th century.

Draft Protocol released

A Draft Protocol for the 34th America's Cup has been released to potential teams. Full story (and download of the draft document) is available over at www.americascup.com...

America's Cup in Newport next week

On Thursday, July 1st, the America's Cup will be in Newport, Rhode Island, on public display in central Newport at Bannister's Wharf in the morning and then at Fort Adams.

A 'Cup Victory Tour Luncheon' is planned at Fort Adams, including a multimedia presentation by the team - proceeds to benefit Sail Newport, Rhode Island’s non-profit, public sailing center.

“BMW ORACLE Racing’s Cup Tour in Newport will re-introduce thousands of Rhode Islanders to the America’s Cup. More importantly, we will showcase the America’s Cup to the next generation of sailors, the youth sailing community of Narragansett Bay,” said Brad Read, Executive Director of Sail Newport. “Sailing is a life sport. We are eager to further promote our message that anyone can learn to sail, no matter what age.”

More info here.

Speed to burn

This great video comes via Tom Ehman, who was in Copenhagen over the weekend. He received the link from Johan Granath (www.persept.se), who happened to shoot BMW ORACLE Racing screaming downwind on Saturday, when racing was cancelled because of too much breeze. 

Skipper Larry Ellison said they hit 25 knots before racing was called off and they returned, reluctantly by all accounts, to port. Maybe you don't need a trimaran to sail fast...

Copenhagen wrap

BMW ORACLE Racing wins RC44 Copenhagen Cup

Team owner Larry Ellison converted a steady day in the top half of the fleet into an overall win at the RC44 Copenhagen Cup on Sunday. 

Skippering BMW ORACLE Racing to three top-four finishes on the day Ellison won the fleet racing by a three point margin over Pieter Heerema's 'No Way Back'.

The fleet race win, combined with a second place finish in the match racing series, was too powerful a combination for the competition and BMW ORACLE Racing has now won two consecutive RC44 Championship Tour events.


"This has been a fantastic event," said Larry Ellison after racing. "Yesterday we practiced in strong winds and reached the speed of 25 knots. In hindsight, it has helped us a lot today: I felt very confident and more precise at the helm. Having said this people sometimes put too much credit on the helmsman: this is a real team effort and all the guys did a great job. Russell was also fantastic at making the tactical choices.”

It was a good day all around, with '17', another boat in the fleet loaded with BMW ORACLE Racing talent won two of the three races to finish in fifth place for the fleet racing and overall.

Breeze on in Copenhagen

Racing was cancelled today in Denmark at the RC44 Copenhagen Cup with winds reaching up to 35 knots. The teams left the dock and the more adventurous raised their spinnakers en route to the start area, but to no avail. Still, it made for some good images from Gilles Martin-Raget.

(The cancellation was a disappointment for HRH Frederik, Crown 

Prince of Denmark who was scheduled to race on board '17' 

but had to settle for a short sail instead.)

(Those in town hoping to watch some racing were instead treated to the America's Cup trophy on display at the Royal Danish Yacht Club)

Fleet racing in CPH

The RC44 Copenhagen Cup has moved into the fleet race portion of the regatta. Results are at the event website here. And below is how it looked through the lens for GMR.

(Catching a ride on BMW ORACLE Racing is a past Commodore of the 

Seattle Yacht Club, Chris Otorowski, who won the coveted spot via an 

auction at the club to benefit junior sailing during the West Coast tour earlier this year) 

Strong finish for BMW ORACLE Racing

Another good day on the water for the Ellison/Coutts combo on BMW ORACLE Racing who opened the day with a victory over James Spithill and co. on team '17'.

The win for Ellison brings his record up to 2-0 over Spithill this year. More importantly, it contributed a valuable point to BMW ORACLE Racing's Round Robin record, at 6 and 3 for six points, it was good enough for second place in the match racing regatta.

Spithill's team '17' finished the match racing at 5 and 4, just one point back, but in fifth place.

See the official regatta report here.

A familiar face in Copenhagen

Murray Jones, the Team New Zealand and Alinghi strategist, who is to be inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame later this year, was on the water in Denmark today taking in the action at the RC44 Copenhagen Cup. 

Fast and furious

After the relatively sedate pace of racing at the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Sardinia, the RC44 Copenhagen Cup took off like a rocket on day one, with many of the same names and faces enjoying the great, if cooler, racing conditions.

PRO Peter Reggio - yes, the one and the same - was able to complete 28 matches today, over half of the round robin for the ten boat fleet.

BMW ORACLE Racing, with Larry Ellison as skipper, and team '17' skippered by James Spithill, are both sitting on identical 3 and 3 records following completion of the day's racing. 

"We had a couple of good and not so good races today," said Russell Coutts, who is tactician for Ellison on the BMW ORACLE Racing boat. "Tomorrow is another day."

And a big day at that with BMW ORACLE Racing scheduled to face team '17' - Ellison versus Spithill. Stay tuned for tomorrow's report on that one..

In the meantime, Gilles Martin-Raget was braving the cool conditions on the Øresund today to get these images.

RC44 Copenhagen Cup

The RC44 Copenhagen Cup begins today in Denmark. You can follow live updates on the event website here. And read more about the teams BMW ORACLE Racing has participating here.

We'll have reports from Copenhagen over the coming days.

America's Cup in La Maddalena

The America's Cup was on display in La Maddalena at the Louis Vuitton Trophy race village all weekend, courtesy of the BMW ORACLE Racing team and GGYC.

It was a popular draw for the weekend crowds, who were keen to get a glimpse of the Auld Mug.

(The America's Cup in La Maddalena - Bob Grieser / Louis Vuitton)

A great final in Sardinia

The Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena finished today with a fantastic five race final between Emirates Team New Zealand. The Kiwis won the event by winning the final three races to overcome a 2-0 deficit. 

The Russian Synergy team, on the back of their charismatic skipper Karol Jablonski and talented tactician (and ex-BOR team member) Rod Dawson, pushed the experienced Kiwis to the limit. (Photos courtesy of Paul Todd / Bob Grieser / Louis Vuiton Trophy / Outsideimages)

(Emirates Team New Zealand leads Synergy around the track)

Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, 

congratulates Dean Barker, Kiwi skipper)

There's more on the event website at www.louisvuittontrophy.com

Watch the highlights from Sardinia

The 26-minute highlight programmes from La Maddalena are online at www.eurovisionsports.tv
There will be seven highlight shows in total. The first three are already online... Just go to the site and search for Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Forever young

A great night on Thursday evening for Jane Eagleson who has handled PR and media for the team for the past seven years, culminating with the Cup win in February.

Jane celebrated a milestone birthday on Thursday in La Maddalena, surrounded by friends and colleagues gathered over a long career in sailing and the America's Cup.

(Karen Webb, Oracle; Jane Eagleson; Stephanie Nadin, All4One; Christine Belanger, Louis Vuitton)

Happy birthday Jane!

Great video of Tuesday's matches

Although it looks like it was too little, too late, BMW ORACLE Racing sailed a couple of brilliant races to pick up two points in their last races of the Round Robin. But with the RR winding down today, the team is in ninth place. Only the top eight proceed to the quarterfinals.

Nonetheless, yesterday's races were exciting ones and the LVT television crew picked up most of the action. Here's their daily summary including both of BOR's exciting and effective pre-starts.

All but out

BMW ORACLE Racing has all but been eliminated from the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena.

A win by Azzurra over TeamOrigin means BOR is almost certain to finish in ninth place equal on points with eighth place Luna Rossa, but losing the tie-break. 

Here are some shots from event photographer Paul Todd from today's comprehensive win over Mascalzone Latino.

And now we wait

BMW ORACLE Racing has done its part today with two wins from two starts to complete the Round Robin at 3-6. In the first match, skipper James Spithill and tactician John Kostecki dominated the prestart against Mascalzone Latino, getting two penalties on helmsman Gavin Brady before the start gun had even fired.

In the second match with Azzurra, there were no penalties, but another strong pre-start saw BMW ORACLE Racing cross the starting line with a nice lead they would hold all the way around the track.

Now the team is keeping a close eye on the Azzurra / TeamOrigin match. A win by the British would allow BOR to make the quarterfinals...

Here's what skipper Jimmy Spithill had to say following today's race.

He went on to say the sailing team would move from here, back to the RC 44 circuit before returning to ACC competition against TeamOrigin in Cowes at the beginning of August and then back at the Louis Vuitton Trophy in November. 

And, like many of the sailors here, Jimmy said he thinks there's room for improvement in the format of the LVT events, which see a lot of down time for the crews with only two of 10 teams racing at once. "It's been interesting to see how the event has been run. I think there need to be some changes, some improvements, but it's exciting to think about what we could make of these events."

Big race coming against Azzurra

PRO Peter Reggio has roared through the schedule today. The match against Azzurra is up next and due to start earlier than anticipated with a warning signal at 1340 local (GMT+2).

That's more like it

The BMW ORACLE Racing team is holding up its end of the bargain so far today, which means winning races. 

An outstanding pre-start by James and the guys saw them throw two penalties on Gavin Brady and his Mascalzone Latino team before the start gun had even fired. This translated into a nearly a 200-metre lead which they carried for the entire race.

The team moves to 2-6 with the win and has one race remaining in the round robin, against Azzurra, in the fourth match of the day. That one should go around 1500 this afternoon, but check www.louisvuittontrophy.com to see how the racing is progressing today.

All or nothing

It's a day to win races here in La Maddalena for the BMW ORACLE Racing team. With just two races remaining in its round robin and only one point on the board, the team must win both scheduled races in order to advance. But even at that, the guys will need some help. The two teams it is possible to catch are Luna Rossa and Azzurra. In the case of Luna Rossa, BOR would need to finish one point clear ahead, having lost their head to head race, so they need Aleph to beat LR today. In the case of Azzurra, BOR races them today and must win, but will also need TeamOrigin to beat the Italian team in order to have a shot. 

BMW ORACLE Racing opens the day with a match against Mascalzone Latino, and then meets Azzurra in the fourth match on the schedule. Racing is scheduled to start with a warning signal at 0900 on Tuesday. Follow the event website for scheduling updates.