tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105016262009-03-01T13:30:25.754+01:00Welcome to the Blog of the Challenger Commission for the 32nd America's Cup. The fifteen most recent posts are displayed on the main page; otherwise check the monthly archives or use the Google search bar (top). Posting of "official" documents alerts teams to their existence and nature; obtain original copies from the issuer. Some documents are passworded for access by teams only. Contact: blog [at] tfehman [dot] com. Copyright © 2005-2007, AC 32 Challenger Commission.TFEnoreply@blogger.comBlogger514125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-41690996417762904832007-07-18T06:54:00.001+02:002007-07-19T10:42:23.921+02:00

TeamOrigin, the prospective AC 33 challenger from Great Britain, sailed their newly-acquired (from Alinghi) GBR 75 here in VLC on Saturday and, at least briefly, on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Carlo Borlenghi (ITA).

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-1578631112754819062007-07-16T09:08:00.000+02:002007-07-16T09:13:29.206+02:00

"Louis Vuitton have their own vision of the event. It just depends on people's vision.... Some people like caviar and salmon, some people like ham and cheese. Neither makes you a bad person," he said.--ACM COO Michel Hodara reacting to Louis Vuitton's Friday announcement that they are leaving the America's Cup after a quarter of a century. Full Reuters story here, entitled "Americas Cup seeks new

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-63331145594704049512007-07-14T14:55:00.000+02:002007-07-14T15:54:33.654+02:00

It is a beautiful day here in Valencia -- warm, dry, sunny with some white puffy clouds, and a very nice seabreeze. A good day to lay by the pool rather than putting up the first post on the CC Blog in over a month and a half. Our last post was 26 May.The hiatus, of course, was as the result of most of the Challengers having been excused by then (at the end of the LVC Semis) from further

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-62438881760129708522007-05-26T20:41:00.000+02:002007-05-26T20:50:04.834+02:00

Issue #72 of Valencia Crónica is now available here.The usual fine print.... Editor Bridget Baker issues VC approximately every other week, and it is intended solely for AC 32 team members and their families. Accordingly, VC is password-protected to ensure the privacy of contributors' contact info.To obtain the password, or to be added to the email distribution list for Crónica, please write

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-81339239216962434312007-05-17T10:00:00.000+02:002007-05-17T10:30:54.246+02:00

Issue #71 of Valencia Crónica is now available here. Despite it now getting late in the AC32 game, Valencia Crónica continues to get better and better. Thanks to Editor Bridget Baker and her now many contributors for such a helpful and family-friendly service to all the teams. May it continue in future editions of the Cup!The usual fine print.... Bridget issues VC approximately every other week,

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-60811663930786447602007-05-10T18:13:00.000+02:002007-05-10T18:51:14.177+02:00

Nice letter emailed to the Challengers last evening by Commodore W H Dyer Jones, AC 32 Regatta Director, and posted here with his kind permission....Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of the Race Committee, I want to thank all competitors for their patience, cooperation, and understanding during the recently completed Round Robin series of the Louis Vuitton Cup. We know it was as difficult for you

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-1310834480026591362007-05-06T08:07:00.000+02:002007-05-06T08:16:13.168+02:00

America's Cup Semifinals Taking ShapeSouth Africa's Shosholoza Shows Spark in Close LossBy Angus PhillipsSpecial to The Washington PostSunday, May 6, 2007; Page E04VALENCIA, Spain, May 5 -- The top two challengers guaranteed themselves spots in America's Cup semifinals with easy victories Saturday, but it was the best-loved team in town that tugged heartstrings, falling from contention with

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-50248823865929023542007-05-05T07:26:00.000+02:002007-05-05T07:59:11.992+02:00

We were sad to hear the news that Ernie Taylor (AUS) passed away on 25 April after a long illness. He served as executive director of the Challenger Commission's forerunner, the Challenger of Record Committee (CORC), for the 1992 and 1995 Cups. The Kiwi challenger, Black Magic, defeated Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes at San Diego in 1995 thanks in part to the strength of the challengers as a

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-47958690079128085452007-04-26T18:52:00.000+02:002007-04-26T19:02:10.456+02:00

Issue #70 of Valencia Crónica is now available here.The usual fine print.... Editor Bridget Baker issues VC approximately every other week, and it is intended solely for AC 32 team members and their families. Accordingly, VC is password-protected to ensure the privacy of contributors' contact info.To obtain the password, or to be added to the email distribution list for Crónica, please write

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-88790274961939689972007-04-26T06:26:00.000+02:002007-04-26T06:45:51.753+02:00

Excerpt from a story this morning in the International Herald Tribune:AC Management wouldn't release weather data on Valencia, so the Swiss team, which conducted the analysis, did its own research.After analyzing the weather buoys on the northern "Romeo" course for wind in the afternoon when racing is scheduled, sailing has only been possible for half the number of days in April.That is well down

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-85385378416251477402007-04-24T07:47:00.000+02:002007-04-24T07:50:09.220+02:00

Two more days of nada de nada? Slide courtesy of the BBC Weather Centre.

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-49023992563712102342007-04-23T07:04:00.000+02:002007-04-23T13:34:40.726+02:00

Excerpt from an editorial on the Sail World website by Bob Fisher:

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-75368556987424258402007-04-22T07:32:00.000+02:002007-04-22T09:16:05.218+02:00

The Challenger Commission for the 32nd America's Cup (“CC”) met at the call of the Chair, Alessandra Pandarese (ITA) of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team, at the ACM offices in Valencia from 1800 to 2030 last evening, Saturday 21 April. Representatives of ten of the eleven Challengers were present. Apologies were received from +39.Main decisions and points of discussion:+ Decisions at the

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-56359356190979506922007-04-20T12:43:00.000+02:002007-04-20T20:22:02.289+02:00

UPDATE - 19:30 Friday: Today we have made good progress on a revised Notice of Race and schedule of racing for the balance of the rounds robin. Together with getting two flights completed today, it was decided to postpone the CC meeting scheduled for this evening to tomorrow (Saturday) evening. In the meantime, and as agreed and announced this morning with the Regatta Director, we are proceeding

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-5022227273716880662007-04-20T10:05:00.000+02:002007-04-20T12:14:47.789+02:00

The Challenger Commission for the 32nd America's Cup (“CC”) met at the call of the Chair, Alessandra Pandarese (ITA) of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team, at the ACM offices in Valencia at 0800 this morning, Friday 20 April. Representatives of all eleven Challengers were present.Main decisions and points of discussion:+ The Regatta Director's proposal to "re-boot" (our word, not his) Round Robin 1

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-30532495881817922892007-04-20T06:29:00.000+02:002007-04-20T06:55:24.914+02:00

At 0800 this morning at the Jury Meeting Room in the ACM offices there will be a meeting of Louis Vuitton Cup competitors. This has been called by the Regatta Director, Dyer Jones, to consider a significant rescheduling of racing for Rounds Robin 1 and 2. This in response to the unprecedented (at least for the LVC) four days of postponed racing, and with the prospects for more postponements today

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-39060549899494220152007-04-14T16:19:00.000+02:002007-04-14T17:18:54.186+02:00

A long interview with ACM CEO Michel Bonnefous, Alinghi general manager during the last Cup, by the IHT's Christopher Clary, is featured in today's New York Times and is well worth the read....Q. & A.A Conversation With Michel BonnefousPublished: April 14, 2007Michel Bonnefous was general manager of the winning team during the last America’s Cup, but he is trying to project neutrality this

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-91178135883737682452007-04-14T09:13:00.000+02:002007-04-14T09:23:14.901+02:00

From today's Valencia Life newsletter:Valencia Mayoress Rita Barberá could hardly conceal her surprise yesterday after the influential magazine Elle placed her amongst the most important feminine movers and shakers in the world. The Magazine found that amongst the most influential women in the world were Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, Mrs

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-63029606589898413162007-04-13T20:02:00.000+02:002007-04-14T09:24:04.272+02:00

Earlier this week the Measurement Committee issued Public Interpretation No. 36 in response to a question about adjusting the forestay while racing. The text of the ruling:Yes, it is permissible to change the rake of the mast while racing by changing the length of the forestay strop provided the length and attachment limitations of Rule 36.4 are satisfied at all times.

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-40641877592193682362007-04-13T17:24:00.000+02:002007-04-13T20:03:41.843+02:00

Congrats to Bridget Baker on the two-year anniversary of Valencia Crónica, her email newsletter for AC families here in VLC.Bridget's first issue in 2005 was sent to 30 of her AC friends on the various teams. Today more than 600 families receive it by email or read it (and back issues) here on the CCB.Issue #69 of Valencia Crónica is now available here. The usual fine print.... Bridget issues VC

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-13284840009464571142007-04-10T00:04:00.000+02:002007-04-10T00:18:18.818+02:00

Issued Sunday by Regatta Director Dyer Jones:This is the pairing list based on the Louis Vuitton Cup Notice of Race and established from the final challenger rankings following Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13. Under normal circumstances, Matches one to three of each Flight will be sailed on the northern race area with the ‘Romeo’ Race Committee while Matches four through six will be on the southern

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-17941108470991597952007-04-08T08:44:00.000+02:002007-04-08T09:38:02.829+02:00

Due to recent changes in Challenger personnel, the username and password to access protected CC documents here on the CCB has this morning been changed. The former username ("beat") and password ("alinghi") have been replaced.CC Assistant Michael ten Bokum has been asked to email the new username and password to all Challenge Reps and Alts. Reminder that, as usual, they are case sensitive.Happy

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-55029833804519480322007-04-08T08:12:00.000+02:002007-04-08T18:39:12.770+02:00

Yesterday the CC was notified by +39 that Paul Henderson (CAN) is no longer their Challenge Representative or a member of their team. Their general counsel, Stefano Feltrin (ITA), formerly the Alternate Rep, will now serve as Challenge Rep.A revised CC Directory, as usual password-protected to preserve the privacy of contact information, is available here. It is also available by clicking on "CC

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-56488682569261725152007-04-08T07:52:00.000+02:002007-04-08T07:59:25.724+02:00

ACM estimates that during the six days of Act 13 about a quarter of a million people came to the America's Cup Park to witness the events. Records were beaten on Friday when 63,000 people came to see the racing and admire the yachts, support boats and spectator boats as they traversed the canal to and from the Port America's Cup."A rising tide lifts all boats."

TFEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10501626.post-69811069661757300662007-04-07T11:22:00.000+02:002007-04-07T11:48:44.932+02:00

The Challenger Commission for the 32nd America's Cup (“CC”) met at the call of the Chair, Alessandra Pandarese (ITA) of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team, at the BMW ORACLE Racing team base in Valencia on Saturday 7 April 2007 from 0830 to 0945.Representatives of ten of the eleven Challengers were present:+ AREVA Challenge (FRA) -- Dawn Riley+ BMW ORACLE Racing (USA) -- Tom Ehman and Russell Green

TFEnoreply@blogger.com