Dickson promises more speed on Oracle

11.15am

Oracle skipper Chris Dickson is promising a "significantly different boat" for the America's Cup challenger yachting series Louis Vuitton Cup final, due to start on the Hauraki Gulf here tomorrow.

The San Francisco-based Oracle team of billionaire Larry Ellison line up against the Swiss-based Alinghi team of another billionaire, Ernesto Bertarelli, in the best-of-nine round to find who will challenge Team New Zealand for the America's Cup starting on February 15.

The contest also pits two of this country's finest sailors, in Dickson and long-time rival Russell Coutts, the Alinghi skipper, against each other.

When the two teams met previously in the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals last month, Alinghi looked comfortable, winning 4-0. But today Dickson insisted he was feeling confident about the finals races, while acknowledging Oracle were the underdogs.

"The sail number of the boat we're using is the same, (USA-) 76, and after that the similarities disappear rather quickly," he said.

"We're a significantly different boat than we were a month ago. We know we've found boat speed in a lot of different areas."

Many of the projects Oracle had been working on had come together during the past month, and the team were now stronger in a "huge number of areas".

Coutts said Alinghi had a lot of respect for Oracle.

"Everyone knows they're a team stacked with talent," he said, adding that Alinghi were looking forward to a "real battle" this time.

When racing starts the two teams will be without the laser range finders which have been used throughout the competition so far, in contravention of the event rules, to help work out how fast opposition boats are going.

This round the teams have decided to abide by the rules, concerned after the issue came up towards the end of the semifinal repechage, primarily because of the mysterious goose-shaped object on the back of Oracle's boat.

In answer to a series of questions at the time, the America's Cup jury said laser range finders and radar were capable of receiving or transmitting communications or signals, and such equipment was prohibited from being carried on board while racing.

Today Coutts said he would have preferred to be able to use modern technology on board Alinghi and had no problem with Oracle using their system, "but that's the way the rule is".

Dickson refused once again to explain what the "goose" on the back of Oracle was, but said the team would once again be sailing with it.

In another development for the challenger finals, both of the teams will race with an umpire on the back of their boats to help with some rule issues.

Dickson said the move was a great idea that would take away some uncertainty.

Coutts was hopeful the presence of the onboard umpires would remove the likelihood of "silly penalties".



Both Coutts and Dickson were complimentary about the false hull, or hula -- short for hull appendage -- which Team New Zealand revealed on both their boats this week.

Some commentators have seen the hula as an attempt to get around America's Cup design rules, but today Dickson said the defenders looked to have done a nice job and come up with an innovative boat.

Oracle had asked for an interpretation of rules concerning such appendages more than 18 months ago, he said.

"It's not a surprise to us to see a team working on the hula and hula-like additions," Dickson said, adding that Oracle had carried out a wide range of testing on the same sort of thing.

Coutts said the hull revealed by Team New Zealand had not been much different to what had been expected.

"They look as though they've done some good work, and full marks to them," he said.

There would be no protests about the hula from Alinghi.

Dickson, after having to be asked the question twice, also indicated Oracle would not be protesting the hula.

"We haven't protested. We have no plans to protest," he said.

- NZPA

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