TEAMORIGIN Reveal Details of Official Team & Boat Presentation

TEAMORIGIN announce Friday 14 September 2007 at 1100hrs as the Official TEAMORIGIN Team & Boat Presentation.

Upon the main stage of the Southampton Boat Show on Press & Preview day, TEAMORIGIN will face the press for its first official engagement since launching in January 2007.

The Afterguard aims to be present to record the events, note the names & probe for further information, & we'll be revealing everything to our readers on the day.

GBR-75 will be available at the show throughout the opening weekend, Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th September, 2007.

For further details, show times & entry tickets, visit the Southampton Boat Show website.

TEAMORIGIN - GBR75's Maiden Voyage - Gallery

Saturday July 14th 2007 saw an event of great significance to Great Britain's bid to compete in the 33rd & 34th America's Cup - the maiden voyage (under TEAMORIGIN ownership) of its first vessel. The Afterguard presents a gallery of images depicting the event.

Updated 24/8/07: Images 29a, 29b, 29c.

Inset image: Photo 1 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

The Afterguard is extremely grateful to the talented photographers who have consented to us providing this spectacular gallery of images depicting the maiden voyage.

GBR75's Bow Scythes The Waters Off Port America
Photo 2 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

TEAMORIGIN Upon The Water
Photo 3 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 4 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Proud & Unmistakably British
Photo 5 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 6 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Bearing Down
Photo 7 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 8 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 9 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

GBR75 In All Her Glory
Photo 10 © Nico Martinez

Photo 10b © Nico Martinez

Photo 11 © Nico Martinez

Photo 11b © Nico Martinez

Photo 11c © Nico Martinez

Photo 11d © Nico Martinez

Photo 12 © HeikeSchwab.com

Photo 13 © HeikeSchwab.com

During Saturday's shakedown, GBR75 was joined by a replica of 'America'
- the first winner back in 1851 and after whom the cup is named.

America
Photo 14 © HeikeSchwab.com

Photo 15 © HeikeSchwab.com

Photo 16 © HeikeSchwab.com

America & GBR75
Photo 17 © HeikeSchwab.com

Photo 18 © HeikeSchwab.com

Photo 18b © Nico Martinez

Photo 18c © Nico Martinez

Photo 19 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 20 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 21 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 22 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 23 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 24 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 25 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 26 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 26b © ACM 2007/Photo:Carlo Borlenghi - courtesy of TEAMORIGIN

Photo 27 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 28 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 29 © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

Photo 29A © ACM 2007/Photo:Carlo Borlenghi - courtesy of TEAMORIGIN

Photo 29B © ACM 2007/Photo:Carlo Borlenghi - courtesy of TEAMORIGIN

Photo 29C © ACM 2007/Photo:Carlo Borlenghi - courtesy of TEAMORIGIN

GBR75 (left) from the ShorePhoto 30 © freshwater2006

We'd like once again to thank Heike Schwab, Nico Martinez, Carlo Borlenghi & the team at Kos Pictures, and of course TEAMORIGIN and Pitch PR for their kindness and assistance in bringing this collection of images together. We'd also like to acknowledge Valencia Sailing for breaking the news of GBR75's voyage and for bringing the first images to public attention.

If you know of or have other images of GBR75's maiden voyage which might contribute to this gallery, please contact The Afterguard by email at theafterguard[at]gmail[dot]com. We'll update this post, revising the date, rather than introducing new posts, so do check back.

TEAMORIGIN - GBR75's Maiden Voyage - Report

Saturday July 14th 2007 saw an event of great significance to Great Britain's bid to compete in the 33rd & 34th America's Cup - the maiden voyage (under TEAMORIGIN ownership) of its first vessel. The Afterguard reports.

Inset image: Photo © Carlo Borlenghi/kospictures.com

SUI75 had been built in 2002 by Decision boatyard in Vevey, Switzerland, on behalf of the Swiss America's Cup team Alinghi, to assist in their (ultimately successful) challenge to win the 31st America's Cup in 2003 (which was raced in sister-ship SUI64). Although modified to reflect changes to ACC version 5 regulations in the intervening years, SUI75 never competed for the cup itself, but sailed in pre-regatta Acts in 2005 & 2006, & was used extensively for training & testing purposes.

TEAMORIGIN announced their purchase of SUI75 from Alinghi on Monday May 21st 2007. Identified immediately as the team's first training vessel, its appeal was put down to the standard of design and the fact that the team would be able to utilise the boat almost as soon as the 32nd America's Cup had ended.

And so it was, in the early afternoon of Saturday July 14th 2007, just 11 days after the 32nd America's Cup had been won by its previous owners Alinghi, that SUI75 became TEAMORIGIN's GBR75 and took to the waters off Port America, Valencia, Spain.

In sunny but blustery conditions, she showed off her new TEAMORIGIN livery under full sail - though corporate branding was conspicuous by its absence; sails make a great 'canvas' for a message 'from our sponsors', though there was undeniable impact from the TEAMORIGIN logo.

The operation was ostensibly a shake-down test as part of the formal handover of the vessel, and on board the crew, comprised of technical and shore team support members of both Alinghi & TEAMORIGIN, were overseen by TEAMORIGIN Team Director Mike Sanderson.

The vessel sailed on both Saturday & Sunday, & was joined on the first afternoon by a replica of the yacht America, which represented the New York Yacht Club in a race around the Isle of Wight in 1851, & in doing so won the Royal Yacht Squadron's 'One Hundred Sovereigns' cup - a feat remembered ever since in the renaming of subsequent contests as the America's Cup.

It is now TEAMORIGIN's intention to pack the boat up and transport it to the UK, where its first official engagement will be an appearance at the Southampton Boat Show from 14th-16th September 2007.

Look out also for our forthcoming 'TEAMORIGIN - GBR75's Maiden Voyage - Gallery' post.

TEAMORIGIN - More GBR75 Images

More images are appearing of GBR75's maiden voyage this weekend. Update #3

Inset image: Photo © Heike Schwab

This is an image of a replica of America, the winner of the inaugural America's Cup in 1851, after which the competition takes its name. She was also out on the water at the weekend, and GBR75 didn't miss a good photo opportunity!

Our image is reproduced here with the kind permission of German photojournalist Heike Schwab, who is based in Valencia.

Other images can now be found elsewhere on the web:

• The official TEAMORIGIN site
• Valencia Sailing, and also here. *First to publish
• The Daily Sail
• SailJuice blog
• Carlo Borlenghi's Sea & See
• Sail World
• Rule69 blog
• Juanpa Cadario blog
• Jaume Soler blog
• Felo Tombeur blog
  
• and our own page, here

Rather than generate new posts, we'll keep updating this one with other sources of images, so please check back.

TEAMORIGIN - Finally Afloat

Exciting news reaches us here at The Afterguard, courtesy of the eyes & ears of Pierre over at Valencia Sailing, who reports that TEAMORIGIN were seen afloat aboard GBR75 (PKA SUI75) in Valencia, Spain, yesterday (Saturday 14-7-07).

Inset image: Photo © Heike Schwab

To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first time that TEAMORIGIN have set sail aboard their own vessel, and marks a significant moment in their bid for the 33rd and 34th America's Cups.

Well done Pierre for getting to the story first, and also for sourcing the images.

We're happy to acknowledge that Valencia Sailing got the break on this news here, and also to extend our enormous gratitude to Heike Schwab for her permission to feature these images, and our congratulations to her for being the FIRST!

So far, we're unable to identify the crew, but Pierre has other images and thinks he'll have some news soon - so keep an eye on his blog.

GBR75 Sails For The First Time, 14-7-07 Valencia

image: Photo © Heike Schwab

GBR75 Sails For The First Time, 14-7-07 Valencia

image: Photo © Heike Schwab

GBR75 Sails For The First Time, 14-7-07 Valencia

image: Photo © Heike Schwab

TEAMORIGIN - Team Director's Response to AC33 Protocol

TEAMORIGIN Team Director Mike Sanderson is currently in New Zealand (sea trialling the new Pindar Open 60, in which he has significant design & development interest), so we're exceptionally grateful to him for providing a statement concerning the recently announced 33rd America's Cup Protocol.

At the protocol press conference on Thursday, Alinghi's President, Ernesto Bertarelli, was asked to comment on the circumstances surrounding TEAMORIGIN's purchase of SUI75 in light of the introduction of a larger specification vessel for the 33rd final regatta, responding "TEAMORIGIN were made aware of the possibility of the class change before they bought SUI75 and there is a clause in the contract that states this possibility."

We therefore asked TEAMORIGIN what impact the announcement of the new protocol would have on the team, and we're delighted to be able to bring Mike Sanderson's statement in full:

“The 32nd America’s Cup was an unprecedented success both on and off the water and we welcome the early response from Alinghi who have acted quickly to clarify a number of details for the next Cup. It is great news that the event will remain in Europe, possibly in Valencia, and we are really excited at the prospect of the new class of boat. The world’s oldest sporting trophy has never been so popular, with over four billion TV viewers and five (5.7m) million visitors to the America’s Cup Port.”


“The new America’s Cup class gives TEAMORIGIN the opportunity to compete on a level playing field with all the other Challengers. These bigger boats will require completely new concepts for yacht design, such as the sliding keel, and our designers will be among the first to push the new rule to its limits to give us a competitive platform. The new class should create faster sailing and a more exciting spectacle. We were always aware of the possibility of a design rule change (as were all teams) and we remain confident that our purchase of SUI 75 provides a valuable asset as a training boat and will be used in the preliminary regattas.”


“The creation of the competitor’s commission and other steps taken towards transferring more power to the Challengers will benefit all aspects of the competition, ensuring the event becomes even more appealing for both sponsors and spectators. We look forward to a resolution on a number of outstanding issues but firmly believe that the Cup will continue to grow both in terms of competitors and popularity and are excited about putting together a successful campaign to win the America’s Cup.”

Inset image: Photo © Action Images / Paul Childs Livepic