Grant Simmer Joins TEAMORIGIN as CEO.

Conspiracy theorists who argued that the removal of Kiwi Mike Sanderson from TEAMORIGIN was a result of some British pureblood campaign have been proved wrong by the appointment of Australian Grant Simmer to the role of CEO.

Simmer was most recently Managing Director and Design Co-ordinator of Alinghi, winners of the America’s Cup in 2003 and 2007, but his America’s Cup credentials include being navigator aboard Australia II in 1983 .

Grant Simmer, CEO,commented on his new role,

“I am delighted to join TEAMORIGIN and am looking forward to working with Sir Keith, Ben and all the team to develop and execute a plan to overcome the other Challengers and lead us into the next America’s Cup Match. Fortunately TEAMORIGIN appears to have great strengths and leadership in each department. Mike Sanderson, who has now left the team, played a key role in managing the team through some difficult times and the team is in pretty good shape. I anticipate each area simply getting on with their jobs and that I will play a key role in overseeing and coordinating their activities.

TEAMORIGIN has had to survive during several years of uncertainty while the Deed of Gift Match was resolved. Now, with the new Defender in place, we are all anxiously awaiting announcements of their plans for the 34th Cup. These are exciting times for sure, and these plans will include the format of racing, type of boats to be raced, the dates of competition and many other significant details. We should know all this information by the end of September and can then develop and refine our strategy leading to the next Cup.”

Simmer’s new role as CEO sees him take responsibility for the sporting and technical activities of the team as well as overseeing the commercial operations.

Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal, added his thoughts:

“Today’s announcement is part of the team’s long term strategy to enhance the leadership and management. We are moving into the next phase of operations and Grant brings with him invaluable experience from both a Challenger and Defenders perspective. Our mission is to win the America’s Cup and today’s announcement forms a fundamental part of that strategy.”

This will be Simmer’s eighth America’s Cup. He first competed in 1983 at the age of 27 as Navigator onboard Australia II. There he played a part in sporting history when Australia II became the first challenger to ever win the America’s Cup ending 132 years of US supremacy and the longest winning streak in sports history. Since that momentous win, Simmer has had diverse roles and responsibilities in another seven America’s Cup campaigns, culminating with the Swiss Alinghi team, winning the Cup in 2003 and 2007 in the role of Design Coordinator and most recently as the team’s Managing Director.

Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Helmsman, added his views,

“This is great news for TEAMORIGIN and it comes at a time when we are finally seeing some resolution to the past few years of event delays. Soon we hope to have a detailed Protocol and programme for the 34th America’s Cup.  Grant’s experience and talent will bring strong leadership and structure to the team at this critical time and his sailing and design skills will enhance our strengths as we move forward.”

More TEAMORIGIN News…

America’s Cup Venue Bid Put RAK on the Map.

Back when Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) was announced as Alinghi’s prefferred venue for the 33rd America’s Cup, we suggested that even if the event never took place, the emirate would have attained a massive ROI on any investment, purely by the coverage that was devoted to the story. Until Alinghi’s announcement, RAK was almost unheard of outside of the UAE. Using the trusty equivalent media value calculation, it would have cost RAK an enormous amount of advertising on CNN or similar to gain the brand recall it now has.

ArabianBusiness.com now reports some of the real costs around the failed bid to host the America’s Cup in the Middle East and clarifies what was evident at the time, that the infrastructure development by RAK would have been done whether or not the America’s Cup took place.

Khater Massaad, CEO of RAK Investment Authority (RAKIA) has said that the episode put RAK on the map and also said the amount invested by the emirate to overhaul its infrastructure ahead of the race fell far short of the reported $120m.

Massaad, who is also an adviser to Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, crown prince and deputy ruler of Ras Al Khaimah said:

“Everyone has put so many figures on this. We invested in total $15m. Of that, we’ve been refunded $5m by Alinghi. The remaining $10m was [spent] on infrastructure, but things that we needed to do anyway.”

RAK was reported to have invested $120m in infrastructure, including $50m for modifications to Al Hamra Palace Residence and $1m around Al Hamra Marina, to accommodate the race.

“That was deepening the canal and… adding proper infrastructure for the channel to leave the island. Then putting in electricity, water and finishing the roads to the island, which we needed to do. The loss [to Ras Al Khaimah] did not exceed $2m.”

New J-Class Regattas Announced for 2012.

Nobody knows what will happen to BMW ORACLE’s America’s Cup winning trimaran USA17 or Alinghi’s sleek catamaran Alinghi 5. Chances are they will never see another race. The boats were built for a purpose, the 33rd America’s Cup DOG match, but they weren’t built for the purpose in the way the J Class Yachts were.

Perhaps the two giant multihulls will go down in history. They are definitely innovative and some would say beautiful, but they won’t still be racing in 50 years time and it is unlikely that many people will hold the same nostalgia for them as the J Class yachts.

For those who continue to be captivated by the J Class, the  J Class Association has plans for a series of spectacular regattas in England during 2012 – the Olympic Year. This will be the first time in history that more than four of these imposing yachts will race together in a fleet.

The outline plan has received a positive response from J Class owners and event planning is now proceeding. Many yachts in the fleet are now preparing to be on the start line for these 2012 events.

According the to the Offical website of the class, the events will include:

• FALMOUTH – The first regatta will be based in Falmouth, Cornwall, hosted by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club. Races will be held in the bay and along the coastline.
• SOLENT – The second regatta will be based in the Solent, the traditional home of J Class racing in the UK during the 1930s.
• ROUND THE ISLAND – The last race will be held over the original course around the Isle of Wight, for the 1851 Hundred Guinea Cup Race, which is now known as the “America’s Cup”.

More information at http://jclassyachts.blogspot.com/2010/02/2012-j-class-regatta.html

BMW ORACLE America’s Cup Win Answers Some Questions and Asks More

Race two of the best of three America’s Cup ‘DOG’ match took place yesterday with minutes to spare. Fans spent hours waiting for racing to get underway in Valencia while the race committee tried to juggle the weather in Valencia with the Notice of Race issued by the defender.

As thousands sat by their computer screens getting increasingly frustrated, the official America’s Cup internet feed showed flags happily fluttering. At one point, a Version 5 America’s Cup boat could be seen sailing in the background while the race missed it’s advertised television slots. Fans switched from sailing to Rugby, the Winter Olympics and the lead up to the Daytona 500, many missing the eventual race.

The Scuttlebutt is that Race organiser Harold Bennett had to deputise helpers to run the race after officials from the defending club refused to comply with his orders to run the race. The ramifications of not holding the second race yesterday would have been far-reaching and Bennett might have single handedly saved the future of the America’s Cup as a televised event.

When it finally started, the race was compelling viewing – at least for 13 miles. Those who had walked away from the Cup as ‘not being a proper match race’ were proved wrong with the second penalty given to Alinghi in as many races. Alinghi once off the line looked like a different boat, leading for much of the first leg due to calling the favoured side of the course. It looked like we had a boat race on our hands.

Once around the top mark though, the BMW ORACLE wing took over and the gap went from 28 seconds at the first mark to 2 minutes 28 at the second. As the sun set, BMW ORACLE had notched up two wins from two races and barring any legal complications had secured the America’s Cup.

Larry Ellison was on board USA 17 as the boat crossed the line, and once it did, speculation began in earnest about America’s Cup 34.

The Golden Gate Yacht Club and BMW ORACLE will now celebrate their win, which has come at great expense. Not only has the financial outlay been significant, the competitors in the 33rd America’s Cup have used up all the goodwill and brand equity of the event. This will have to be built up again and the behaviour and statements of the American team over the last few years will come back to haunt them should they appear to copy any behaviour they accused Alinghi and SNG of being unfair.

Every protocol and rule will be scrutinised against the statements made on the record in a pile of public letters and court submissions. As Kimball Livingston said in his blog:

“With his hostile challenge and gut-level determination to see through a Deed of Gift match if need be, Larry Ellison led our sport into a wilderness of two and a half years, blowing a hole in the development of professional sailing but promising to rescue the Cup from a future that I agree we didn’t want. Had he lost here, I don’t know how he could have excused himself. Now he shoulders the burdens of the Defender of America’s Cup.”

There are now some big questions that the America’s Cup community and the sport of yacht racing are asking. 1) Where will the 34th America’s Cup be sailed? 2) What will the boats be like? 3) What structural changes will take place, if any, in the management of the America’s Cup?

We do know that Mascalzone Latino Team Audi will be the Challenger of Record. The team headed up by Vincenzo Onorato has been a very public supporter of BMW ORACLE and the GGYC over the past couple of years. Lara Ciribì Onorato, newly nominated President of Mascalzone Latino Team Audi will also be measured according to the standards that were imposed on Alinghi and SNG. He said yesterday:

“Thanks to this victory, the America’s Cup will become a high profile sporting event, run by fairer rules than the ones the previous Defender wanted to impose”.

A period of consultation is probably wise. Some statements may be made immediately, but if Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts are true to their word, teams interested in competing in the 34th America’s Cup will be asked to provide their input.

The world, after being frustrated to the point of apathy is now watching again.

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Do you have an opinion? Open comments are below.

America’s Cup Stumbles Forwards With Some Great Highlights.

Friday saw the much anticipated first race of the 33rd Amercia’s Cup. The race was postponed from the planned 10am start to 12am, then we waited while the race committee tried to set a course that was fair over a 20 nautical mile distance. The resulting delay highlighted some of the problems that sailing has as a spectator sport.

There are many kinds of sailing fans, and there are even more kinds of America’s Cup fans. The three broad groups are; hard core sailing fanatics, sailing fans and the general public who are tuning in because 1) it’s on Eurosport, 2) their team is competing or 3) someone they know is a sailing fan and has convinced them to watch.

The postponements on Friday, coming off the back of two days of cancelled races tested even the hard-core fans. Trying to set a fair course over a 20 mile area in winter in Valencia has proved to be trying for all concerned.

Eventually, the race started with something for everyone. The question about whether or not there would be a match race pre-start with 90 foot multihulls was answered with BMW ORACLE helsman James Spithill inflicting a penalty on Alinghi but then stalling BMW ORACLE, giving Alinghi the chance to cross the start line first.

The race itself was, well pretty dull. The boats are without doubt beautiful and spectacular, but coverage was of the boats. So fast and so large are the platforms, that getting any footage of faces is almost impossible. With the legal fights of the last few months, it was far too much to expect that the teams allow any on-board cameras. The technology exists, but in the end, it doesn’t make the boat go faster, so not required.

Nevertheless, the official commentary from P.J. Montgomery, Cam Lewis and Andy Green was authoritative and entertaining. Lewis in particular spoke from a position of experience and knowledge.

In the end, the BMW ORACLE wing provided too much of an advantage and with an American win thoughts started moving to ‘what happens next?’ For anyone outside the two competing teams, the question has always been, what happens next? Whatever your feelings about either of the teams, the narrative may be served best by the challenger winning.

No matter what the shape of the 34th America’s Cup, from a branding and media point of view, the best result would probably be the return of the cup to the United States. The pomp and ceremony that would accompany the win – the breast-beating about world’s best technology, combined with a sudden new-found nationalistic fervour may give the America’s Cup more of a boost than if Alinghi retain the trophy.

Suddenly, a sport that no-one cared about will be thrust back into the  limelight and a new era of the America’s Cup will be born. Like Michael Schumacher’s 5th or 6th World Championship, the story of Alinghi defending the cup will not provide the same lift or momentum.

Even if Alinghi were to come from behind today, take the series to a third race and win, there is still a court case pending to disqualify them based on a claim about where their sails were made.

So as we wait again for the 2nd race, the chat changes to who will be the next Challenger of Record and where will the cup be held. Why the Cup wouldn’t be held in San Francisco if BMW ORACLE won is a bit of a mystery. It used to be that the reason you competed for the cup was to bring it to your home town, but things have changed.

Whatever the venue, those looking at how to make the America’s Cup one of the world’s most valuable and prestigious sporting events need to address details that have a massive impact on the watchability of the sport. Whether it be those who have taken time to travel to the event or those waiting by their televisions or computer screens, the fans need to be given more say in America’s Cup 34.

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