Welcome to my "Louis Vuitton - Pacific Series" page

This new 2009 series started with the sponsors of the America's Cup, Louis Vuitton,
getting togethar with Team Emirates New Zealand and the city of Auckland
to keep interest in the America's Cup sailing while it's being left in limbo during an on-going legal battle
between BMW Oracle (the American AC team) and Alinghi (the Swiss holders of the AC 2007).

It seems it all started with Louis Vuitton sponsoring a new match racing series, for America's Cup Teams,
in two AC yachts, supplied by Emirates New Zealand ... with a hopefull 4 teams entering.

It got bigger than expected ... now we have 10 AC teams entered ...
and BMW Oracle supplying two more AC yachts for the series.

And so it happened ... below are the three main sources of info for the event.
Left is the Pacific Series own website.
Middle is the Live Radio Commentary, given by BSport 103 FM,
starting at 9pm GMT during race days.
And right is TV New Zealand website who have video highlights of all the races.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention ... The Kiwis beat Alinghi 4 to 1 in the finals.
More info available on the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series website.

Pacific Cup Series Finals, Results Diagram is available by clicking here.

Round Robin 2, Results Diagram is available by clicking here.

Round Robin 1, Results Diagram is available by clicking here.

Report Thurs 12th Feb 2009 - 23:30 hrs GMT (Courtesy of TVNZ) and quote:
"A start box error by Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker has allowed Alinghi to draw first blood in the best-of-seven Louis Vuitton Pacific Series finals.
The America's Cup holders never ceded the advantage they built up on the first beat and sailed an excellent tactical race in shifty wind conditions, crossing the line 22 seconds in front.
Sailing got underway on time in the inner harbour amidst a stiff southerly breeze of 15-20 knots and when the two boats locked horns in the start box it was Barker who blinked first.
Barker had a gilt-edged opportunity to squeeze Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth towards the committee boat but he had timed his run to the start line too early and was forced to tack away, letting his bitter rival off the hook.
In the ensuing drag race up to the first mark, Team New Zealand could do little to douse speculation that NZL-92 is the faster boat as the Swiss pulled away to an 11-second lead.
Both boats had difficulty gybing in wind gusts that reached 30 knots, a halyard drop aboard Team New Zealand costing them a further 70m on the first downwind leg.
Pre-race debate centred on speculation that Alinghi had the advantage of being in the faster NZL-92, a suggestion that Barker and his crew aboard NZL-84 have consistently refuted.
On the evidence of this race, there appears little difference in performance between the boats as both at times hit an unprecedented 16 knots on the downwind legs, but Barker's boat was never able to seriously threaten Alinghi's lead.
Alinghi Helmsman Ed Baird will have his afterguard to thank for picking most of the correct wind shifts up the course, while Barker will rue his inability to shut the Swiss boat out on the start line and build an early lead.
The second race was scheduled to commence shortly after the conclusion of the first but has been delayed due to high winds."

Report Thurs 12th Feb 2009 - 16:00 hrs GMT (Courtesy of TVNZ) and quote:
"America's Cup holders Alinghi have withdrawn their protest against the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series finals format.
Skipper Brad Butterworth had been unhappy with the rules regarding boat allocation, claiming NZL-92 was the faster boat and that the crews should alternate rather than using the same boat throughout the best-of-seven finals series.
His argument became academic when international jury chairman Dyer Jones drew Alinghi's name out of the hat, giving the Swiss syndicate the choice of boat.
They will race in NZL-92 throughout the cup series, leaving Team New Zealand with the allegedly-slower NZL-84 boat.
The two boats have been stripped down and modified to be virtually identical since the 2007 America's Cup regatta and Team New Zealand members refuted suggestions that NZL-92 is faster.
The dispute adds further intrigue to the finals series, already billed as a 2007 America's Cup rematch, which begins on Friday in forecast blustery conditions on the Waitemata Harbour."

This start is scheduled for 9pm Thursday 12th GMT and the live Radio commentry can be heard by clicking on the BSport 103FM link above.

Report Thurs 12th Feb 2009 - 01:30 hrs GMT (Courtesy of TVNZ) and quote:
"Alinghi continued its "devil's advocate" role on Thursday in sailing's Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.
After winning through to the final against Team New Zealand, they are protesting the use of the same boats for each team throughout the best of seven races.
Despite agreeing to the system before the regatta, Alinghi helmsman Ed Baird now says they want the boats to alternate.
But the American added that they don't want to end the regatta on a sour note so will discuss the issue diplomatically.
A decision's due by 2.30pm on Thursday."
That'll be 1.30am Friday GMT.

Report Wed 11th Feb 2009 - 23:00 hrs GMT (Courtesy of TVNZ)
America's Cup holders Alinghi have set up a showdown with Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series after easily closing out the challenger final off Auckland.
The Swiss, leading 1-0 against American syndicate Oracle Racing in the best-of-three challenger final after a nailbiting 1sec win on Wednesday, sailed away to a big 67sec victory in race two.
However, the race ended in intrigue, with Alinghi, skippered by New Zealand tactician Brad Butterworth, flying a red flag on the run home.
Organisers said the Swiss were protesting over some aspect of the regatta format and a hearing would be held onshore.
Alinghi, with American Ed Baird at the helm, won the start of race two decisively.
Oracle, with skipper Russell Coutts steering and fellow New Zealander Hamish Pepper calling tactics, found themselves shut out in the final stages of the pre-start and saw their opponents cross the line at speed.
Alinghi moved out to a good lead over the opening beat and extended their cushion to over 200m on the first downwind leg.
In a steady breeze of about 15 knots, Oracle dropped further back over the final two legs and finished more than 300m behind.
The result meant Alinghi won all three races against Oracle during the regatta.
Alinghi meet Team NZ in a best-of-seven event final set down for Friday and Saturday.
The same two syndicates faced off in the last America's Cup final in Valencia in 2007, when Alinghi retained the Auld Mug with a 5-2 victory.

Report Wed 11th Feb 2009 - 22:30 hrs GMT
Alinghi have beaten BMW Oracle in the second race ... that's 2 out of 3 scheduled. Enough to win.
Alinghi should now go forward to challenge the Kiwis for the Pacific Cup tomorrow in a best of seven match races ... but Alinghi put up the red protest flag, on the last leg to the finish line, even though they were leading by over 200 metres and BMW were nowhere near them. So far nobody knows what their protest is.
My guess is that they are protesting the Race Format ... I think they want to go back to the original best of 5 races ... maybe they want to beat the Americans by a higher number than the present 2 nil.
We'll have to wait and see what happens after the protest is heard.

Report Wed 11th Feb 2009 - afternoon GMT
We now have the last two battling it out, in the best of five match races (now shortened to best of 3), to see who will take on Team Emirates New Zealand for the Pacific Cup.
These two are Alinghi (Swiss holders of Americas Cup '07) and BMW Oracle (the American AC team).

First race went to Alinghi.

Alinghi has snatched a scarcely believable win over BMW Oracle in the first of the best-of-three Challenger Final races.
The Swiss were trailing by over 60 metres at three quarters of the way down the final leg but a huge line bias favouring the end they targeted gave them a one second win.
BMW Oracle, with Kiwi Hamish Pepper as tactician, were leading up the first leg and had a narrow lead around the first mark.
The lead changed throughout the next two legs but BMW Oracle had a 17 second (90 metre) margin after the third beat.
The Americans looked to have done enough to have the win by approximately 20 seconds but they were unaware that the position of the committee boat (that marks the finish line) had changed by nearly 70 metres to counter a wind shift.
Ed Baird's Alinghi crew produced an impressive turn of speed getting onto that wind shift late on the final leg and, to the disbelief of commentators, crossed the line just one second ahead of the American team.
The win puts Alinghi one up with two more races planned for Thursday (weather permitting).
The original best of five has been shortened to a best-of-three due to the poor conditions forecast and if no races are able to take place then Alinghi, as the winner of the first race, will be the Challenger against Emirates Team New Zealand for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series trophy.