Compiled by JULIE ASH
After a day out on the water - satisfying the hunger pains of sailors is no easy task.
Oracle Racing have New Zealand chef Mark Reihana operating their syndicate diner in Auckland's Halsey St.
Reihana is a New Zealand cooking gold medallist and has experience cooking for large numbers
as former head chef for the Xena: Warrior Princess television series.
The menu he prepares for Oracle includes a variety of fresh salads, vegetables, fruit, pasta and meats.
On the directive of the team's nutritionist, only one cup of oil is used a day to cook all meals, and no product gets on to the shopping trolley unless it is under 6 per cent fat content, says Reihana.
Lunch and dinner vary depending on what is in season, but in a typical week, the shopping list can read: 48 whole chickens, 60kg of steak, 20kg of chicken breast meat, 20kg of mahimahi fish, 10kg of minced beef, 7kg of jasmine rice, 5kg of lemons, 5kg of couscous, 50 heads of lettuce, four cases of bananas, four trays of strawberries, and three trays of tomatoes.
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Former America True sailor John Sweeney, now with Oracle Racing, is starting a website devoted to the growing IACC (America's Cup) fleet in San Francisco and the promotion of fleet racing with the yachts.
The new site, www.iaccsf.com, will feature information about IACC yachts, race schedules and most importantly, the first free online marketplace for buying or selling IACC yachts, gear and sails.
Sweeney's old company, Sailing Billboards, has been sold and his new focus is to promote IACC sailing in San Francisco via his new company America's Cup Media LLC.
"The hope is to attract some of the big names in yachting to place their vintage IACC yachts in San Francisco year round," said Sweeney, who already owns three IACC yachts himself.
"We think that the likes of Prada, Bill Koch, Dennis Conner and many of the other syndicates would see the long-term benefits to exposing their sponsors or yachts to a larger audience," he said.
"Imagine a fleet of 15 vintage IACC yachts racing up and down the San Francisco City front."
The plan is for the event to be launched in October 2003 when Sweeney's company plans to host an IAAC world championship.
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David Houghton, one of the world's best-known marine meteorologists, has paid a visit to the British GBR Challenge.
The knowledge Houghton has built up over his 40 years as a meteorologist, seven America's Cups and eight Olympics, is remarkable.
The weather patterns on the Hauraki Gulf are renowned for their changability. However, basic principles, such as zones of convergence and divergence, and the development of sea breezes, can still be applied.
The daily forecast is important for many aspects of the campaign.
It helps the sail loft know which sails are likely to be needed on board.
The long range forecast, especially on Monday morning, helps the team plan action for the week.
While in Auckland, Houghton looked over weather logs to find patterns in the Auckland spring weather.
Starting training last October provided valuable experience in preparation for racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup next October.
An accurate daily weather log is always recorded.
Weather balloons are a great tool for studying the horizontal and vertical structure of a sea breeze and Houghton recommends sailors launch a balloon into the breeze and watch for it to drift inshore on the lower-level breeze, then rise before floating offshore in the upper-level return flow.
Houghton will continue to help to GBR Challenge as they prepare for the Challenger series, starting next October.
Auckland is a challenging venue meteorologically.
The ultimate aim is to be able to supply the most accurate and useful forecast to the sailors so they can make informed decisions.
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It seems the tempo has moved up a notch in the Hauraki Gulf with teams competing against each other in informal races.
One World took the opportunity to race against Prada for three days last week and then, somewhat more controversially, Prada went on to sail against Team New Zealand.
The pros and cons of racing against the defender have always been a hot topic among the challengers.
Nippon took plenty of heat for lining up against Team NZ before the last cup but that was in their new boats, whereas the recent racing has been in what are now old ones.
OneWorld, GBR Challenge and Victory Challenge will get to race the black boats in the New Year in the International Regatta in Auckland in February.
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<i>Sips from the Cup:</i> Nothing like salt air to work up an appetite
Compiled by JULIE ASH
After a day out on the water - satisfying the hunger pains of sailors is no easy task.
Oracle Racing have New Zealand chef Mark Reihana operating their syndicate diner in Auckland's Halsey St.
Reihana is a New Zealand cooking gold medallist and has experience cooking for large numbers
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