Congratulations to BMW ORACLE Racing boatbuilders Mark Turner and Tim Smyth who’ve been voted the Seahorse Sailors of the Month for September. Turner and Smyth were recognized for their determined effort organizing and coordinating the construction of the 90-foot long (on waterline) and 90-foot wide trimaran USA, which won the 33rd America’s Cup Match last February.
Turner and Smyth were but two of hundreds of people who spent more than 150,000 man hours creating the largest America’s Cup challenger since New Zealand in 1988. The piece de resistance of the design was the towering wing mast that stands 223 feet tall. Not only is the wing 55 percent larger than the wing of an Airbus A380 passenger jet, it also inhibits the trimaran from passing under many of the world’s bridges.
Turner and Smyth beat out another BMW ORACLE Racing team member for the honor, Glenn Ashby. Ashby, the sailing coach during the lead-up to the 33rd Match, was nominated for winning his seventh A Class Catamaran World Championship in July.
Previously, team founder Larry Ellison won the June Seahorse Sailor of the Month award for his resoluteness in chasing the America’s Cup and also capturing the RC 44 event in Copenhagen at the beginning of June.
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