33rd America's Cup: TEAMORIGIN Releases Video Report on Crew Launch Event

TEAMORIGIN have made available further video coverage of Friday's team introductions at the Southampton Boat Show.

The 3 minute clip includes on-board shots of the team sailing GBR75 on what appears to be the Solent recently.



The Afterguard will return to the team introduction in due course with a gallery of stills and moving images marking the event.

TEAMORIGIN's Official Presentation Release & Video

TEAMORIGIN presents its line-up

Sir Keith Mills and Mike Sanderson presented the sailing, design, shore and management teams at the core of TEAMORIGIN, Britain’s challenge for the 33^rd America’s Cup.

At the Southampton International Boat Show today TEAMORIGIN’s Sir Keith Mills and Mike Sanderson, Team Principal and Team Director respectively, announced a roll call of British and international sailing, design, boatbuilding and management talent. This group will take TEAMORIGIN towards its ultimate goal of winning the America’s Cup, the oldest sporting trophy in the world, sailing’s Holy Grail and the only major sports trophy Britain has yet to win.

“This is a British challenge. At least 50% of our team is British. The funding is British, the flag is British, the race boats will be built in Britain, GBR will appear on the mainsail of every one of our racing yachts,” said Sir Keith.

TEAMORIGIN is a new team, but 70% of the line-up have previous America’s Cup experience at the highest level. Four members of the team are past America’s Cup winners, five are round the world race winners and two are recent Olympic gold medallists. Ten countries are currently represented and more than half of the team is British-born.

“This is a modern team, diverse in its origins but already solidly thinking as one group with one aim - to ultimately win the America’s Cup for Britain,” explained Team Director Mike Sanderson.

Britain’s Challenge for the next America’s Cup will be led on the water by triple Olympic medallist Ben Ainslie OBE.

“This is a fantastic challenge and I am really honoured to be in the position of leading a sailing team which I believe has the ability to go out and win the America’s Cup. We now all need to get on with the huge amount of work that lies ahead of us,” said Skipper Ben Ainslie.

Sailing, a mechanised sport, and the America’s Cup, a design and technology-led competition, means that TEAMORIGIN will require a powerful and experienced design office. This will be lead by Briton Andy Claughton, Argentinean Juan Kouyoumdjian, and German Mickey Ickert, all highly experienced with complimentary talents in the refined fields of America’s Cup yacht design.

“I’ve been involved in designing and testing America’s Cup yachts since the 1980s, a period which has spanned three different types of yacht, five different venues and many different teams. Heading into a new era involving a fourth new class, but this time for a powerful British team, is really stimulating for me personally,” said Design Co-ordinator Andrew Claughton.

To be held in 2009 in Valencia, Spain, preparations for the 33rd America’s Cup are picking up pace around the world and a huge amount of interest in TEAMORIGIN’s make-up will be expressed by the five other teams currently entered.

“I’m particularly excited that we have been able to recruit the people to tackle the task. I believe that with the group presented today TEAMORIGIN has the talent resources necessary to design, sail, maintain and manage a world class America’s Cup team,” said Sir Keith.

TEAMORIGIN is a commercially-led team and one that will run on a mixture of private and sponsor funding.

“I’m also happy to announce that Charles Dunstone has decided to join me as a partner in financing this project, something that I believe lends enormous credibility to the seriousness of this campaign.”

As a keen amateur sailor and one of Britain’s leading businessmen Charles Dunstone has a strong personal interest in TEAMORIGIN as many members of his crew from previous campaigns have joined the team.

“I believe it is really important that Great Britain, the origin of the Cup, is represented competitively at this level. I believe that with the team that Keith and Mike have put together we can win. Consequently I have decided to lend my full personal support,” explained Charles Dunstone.

“The modern European America’s Cup competition has created an opportunity that hasn’t existed before. It is now possible to run a commercially viable team at this level. We have the best design, sailing, financial and management talent of a generation available to us. Never before has a British team had all the ingredients necessary for success at the same time. As a result we can compete at the America’s Cup in a manner that no previous British challenge has done before,” concluded Sir Keith.
--Ends--

The Afterguard: TEAMORIGIN Mean Business

Firstly, apologies to our readers - technology has cramped The Afterguard's style somewhat (we were unable to blog live from the show floor), and by now what we have to report will likely be general knowledge... However, few will have reported the team's vital statistics within touching distance of GBR75, so we'll press on regardless...

The Team presented to the world today left The Afterguard in no doubt of the serious intent within TEAMORIGIN. While personal preferences many vary, nobody could honestly deny that TEAMORIGIN have assembled a great team; the deck crew boast the experience of over 35 previous America's Cup campaigns, the design team over 20; & that's without considering experience of other sailing competitions. There's a strong British contingent, along with compatriots of the Team Director. Of obvious benefit is the cohesion present - many of the crew have sailed and worked together, most notably a number of the ABN-Amro team with which Mike Sanderson enjoyed such success.

The biggest surprise of the day came not with regard to crew - Sir Keith Mills has an Investor/Partner, Charles Dunstone of the Carphone Warehouse. This bolsters the financial foundations of TEAMORIGIN, making this no longer a single-benefactor operation. No announcements were made regarding official sponsors, but that isn't surprising considering the current legal status of the 33rd Cup. No doubt Charles' input will ensure a smooth ride for the team during the continuing financial odyssey while his enthusiasm for sailing will be welcomed.

Ben Ainslie is confirmed as Helmsman for the team. We spoke briefly with Ben at the show who confirmed that his TEAMORIGIN and Olympics commitments required very exacting organisation in 2008; more than his words, his focus & determination was palpable and might well explain at least some of his success on the water. We look forward to watching him help develop the TEAMORIGIN challenge.

Overall there was a strong sense of relief from the principle and backroom members of TEAMORIGIN that their component parts had now been publicly identified, and that the project was no longer a plan, but flesh and bones; almost as entertaining as watching GBR75 reaching furiously on the waters of Southampton was to watch the emotion the sight generated amongst the shore crew present - a lot had obviously been put into this day, and the team can feel justifiably proud of their performance; of course everything has yet to be achieved in competition, but they're off and running.

We at The Afterguard have frequently questioned the 33rd Protocol's issue concerning the Defender's inclusion in the challenger series; Former ACM man, Marcus Hutchinson (TEAMORIGIN's Director of External Affairs & Communications) advised us to carefully consider the implications of not just clause 11 (concerning the challenger regattas), but also the ambiguity contained within clause 12 (covering the 'defender series') leaving us with a final tantalising comment, "Watch this space".

Andy Claughton confirmed that he would be flying to Valencia for a September 15th meeting concerning the new boat class, and was keen to see what was open to negotiation and how large the design box would be; of particular concern to him was the need to refine the design's incorporation of a sliding keel in the 12 months or so given to getting the 90' vessel sailing.

We were delighted that Sir Keith himself had a few moments to spare for us, during which he reflected with pride on the team he had assembled to undertake the challenges ahead; when asked to choose to define himself as either a hands-on or hands-off team principle, Sir Keith defined himself as the former, reflecting that he had selected talented individuals to concern themselves with the day to day running of things, while he was on hand to provide direction and support in any way he could.

The Power Behind TEAMORIGIN (L-R):
Sir Keith Mills, Ben Ainslie, Charles Dunstone, Mike Sanderson
Photo © TheAfterguard 2007

Key Personnel
Team Principle: Sir Keith Mills - GBR
Partner & Investor: Charles Dunstone - GBR
Team Director: Mike Sanderson - NZL

Sailing Team
Helmsman: Ben Ainslie - GBR (prev. Emirates Team New Zealand [2004], One World Challenge [2000])
Tactician: Iain Percy - GBR (prev. +39)
Strategist/Traveller: Rob Greenhalgh - GBR (Prev. ABN-Amro)
Navigator: Ian Moore - GBR (prev. Emirates Team New Zealand)
Aft Grinder/Strategist: Andrew Simpson - GBR (Prev. +39)
Mainsheet Trimmer: Neal McDonald - GBR (Prev. Victory Challenge [2007], GBR Challenge [2003], Sydney 95 [1993]).
Trimmer: Robbie Naismith -NZL (Prev. BMW Oracle Racing [2007/2003], Team New Zealand [2000/1995], New Zealand Challenge [1992])
Grinder:
Chris Brittle - GBR (Prev. +39)
David Carr - GBR (Prev. Victory Challenge [2005], GBR Challenge [2003])
Ian Weighell - GBR (Prev. Victory Challenge [2007], GBR Challenge [2003])
Pawel Bielecki - POL (Prev. +39)
Mastman:
Julien Cressant - FRA (Prev. BMW Oracle Racing [2007], Le Defi Areva [2003], 6' SENS Le Defi [2000])
George Skuodas - GBR (Prev. Mascalzone [2007], K-Challenge [2005], GBR Challenge [2003])
Mid Bowman: Kevin Batten - NZL (Prev. BMW Oracle [2007/2003], Tag Heuer [1995], Spirit of Australia [1990])
Bowman:
Justin Slattery - IRL (Prev. K-Challenge [2004])
Matt Cornwell - GBR (Prev. Areva Challenge [2007], GBR Challenge [2003])
Boat Captain: Nick Bice - AUS (Prev. Young Australia [2000])

Design/Technical
Principle Design: Juan Kouyoumdjian - ARG, & his full office (of over 30 people) (Prev. BMW Oracle [2007], Prada [2003], Le Defi [2000/1995]; not in attendance as currently racing in the Star Europeans).
Design Coordinator: Andy Claughton - GBR (Prev. Emirates Team New Zealand)
Technical Director/Navigator: Stan Honey - USA (prev. ABN-Amro)
Aero Director: Mikey Ickert - DEU (Prev. BMW Oracle Racing)
Mast & Spars: Bruce Thompson - NZL (prev. Sparcraft)
CFD: Dr Rodrigo Azcueta - ARG
Performance VPP: Gonzalo Kouyoumdjian - ARG
Head of Structural Design: Andrea Avaldi - ITA

Shore Team
Shore Operations Director: David Duff - NZL
Head Of Boat Operations: Tim Hacket - USA
Boat Builder: Pete Britt - AUS, James Walker - GBR
Head of Tender Operations: Mike Heffer - NZL
Head of Sail Operations: Andrew Witherspoon - NZL
Sailmaker: Paul Gudgeon - GBR/NZL
Rigger: Ian Goldsworthy - GBR
Rig Components: Sid Barker - NZL
Head Chef: Henry Lynskey - NZL

Central Services
Commercial Director: Nick Masson - GBR
Director of Marketing & Events: Leslie Ryan - IRL
Director of External Affairs & Communications: Marcus Hutchinson - IRL/GBR (prev. ACM)
Account Director: Jerry Hill - GBR
Account Director: Adam Walker - GBR
Account Director: Andy Green - GBR
Head of Marketing Services: Daniel Miles - GBR
Merchandising Manager: Serena Gosling - GBR
Events Manager: Emma Ramply - GBR
Commercial Co-ordinator: Emily Jennings - GBR
Finance Director: Dermot Heffernan - GBR
Finance Controller: Diana Puketapu - NZL
HR Director: Viv Jarvis - GBR
HR Manager: Carolyn Spencer - GBR
HR Co-ordinator: Michelle Whittington - GBR
Legal Counsel: Robert Datnow - GBR
Project Manager: Martin Rust - GBR
PA to Sir Keith Mills Debbie Cavanagh - GBR
PA to Mike Sanderson: Charlotte Kootstra - HOL

Apologies to those of the 57-strong ORIGIN team we have omitted - purely down to sore thumbs! Our thanks go to the team for their hospitality.

GBR75's UK Sailing Debut
Photo © TheAfterguard 2007

Inset image: 'TEAMORIGIN Open The Southampton Boatshow' Photo © The Afterguard 2007

The Afterguard's America's Cup & TEAMORIGIN Weekend Roundup: 9/9/07

In what will become a regular feature of The Afterguard, we present a weekend round-up of the past week (or so's) events surrounding the America's Cup and TEAMORIGIN.

We pick up where our last recap (Here) left off:

• Fri 31/8/07 Scuttlebutt featured a Q&A session with ACM's COO Michel Hodara, who got The Afterguard's goat by failing to address the single boat in Challenger Series issue when asked. Here.
• Sat 1/9/07 Commodore of Royal New Zealand Yacht Club refutes suggestion of SNG 'deal' in GGYC affidavit. BYM Here.
  
• Tue 4/9/07 TEAMORIGIN gave their (supportive) position on the 33rd Protocol and ACM's actions in a statement. Here.
• Wed 5/9/07 ACM had a bit a of a wiggle on today, holding teleconferences and more. They declared that they and Alinghi were moving forward with the 33rd Protocol, and attempted to respond to much of the criticism levelled to the protocol, indicating a wish to return the America's Cup to the romance of the J-Class. Alinghi hopes BMW Oracle Racing will participate. Alinghi's Brad Butterworth answered a number of questions and got The Afterguard's goat by failing to address the single boat in Challenger Series issue when asked. Here.
• Wed 5/9/07 ACM also reported that Valencia had been officially ratified by all concerned as the venue for the 33rd America's Cup.
  
• Wed 5/9/07 Michel Bonnefous announced he was stepping down as CEO of ACM, remaining on board to defend against GGYC litigation.
  
• Wed 5/9/07 SNG's written response to GGYC's motion due to be filed.
• Wed 5/9/07 Alinghi counsel Hamish Ross (helpfully) points out many teams do not have annual regattas or aren't incorporated (meeting a stipulation of Deed of Gift), most notably Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (not incorporated during 5 cycles of the America's Cup).
  
• Thur 6/9/07 The Afterguard published its extensive analysis of the recent TEAMORIGIN statement, releasing it's goat over ACM's failure to address the single boat in Challenger Series issue when asked. Here.
• Thur 6/9/07 Also on Thursday, ACM revealed that United Internet Team Germany had been accepted as the fifth official challenger for the 33rd America's Cup, explaining the apparent delay in confirming the news to 'due diligence'. Here.
  UITG: Applied: 10/8/07 Accepted: 30/8/07 (+20 days). Announced: 6/9/07 (+27 days)
  TEAMORIGIN: Applied: 20/7/07 Accepted: 23/7/07 (+3 days). Announced: 23/7/07 (+3 days)
  We assume due dilligence is a moveable feast? (Source: ACM website/PR)
• Thur 6/9/07 Alinghi's Brad Butterworth offers explanation of conduct at Farr 40 World Championships - straight from the horse's mouth, for a change. The words 'Teacup', 'storm' and 'in a' spring to mind. BYM Here.
  
• Fri 7/9/07 ACM announce the appointment of respected Tom Schnackenberg as 'the class rule and competition regulations consultant for the design consultation period'. Mike Sanderson of TEAMORIGIN said by ACM to be 'satisfied'. Here.
• Fri 7/9/07 Also on Friday, the ACM appointed Arbitration Panel for the 33rd America's Cup announced its ruling on ACAP 33/01. The panel found it had the competence to rule on its own jurisdiction. CNEV's challenge is valid, and therefore entitled to challenge as COR and SNG obliged to accept. 33rd Protocol complies with Deed of Gift, with a recommendation for points 155 & 156 to be amended. This was not entirely helpful as the listed nomenclature does not correspond t the publicly published 33rd Protocol, requiring observers to await the publication of the full findings. A later update to the statement appearing on ACM's website suggested these items relate to the administration of the Arbitration Panel. We await clarification with much interest. Here.
• Fri 7/9/07 Alinghi 'delighted' CNEV is valid. Here.
  
• Fri 7/9/07 Salvatore Sarno of Team Shosholoza puts forward case for challenging under 33rd Protocol. Doesn't share GGYC's view - 'challenge at sea, not in the courts'. Here.
  
• Sat 8/9/07 The Times of London dedicated an article by Andrew Longmore on TEAMORIGIN featuring the thoughts of Mike Sanderson, looking at the forthcoming announcement of team members on Friday 14/9/07. Teasingly, the article names a number of Britain's leading design and crew talent (Ker and Claughton, but also Ainslie), as well as overseas potentials (Juan Kouyoumdjian); it also indicates that Sanderson has had little time to define new relationships, and that therefore the team might look similar to his ABN-Amro Volvo Round The World inner circle. Here.
• Sun 9/9/07 The Times might have been right with the TEAMORIGIN ABN-Amro connection - Kimball Livingston quotes Stan Honey at TEAMORIGIN. Here.
  

Forthcoming Attractions:

• Mon 10/9/07 Initial New York Supreme Court hearing in case of GGYC Vs. SNG before Justice Cahn.
• Mon 10/9/07 Arbitration Panel publishes ACAP 33/01 papers.
• Mon 10/9/07 Desafio Español introduces Crew.
• Thur 13/9/07 Bidding starts in the great ACM car boot sale.
  
• Fri 14/9/07 TEAMORIGIN introduces Crew & Design Team at Southampton Boat Show.
• Sat 15/9/07 Class V6 vessel consultation period starts.
• Wed 19/9/07 Fuxia Challenge crew apparel launch (no, really).

ACM's Appointment Of Tom Schnakenberg As New Boat Class Consultant Receives Thumbs Up From TEAMORIGIN

The ACM today announced the appointment of Tom Schnackenberg to consult on the troubled 33rd Protocol's new boat class (see ACM's website Here). Furthermore, Mike Sanderson, Team Director at TEAMORIGIN is quoted by ACM as indicating his approval and acknowledging the appointments positive impact.

The statement in full:

ACM announces Tom Schnackenberg as consultant to develop new class rule

07-09-2007

Today, ACM, Event Authority for the 33rd America’s Cup, named Tom Schnackenberg as the class rule and competition regulations consultant for the design consultation period due to start on 15 September with current challengers. He will ensure that all views are taken into consideration in the process that will eventually lead to a new class definition to be announced on the 31 October 2007.

Michel Hodara, CEO of ACM, commented: “We are delighted Tom is joining us to contribute actively on the writing of the new class rules. Tom has an unrivalled experience and his ability to resolve conflicts and his credibility are great assets in the process”.

Grant Simmer, design team coordinator for Alinghi, also explained Tom’s appointment: “Tom started working in the America’s Cup in 1977 and has been involved in every Cup cycle since then, winning the Cup 3 times. He is respected as one of the smartest and most experienced technical sailors and designers in our sport. Tom’s responsibility will be to consult and consider the input of the entered challengers and to publish the new class rule by 31st October. Tom will also work on other racing regulations related to the 33rd America’s Cup. Once he has completed these tasks we look forward to welcoming Tom in the Alinghi design team”.

Mike Sanderson, Team Director of TEAMORIGIN, also was also satisfied with this appointment: “The choice of Tom Schnackenberg to lead this process is fantastic. Having someone of Tom’s calibre available and willing to take on this important task is very fortunate for the whole America’s Cup community.”

The challengers, which include the Challenger of Record, Desafío Español, TEAMORIGIN, Team Shosholoza, Emirates Team New Zealand and United Internet Team Germany, will join the Defender for a series of open discussions, starting 15 September. This group will consider rule drafts leading to the new class rule which will become public, two months ahead of schedule, ensuring an 18 month period before the first race in the new class.

Schnackenberg describes his pleasure at the new appointment: “It is a huge challenge and for me that is part of the appeal. I have been intrigued by the prospect of the new rule since it was signalled after the Cup and am honoured to have been invited to participate in its inception”

Tom Schnackenberg biography:

11/5/1945, Wellington (NZL)

- 1977: Sail designer at North Sails (Lowell North) for Cup defence candidate Enterprise

- 1980: Sail designer for the challenger Australia I

- 1983: Sail coordinator for Australia II, challenger and winner of the America's Cup

- 1987: Sail coordinator for Australia III and Australia IV

- 1988: Sail coordinator for KZ1the Big Boat challenger

- 1992: Sail coordinator for Spirit of Australia, challenger candidate

- 1995: Design coordinator and navigator of Black Magic

- 2000: Design coordinator and navigator for Team New Zealand

- 2000: America's Cup Hall of Fame inductee

- 2003: Syndicate head, design coordinator of Team New Zealand

- 2007: member of Luna Rossa Challenge

A doctoral student in nuclear physics, Schnackenberg discovered yachting at 21years old. From 1977 he was a sail designer at North Sails for Enterprise, Lowell North's 12-Metre Cup defence candidate. Three years later, he was sail co-designer for Australia, the 1980 challenger, and in 1983 coordinated Australia II's sail designs, enjoying his first Cup success. One of the inventors of 3D design of sails and the tri-radial genoa, in 1987, he was sail coordinator for Australia III and IV during the Cup defence in Fremantle. He designed sails for the giant KZ1, (The Big Boat) for the 1988 Cup and in 1992, was sail coordinator for Spirit of Australia. In 1995, he joined Peter Blake's famous "dream team" and in 2000, he again coordinated the design team - the "millennium rig" became a sensation - and he sailed again as navigator. Schnackenberg also won the1987 Admiral's Cup series and then supervised the national yachting team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. The triple America's Cup winner (1983, 1995, 2000) was most recently on the design team for Luna Rossa Challenge.
--Ends--

TEAMORIGIN's Afterguard Cowes Week Round Up

Although news from TEAMORIGIN has been scarce of late, the two key figures behind the team, owner Sir Keith Mills and Team Director Mike Sanderson, have been busy participating in events at Cowes Week. Updated 13-8-07

Mike Sanderson had on his other sailing hat, seeing his involvement with Pindar's new open 60 reach a finale at Cowes and then on to the Fastnet.

Pindar Open 60 Dismasted
Pindar Photo © onEdition 2007

As reported widely elsewhere, a strange fate befell the vessel when structural failure did for her mast.

Having successfully sea-tested in good winds off New Zealand in mid-July, the Pindar Open 60 was then transported to Europe, and sailed from Belgium to Cowes without incident.

Everything therefore looked set fair for Wednesday's Artemis Challenge - round the island race, a much anticipated first meeting with two new giants of the class, Pindar & Estrella Damm (the Farr-designed Open 60 of Ellen MacArthur's OC Group). Onboard Pindar for the race were Mike Sanderson, Brad Jackson, Mike's wife, Emma Sanderson (née Richards), Jo Royle, along with the yacht's designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian & its owner, Andrew Pindar, among others.

Rounding the South side of the island between the Needles and St Catherine's under spinnaker, with Pindar and Estrella Dam easily leading the field and locked in their own battle in winds of 12-15 knots, Andrew Pindar re counted to SailKarma, “I am very disappointed. I don’t know why it happened. We heard ‘Bang! Bang!’ and then it seemed like a fast sort of slow motion as the sails came down. I am glad the designer Juan Kouyoumdjian was on board and we are now looking at what could have caused it.” Pindar's mast had failed some 2 metres above deck, and we're pleased to report that despite the danger, there were no injuries aboard, apart from some bruised egos. The mast and all rigging were recovered, and the boat was returned to Gosport for urgent attention.

According to Stuart Alexander of the Independent, Mike Sanderson helpfully concluded, "We'll just have to put Humpty back together again."

Sailing Networks got more comment from Mike, “Today was a very disappointing day. We don’t currently know how it happened, it’s a really clean break to the mast, nothing else is damaged. Once we are back at base we will try to get to the bottom of it, but it’s a real disappointment. I think the mast is repairable, but we won’t be able to make the Fastnet this weekend. Prior to the break, Pindar was going really well, we hit 18 knots at one point round by the Needles, which in the light winds we were experiencing was great stuff.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Pindar also commented to Sailing Networks, “To break the mast on Pindar’s first outing was terribly frustrating for everyone involved. I was on board the boat today when the incident occurred, and was utterly impressed by the way that Mike and the crew handled the situation with incredible calm professionalism. Due to the fact that we were unable to finish the race, and compete for the donation from Artemis to our chosen charity, Earthwatch, I will be making a personal donation towards their fantastic work.”

The Afterguard sent its best man to talk with several team members yesterday, and we can reveal that despite Andrew Pindar's initial hopes of rectifying everything in time for the start of the Fastnet (now delayed by 25 hours), the vessel will not be raced anytime soon. A decision is still to be made as to whether to repair the failure in the carbon tube of the deckspreader-supported wingmast, or whether to replace the whole mast section. Either way, the team are now working to ensure that Pindar is in perfect order for November's TJV (Transat Jacques Vabre) from France to Brazil.

As Elaine Bunting pondered in her Yachts & Yachting blog, despite helping in the conceptualisation of the vessel, TEAMORIGIN's Mike Sanderson may never sail her any time soon to a successful conclusion, as he will be unavailable for the TJV due to the anticipated birth of his & Emma's first child - due on 4th November - and his full attention will soon after be required for his America's Cup exploits.

Elsewhere at Cowes, TEAMORIGIN's owner, Sir Keith Mills, was busy onboard with & keeping an eye upon his protege, Alex Thomson Racing, who was busy giving an outing to his new Finot-Conq-designed Hugo Boss II open 60 (AKA the batmobile). During his time, Sir Keith commented on the proposed 33rd Protocol new AC class, "The thing that makes it exciting for TEAMORIGIN is the fact that all the teams are now starting from square one. For a new team that gives us a competitive advantage." Of Cowes, Sir Keith reflected, "It's the one occasion in the UK when pretty much the whole sailing community comes together, young and old, fast boats and slow ones, big ones and small ones. The atmosphere down here in Cowes is extraordinary. It's a great advert particularly for young guys who are just getting into the sport."

The Afterguard chose this particularly quiet time in the British sailing calendar (!) to pay a visit on the new Portsmouth base of TEAMORIGIN. While we didn't expect anyone to be there to offer us a cup of tea (they weren't and they therefore didn't), we couldn't resist a nosey-around. We won't bore you with the full photo-album, but we'll share a couple:

Boathouse 6
Photo © TheAfterguard 2007

TEAMORIGIN's Foyer
Photo © TheAfterguard 2007

TEAMORIGIN - Rumour, Speculation & Possibly Some News!

With just a few days having passed since the completion of AC32, there's not a great deal of official 33rd America's Cup news circulating at present - but there's a wealth of gossip concerning the formation of teams for the next challenge. The Afterguard provides a round-up of what's being said about TEAMORIGIN.

As Johnathan Swift once wrote, "What some invent the rest enlarge" and so it is that we issue a warning: although here at The Afterguard we look to only the most reliable sources of information and always credit those sources, much of the rumour about TEAMORIGIN to date has since been proven wrong, so please don't rely upon what you read in this article!

Setting up home:

Andrew Bray over at Yachting World recently blogged that TEAMORIGIN have invested in new premises at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth. Now Andrew is a highly credible source, and there's good reason to see TEAMORIGIN setting up at this location - Team Director Mike Sanderson is married to Emma Sanderson (née Richards) MBE, who is a member of the Pindar Ocean Racing Team, and both Emma and Mike have been extensively involved in the development of the team's new Pindar Open 60 yacht; much of that work will have been undertaken at Pindar's offices in, you guessed it, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth.

Personnel:

Other recent speculation has concerned TEAMORIGIN's efforts to secure the best possible crew for the 33rd America's Cup campaign. Potential candidates appear to be:

Team New Zealand's boss Grant Dalton has been quoted here as saying Ben Ainslie has indicated he wishes to leave the team to join a GB syndicate. Rule 69 thinks it increasingly unlikely here, though we think it will happen.

According to the New Zealand Herald, another Team New Zealand member, English design co-ordinator Andrew Claughton has been linked to TEAMORIGIN, although the change to boat specification might see the Kiwis retain him for themselves. We doubt Claughton will return to the UK.

The Times have had a great team in Valencia, and they've speculated which AC-blooded Brits might join the fray on TEAMORIGIN's behalf - Iain Percy and Ian Walker?

Sponsorship:

The Telegraph spots Stelios (Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou) supping champagne on board a 1940's French survey boat - TEAMORIGIN's floating corporate entertainment hotspot for AC32 in Valencia. Just imagine the livery!

Okay, enough - with thoughts of bright orange ninety-footers, we'll leave it at that for now! Do check back as we'll keep you up to speed on all matters 'TEAMORIGIN'.

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