Sips from the cup: Fall overboard and stay dry all at once

Compiled by JULIE ASH

The job of bowman may be a little less appealing once you've experienced Alinghi's new interactive plaza.

The bowman's experience simulates the movement of the bow, sending many participants overboard.

If being a bowman doesn't appeal, how about taking on one of Alinghi's grinders in a grinding race - chances are you never realised how much strength it takes togrind.

If physical strength is not your forte, you can try to manoeuvre the boat into position in the crucial five minutes before the race or check out the materials used in sails and the hull.

The interactive plaza, to which entry is free, has been designed to provide information and enhance the experience of visitors.

"I thought it was sad when I came here that there wasn't something for the public," Alinghi marketing manager Michel Hodara said.

"The public would walk down the street and only see huge fences. We wanted to let people in and let them experience yacht racing."

Alinghi chief executive Michel Bonnefous said the plaza was not a conniving plan to get New Zealanders to back their team, which includes Team New Zealand defectors Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth.

The plaza was planned from day one.

"One of our goals for the challenge was to share with the people," Bonnefous said. "When we arrived we were always very welcome. People like sailing so I hope they will come here."

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After this cup, "Syndicate Row" will be no more - regardless of whether Team New Zealand mount a successful defence.

Already a new apartment building is being constructed between Team New Zealand and GBR Challenge. The apartment building is the first stage in the redevelopment of that part of the Viaduct Harbour.

The area where GBR, Victory Challenge, the old illbruck base and Stars and Stripes are located is a residential zone and is likely to be turned into apartments immediately after the cup.

And that means if Team New Zealand retain the cup many syndicates will have to find new homes.

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Ever wondered just how much an average mainsail costs?

Try around US$90,000 ($195,642).

The objectives of a sail design team are to reduce the weight of the sails while making them structurally efficient.

Oracle sail designer Mickey Ickert, a member of a team of 15, says it is a continual challenge.

"The sail design efforts will continue to be developed through the entire racing period."

The biggest evolution in sail design came with the introduction of 3DL sails. This saw the arrival of seamless sails made from carbon and kevlar threads that are laminated to mylar.

The sails are built on a mould as one big piece, as opposed to the old method where sails were put together like a patchwork quilt.

A major tool aiding the Oracle team is an indoor wind tunnel to test models.

"However, the ideas and input people in the team bring to the table every day are instrumental in advancing designs with help from available technologies," says Ickert.

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Victory Challenge crew members are racing against each other in pursuit of the Australia II trophy.

The team are spending the week competing in the Victory Challenge regatta where the winner will receive the Australia II trophy named after the Australian boat crewed by the first non-American team to win the cup in 1983.

The syndicate has been divided into two teams - Red and Green - that are racing each other in Victory Challenge's training boat Cristina and their new-generation boat Orn SWE63, which is handicapped at the start. Full Louis Vuitton regulations applied.

"The crew will be experiencing long racing days, they will be pressing the boats to 100 per cent and therefore exposing material and equipment to hard testing," said Victory Challenge project leader Mats Johansson.

The teams switch boats each day. Yesterday the Greens led the Reds 2-0. The regatta finishes tomorrow.

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Team New Zealand now have the swishest flag on the block.

A former commodore of the Royal New Zealand yacht squadron, Wilfred Beckett, has donated a New Zealand flag to Team New Zealand.

The new flag towers above the syndicate's base on a pole donated by Fletcher Steel.

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Team Dennis Conner's newest boat, Stars and Stripes USA77, was on display at the New York Yacht Club in Newport, Rhode Island, last weekend.

The newly built boat will be christened in Long Beach, California, on May 26.

This is Conner's first two-boat campaign since 1987. The team will move to Auckland in August.

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