31st America's Cup
The 31st America's Cup was a sailing competition in Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand in 2003. The winner was the Swiss team Alinghi against the cup defender Team New Zealand . For the first time in the 152-year history of the America's Cup, the Cup went to a European team.
prehistory
At the 30th America's Cup in 2000, the New Zealand team defended by Russell Coutts and Peter Blake the Cup against the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup , the Italian team Luna Rossa by Patrizio Bertelli under the skipper Francesco de Angelis . With a 5-0 result, the victory was clear.
The New Zealand team had extremely limited funding. Thus, despite the immediate announcement that Bertelli would take revenge, the crew members could not be offered a new contract. In the following years, therefore, among others, Russell Coutts , the tactician Brad Butterworth and a few others left the New Zealand team. Coutts and Butterworth signed on for the Swiss team Alinghi.
Other interested parties threw their hats into the ring in the course of 2000. For the first time, a German team led by Michael Illbruck was also to take part. In February 2002 the project had to be abandoned due to lack of funds. With the Oracle boss Larry Ellison , the former AT&T owner Craig McCaw and the pharmaceutical billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli , financially strong competitors were in the starting blocks. Other financially strong companies also bought in teams, such as SAP for Team New Zealand and BMW for Oracle.
Sailing area
We sailed in the Hauraki Gulf, around 15 nautical miles north of Auckland . The area is characterized by two opposing sea breezes, from the southwest and from the northeast. In addition, there are local influences on the wind from the volcanic island of Rangitoto Island and from gradient winds . The rapidly changing conditions make the region one of the most difficult sailing areas in the world.
It was therefore important for the participants to have good weather observation and forecasting. This was the only way to recognize and take advantage of the changing winds.
6th Louis Vuitton Cup
Boats
The IACC yachts, which have been approved for the America's Cup since 1992, were sailed .
Teams
| Team name | Abbreviation | Team boss | nation | Skipper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Alinghi | ALI | Ernesto Bertarelli |
 Switzerland
|
Russell Coutts |
| Oracle BMW Racing | ORA | Larry Ellison |
 United States
|
Chris Dickson , Peter Holmberg |
| OneWorld | ONE | Craig McCaw |
United States
|
|
| Luna Rossa (Prada) | PRE | Patrizio Bertelli |
 Italy
|
|
| Victory Challenge | VIC | Jan Stenbeck |
 Sweden
|
Jesper Bank |
| Team Dennis Conner | TDC | Dennis Conner |
United States
|
Dennis Conner |
| GBR Challenge | GBR | Peter Harrison |
 United Kingdom
|
|
| Le Défi Areva | ARE | Xavier de Lesquen |
 France
|
|
| Mascalzone Latino | MAS | Vincenzo Onorato |
Italy
|
Round robin
In the so-called Round Robin , the challengers sailed against each other in individual races. The first round took place from October 1st to 11th, 2002. One point was awarded for every win.
| ALI | ORA | ONE | PRE | VIC | GBR | TDC | ARE | MAS | Result | |
| Alinghi | A. | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7th |
| Oracle BMW | 0 | A. | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| OneWorld | 1 | 1 | A. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8th |
| Prada | 0 | 0 | 0 | A. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4th |
| Victory Challenge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A. | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| GBR Challenge | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | A. | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4th |
| Team Dennis Conner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | A. | 1 | 1 | 4th |
| Le Défi Areva | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A. | 0 | 0 |
| Mascalzone Latino | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | A. | 1 |
The second round took place from October 22nd to November 4th, 2002. This time, too, a point was awarded for every victory.
| ALI | ORA | ONE | PRE | VIC | GBR | TDC | ARE | MAS | Result | |
| Alinghi | A. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6th |
| Oracle BMW | 1 | A. | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7th |
| OneWorld | 0 | 0 | A. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Prada | 1 | 1 | 0 | A. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7th |
| Victory Challenge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4th |
| GBR Challenge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | A. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Team Dennis Conner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Le Défi Areva | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A. | 1 | 2 |
| Mascalzone Latino | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | A. | 0 |
The teams Alinghi, Oracle BMW and OneWorld, already regarded as favorites, lived up to their role. Last year's finalist Prada failed miserably and suffered three defeats in the first four races. One suspected reasons mainly in the boat design. The chief designer Doug Peterson had provided the yacht with a bow-spoon . While OneWorld won all matches in the first round, it suffered three defeats in the second round. In addition, one point was deducted due to an espionage protest. Oracle BMW was able to improve after defeats in the first round against rivals Alinghi and OneWorld in the second round and only lost its race against Prada. Due to the bad start to the competition, Ellison replaced the skipper and helmsman Peter Holmberg with Chris Dickson . However, after a trip, he left the rudder to Holmberg and drove himself as a skipper. Especially Dickson's lack of sailing experience was responsible for this decision. Alinghi suffered a defeat against OneWorld in the first round and against Oracle BMW in the second. The team did not play the last encounter, as the round robin victory was safe. This was seen as a victory for Prada.
The other five teams could not follow up on these achievements. Above all, the performance of the team around the experienced cup participant Dennis Conner was disappointing with ten defeats.
The end result of the Round Robins was as follows:
| team | Total points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alinghi | 13 |
| 2 | Oracle BMW | 12 |
| 3 | OneWorld | 12 |
| 4th | Prada | 11 |
| 5 | Victory Challenge | 7th |
| 6th | GBR Challenge | 7th |
| 7th | Team Dennis Conner | 6th |
| 8th | Le Défi Areva | 2 |
| 9 | Mascalzone Latino | 1 |
Quarter finals
The quarter-finals took place on November 12-19. The hope runs were held on November 23rd - 30th. Contrary to the previous cups, with the introduction of the repetition runs the possibility was created to get a second chance in case of a possible defeat. However, differences were made according to the results in the round robin. While the best four teams had a double chance, the remaining four teams only had a single chance. Winning four match races was necessary for a win.
The Swiss won the match between the two favorite yachts Alinghi and Prada with 4-0. Twice the lead was only small, but the Alinghi crew always had their opponent under control. The Italians forego the last match in order to have more time to improve their boat. Among other things, the bow is being rebuilt for the second time.
The match between Oracle BMW and OneWorld also leads to a clear result. This result was achieved mainly thanks to the higher speed potential of the Oracle BMW yacht and the changed crew.
In order to mobilize all reserves again, the French team Le Défi Areva rebuilt their ship again. Among other things, the keel fin was reduced by 50%. Since there was a lack of training opportunities, the result was still clearly in favor of the Swedes.
The British also have a lack of experience with the boat and the lack of training time. They have no chance against the experience of Dennis Connor and his faster yacht. Short-term restructuring and changes in the team cannot save the result.
Results
- Double chance
- Alinghi - Prada 4 - 0
- Oracle BMW - OneWorld 4 - 0
- Simple opportunity
- Victory Challenge - Le Défi Areva 4 - 1
- GBR Challenge - Team Dennis Conner 1 - 4
The hope runs reflect the results of the round robin. Although the defeated competitors Victory Challenge and Team Dennis Connor tried again and again to put the opponents under pressure, they were eliminated in the end due to technical problems and poor preparation.
- Reunion
- Prada - Victory Challenge 4 - 0
- One World - Team Dennis Conner 4 - 0
Together with Prada, Dennis Conner filed a protest against OneWorld for espionage even before the hope runs. Instead of the required disqualification, however, the team is deprived of a victory in each of the following rounds.
Semifinals
The semifinals offered different levels of tension depending on the pairing. Alinghi was able to safely control Oracle BMW in all races and clearly won the semifinals.
However, the tension between Prada and OneWorld was much higher. The Americans had an advantage on the cross, while Prada was faster off the wind. The individual races were therefore characterized by frequent changes of position.
OneWorld won the first race because the spinnaker tree broke at Prada . In the following run Prada was able to return the favor, only to have to give way to One World again in the next three runs.
However, the next races had to be canceled due to strong winds. Prada was now in danger of being eliminated, as at the end of the semifinals they would have decided most of the victories, without any of them reaching four. On the last possible day of competition, only one will be held instead of the necessary two races. The race, which takes place in almost irregular conditions, wins Prada, but has to be eliminated anyway. Here, too, it became clear that Prada was not helped by the frequent changes to the boat during the entire Louis Vuitton Cup and that the lack of training was a major factor.
- Double chance
- Alinghi -Oracle BMW Racing 4 - 0
- Simple opportunity
- OneWorld - Prada 3 - 2nd
In the hope run, Oracle can clearly defeat BMW OneWorld 4-0. The individual races were extremely tight. OneWorld is on a par with Oracle BMW. Because victory ultimately decides a slightly better design of the boat, which enabled Oracle BMW to put the competitors under more pressure.
- Reunion
- Oracle BMW Racing - OneWorld 4 - 0
final
- Alinghi - Oracle BMW Racing 5 - 1
The semi-finals between the two teams made it clear that Alinghi was the clear favorite.
Alinghi was able to win the first two races in rough seas due to the better boat design. In the second race, the spinnaker tree at Oracle BMW broke.
In the third race, Oracle BMW was able to demonstrate its advantages for this team under ideal conditions and was close to its first victory. Both teams were close together. Only two penalties for Oracle BMW decided the race to their disadvantage.
Oracle BMW only achieved its only victory in the fourth race. The Swiss did not succeed in covering the Americans properly, so that they could overtake and win. The fifth race was again a clear decision for Alinghi. In the sixth race, Oracle BMW was again awarded a penalty ring. However, the Americans missed all opportunities and only drove them to the finish line. At this point Alinghi had already got too close, so that the decisive 5th victory went to the Swiss.
America's Cup
- Alinghi - Team New Zealand 5 - 0
- Race 1
The first race took place in good weather and somewhat rough seas. The New Zealanders approached the pre-start phase somewhat cautiously. Already on the first cross, the opponents lay on the ground as more and more water penetrated the New Zealanders' ship. A total of around six tons of water flowed into the boat and caused consequential damage. Only 25 minutes after the start the big tree broke and Alinghi could claim the first victory.
- Race 2
The second race began with a pre-start duel, in which Alinghi was able to demonstrate the all-round suitability of the boat. Since the New Zealand boat was primarily designed for speed, it had difficulties in close combat. In the further course the boats lay close together. Despite the New Zealanders' lead of 34 seconds, Alinghi was able to catch up again and again. At the last turn, Coutts set a tack jibe set and was then able to overtake shortly before the finish and win by 7 seconds.
- Race 3
In the third race the New Zealanders made a mistake and opted for the wrong side of the course. In the meantime, the Swiss were able to pull out a lead of 150 m and also save them at the finish.
- Race 4
For the fourth race, the Frenchman Bertrand Pacé came on board instead of the tactician Hamish Pepper. The race was postponed several times due to poor competition conditions. This race ends when the mast of the New Zealand boat breaks.
- Race 5
The fifth race was also ended prematurely due to a technical defect in the New Zealand boat. After a failed jibe , the spinnaker pole broke . The big lead of the Alinghi team could not be made up at this point.
literature
Web links
- Results 31st Americas Cup 2003, Auckland New Zealand. In: americascup.de. Mark Münstermann Internet Service, 2003, archived from the original on May 6, 2007 ; accessed on May 8, 2018 (original website no longer available).