Umpires get close-up view of the toughest calls

By JULIE ASH

Being an America's Cup umpire on Alinghi or Oracle could not have been much more dramatic than it was yesterday.

With several near-misses, a continual run of protests and eventually a penalty against Oracle, it was a tough day at the office for the umpires, particularly those on the back of the boats.

The Louis Vuitton final is the first time umpires have been on the back of the boats.

Yesterday, the idea proved its merits.

It was raised during the last America's Cup regatta, but could not be carried out because of technicalities such as the communications bar being in the way on some boats, fears of radiation and insurance liability problems.

It came up again before the start of this series, but not all the syndicates were in favour.

But now that the competition is nearing its climax, the two Louis Vuitton finalists, Alinghi and Oracle BMW Racing, and the defender, Team New Zealand, all support the system.

Chief umpire and international jury chairman Bryan Willis said the aim of the system was to place the umpires in the best position to see if an overlap occurred.

When this happens, it can result in a penalty.

"However the boats twist and turn, the observer can always see that overlap aspect, whereas a chase boat with an umpire on is going to be shooting around all over the place.

"The other important aspect is that information is sent back through that onboard observer to the afterguard, and the afterguard knows whether the umpires in the umpire boat have determined certain things."

British umpire Chris Simon had his first on-board experience on Alinghi in race two.

"When the boat turns, there is a lot of G-force at the back, so we have to hold on quite hard," he said.

"It was very interesting to ride on the boat and see it from that perspective."

"There is a safety bar at the back and the telemetry [communication] bar in front, and we move in the area.

"We move from side to side to get the best view because we are looking at the other boat.

"If the boats are close we shift to the back to the safety bar so we can get an accurate measure of whether the boats are overlapped.

"But when they are not so close, we can move up to the telemetry bar and just keep an eye on what's going on."

The umpires appear to be clinging on for dear life perched at the back of the boat, but Simon says it is not as bad as it looks.

"It makes it a much better match and much better umpiring," he said.

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