The third and final round of Louis Vuitton Cup Racing commenced on December 2nd with ten matches scheduled per syndicate. The stakes in Round Robin 3 were the highest, with a win being worth nine points. The top six teams with the highest number of points at the end of three rounds advance to the Semi-Finals, which begins January 6th. Joining AmericaOne in the Semi-Finals will be Prada Challenge, America True, Le D

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 15, 1999 – Four matches were sailed today, and only two were started. Young America and Le Defi both sailed the course alone for their wins. Dennis Conner sailed on Stars & Stripes for the first time in Round Robin 3 losing a close match to Bravo Espa

A Test of Speed Ensues With Pac

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 10, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, won its 7th race of the series today against New York Yacht Club’s USA 58 by 1m 8s, in light and somewhat unstable southeasterly winds ranging from 8-10 knots. Paul Cayard, at the helm of AmericaOne, (USA 49) and Ed Baird, at the helm of Young America, engaged in a showdown match with Cayard remaining in control of the wind phases for the duration of the race. AmericaOne’s win today against Young America puts its East Coast opponent in jeopardy of not qualifying for the Louis Vuitton Semi-Finals.

At the onset of the match, a 10 minute weather delay was called due to unstable winds, which was followed by a 20 minute delay requested by Young America to, reportedly, repair a winch. The race finally underway, Baird had a half-boatlength lead as the gun sounded but AmericaOne had won the left side of the course. AmericaOne Tactician, John Kostecki, meticulously called the shifts and the team extended on starboard tack to get to the left-hand side of the course picking up a notable header and moving into the lead. Despite Young America’s attempts to tack on small shifts, AmericaOne covered and remained between the mark and Baird. Approaching the first leeward mark, USA 49 had out maneuvered USA 58 and was well in the lead. The Cayard-Kostecki duo was in phase with the shifts and locked out the New Yorkers with no passing lanes for the remainder of the race.

“Starting from a disadvantageous position off of the line,” explains AmericaOne Boat Captain Josh Belsky. “We gained speed and picked a favorable long-term windshift and cashed it in.”

RR3/Race 8 Starting Line-Up: Curtis Blewett of Los Angeles CA, bow; Ralf Steitz of Port Washington, NY, mid-bow; Bill Bates of San Diego, CA, mast/sewer; Josh Belsky of Hood River, OR, pit; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Phil Trinter of Lorain, OH, grinder; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Carter Perrin of Houston, TX, downwind trim; Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, runner; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Morgan Larson of Capitola, CA, traveler; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist and Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, navigator. The 17th crew person was Mr. Jim Butler of Telcordia Technologies.

Final Scores To Date:

AmericaOne / 99 points

America True / 92 points

Prada / 91 points

Nippon Challenge / 74.5 points

Stars & Stripes / 63.5 points

Le Defi Francais / 50 points

Spanish Challenge / 44 points

Abracadabra 2000 / 43 points*

Young America / 42 points

Young Australia /18 points

FAST2000 /8 points**

* Abracadabra had BYE today.

**FAST 2000 has withdrawn from the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Other Delta Results:

America True beat Nippon Challenge – Delta 00:06

Prada beat Young Australia – Delta 00:55

Stars & Stripes beat FAST2000/FAST2000 WITHDREW DUE TO A BROKEN MAST

Le Defi Francais beat Spanish Challenge – Delta 04:15

AmericaOne ‘s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 3 is as follows:

San Francisco Team Clinches Its Place in the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 9, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, won its 6th race of the series today against the Nippon Challenge (JPN 52) by 9m 8s, in extremely light and patchy conditions on the race course. Paul Cayard, at the helm of AmericaOne, (USA 49) and Peter Gilmore, at the helm of Idaten, were ranked first and second respectively at the start of today’s match. By the day’s end, the San Francisco team handed the Japanese team their first loss of the round and secured their place in the semi-finals.

After an aggressive start, AmericaOne trailed behind Nippon Challenge over the line by four seconds. USA 49 and JPN 52 split at the mark, crossing one another up the first leg. As the pair crossed for the second time, AmericaOne benefited from a windshift and led Idaten around the first mark by 1m 15s. USA 49 continued to extend its lead by 2000 meters throughout the second leg. Despite the light conditions and fluky winds, USA 49 crossed the finish line more than nine minutes ahead of the Japanese.

“As we approach the half way mark of the Louis Vuitton Cup we’ve seen the conditions on the Hauraki Gulf range from one extreme to the other,” commented AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard. “The team has performed well in all of the variable scenarios, demonstrating good racing skills and patience. I’m looking forward to taking this knowledge with us as we continue into the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals.”

RR3/Race 7 Starting Line-Up: Greg Prussia of Oroville, CA, bow; Curtis Blewett of Los Angeles, CA, mid-bow; Bill Bates of San Diego, CA, mast/sewer; Josh Belsky of Hood River, OR, pit; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Phil Trinter of Lorain, OH, grinder; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Carter Perrin of Houston, TX, downwind trim; Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, runner; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Morgan Larson of Capitola, CA, traveler; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist and Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, navigator. The 17th crew person was AmericaOne Supporter, Mrs. Alexa Seip of Orinda, CA. USA.

Final Scores To Date:

AmericaOne / 90 points

America True /83 points

Prada / 82 points

Nippon Challenge / 74.5 points

Stars & Stripes / 54.5 points

Spanish Challenge /44 points

Abracadabra 2000 /43 points

Young America / 42 points*

Le Defi Francais /41 points

Young Australia /18 points

FAST2000 /8 points**

* Young America had BYE today.

**FAST 2000 has withdrawn from the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Other Delta Results:

America True beat FAST2000/ FAST2000 WITHDREW DUE TO A BROKEN MAST

Le Defi Francais beat Stars & Stripes – Delta 04:03

Abracadabra beat Young Australia – Delta 01:21

AmericaOne ‘s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 3 is as follows:

Another day of two boat testing on the Hauraki Gulf. For those of you who do not know what two boat testing involves, let me give you an idea.

The day begins with launching USA 49 and USA 61 starting at 8:00 AM. The next hour and a half is consumed by preparing both boats to leave the dock by 9:30 AM. Once away from the dock it is approximately and hour tow behind our tender to the Rangitoto lighthouse where we begin our testing.

The upwind two boat testing is accomplished by lining the two boats up approximately 150 to 200 meters apart with the leeward boat slightly ahead. We run eight minute tests measuring the relative difference in range and bearing between the boats. After eight minutes the boats swap sides and the whole procedure is repeated. The downwind testing is similar, except the line up between the boats varies depending on the type of downwind sails we are testing. We consider a good day of testing to be 20 or more tests. This may not seem like many, but when you consider all the jockeying that Paul, Gavin and the crew have to do to get the boats in the proper alignment, it is a monumental task.

As sailors onboard the boats, we keep basic information on the starting and ending wind direction, and relative bearing and gauge (loss or gain) between the boats. The real analysis is done onboard the tender by Chris Todter and Bill Cook. Using Visteon’s integrated telemetry transmitters and receivers, we transmit in real time all the data (approximately 50 different variables) from USA 49 and USA 61 back to the tender. The transmitters operate on an encrypted UHF frequency and are crystal controlled to assure that the data is stable, reliable and private. For those of you that know anything about electronics and boats, you will appreciate how important reliability is to us. These are the same race proven transmitters and receivers that Visteon uses in race cars in the Formula One and Cart series. My thanks to Kirk McNeil and Visteon for making that part of my job that much easier.

Once the information is received onboard the tender, Chris and Bill begin to analyze the data. They analyze the boat’s real time performance and give us results in seconds per mile. The key is that the data is relayed to them in real time (they see the same information on New Zealand Challenge that we see on USA 49 and USA 61). This allows them to give us results on the water instead of waiting until we get to the dock at the end of the day. Again something that appears straight forward, but a lot of things have to go right for it to work.

The testing usually comes to an end at the Rangitoto lighthouse where it all began six or seven hours earlier. The boats are towed back to the base, and if all goes well they are out of the water by 6:00 PM. A long day on the water, but we are one step closer to our ultimate goal of winning the America’s Cup and bring the Cup to San Francisco.

Team Leads in Louis Vuitton Cup

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 7, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, won its 5th race of the series today against The Spanish Challenge (ESP 47) by 11m 50s. Despite the extremely light and patchy winds blowing 8-10 knots from the south at the start of Race 6, AmericaOne faired well in the match and came out with the overall lead in the Louis Vuitton Cup.

After a slow start for AmericaOne trailing behind Bravo Espana by 2s, the two teams split. Mid-way up the first windward leg the Spanish tacked, crossing on starboard with a five boatlength lead over USA 49. Paul Cayard, at the helm of AmericaOne, took the favored right side, benefiting from a wind shift that brought them into the lead. At the rounding of the first weather mark, AmericaOne led by 36s and as the race progressed AmericaOne continued to increase its lead. The breeze began to drop on the second upwind leg, and by the second downwind leg both teams found themselves at a standstill in zero knots of wind, going less than one knot. After finally rounding the last leeward mark, USA 49 managed to capitalize on the fickle winds and further distanced themselves from Bravo Espana by a mile and a half, crossing the finish more than 11 minutes ahead of ESP 47.

“The conditions on the race course today were unlike any conditions we’ve had so far in the Louis Vuitton Cup,” commented AmericaOne Meteorologist, Roger ‘Clouds’ Badham. “Fortunately, our team was able to capitalize on a couple of wind shifts which gave us a strong lead combined with great boat handling by the team.”

Only three matches were sailed today on the Atlantic Course, and both races on the Pacific Course were abandoned due to extremely light wind conditions. When the two hour and 25 minute time limit expired on the Le Defi Francais vs. Young America match, the French were well in the lead. This race is rescheduled for the end of Round Robin 3, on Tuesday, December 14. The second race cancelled today was Young Australia vs. America True. With Young Australia in the lead, the match was called off and is now rescheduled for tomorrow. Young America will sail its previously postponed race tomorrow against Stars & Stripes who just completed repairs on their damaged bulkhead. Abracadabra sailed around the course alone to collect nine points since Be hAPpy has withdrawn from the Louis Vuitton Cup.

RR3/Race 6 Starting Line-Up: Curtis Blewett of Los Angeles, CA, bow; Ralf Steitz of Port Washington, NY, mid-bow; Bill Bates of San Diego, CA, mast/sewer; Josh Belsky of Hood River, OR, pit; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Mike Howard of Malibu, CA, grinder; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Carter Perrin of Houston, TX, downwind trim; Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, runner; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Morgan Larson of Capitola, CA, traveler; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist and Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, navigator. The 17th crew person was Mr. Sol Trujillo of Colorado, USA.

Final Scores To Date:

AmericaOne / 81 points

Nippon Challenge / 74.5 points

Prada / 73 points

America True /65 points***

Stars & Stripes / 45.5 points*

Spanish Challenge /44 points

Young America / 42 points***

Abracadabra 2000 /34 points

Le Defi Francais /32 points***

Young Australia /18 points***

FAST2000 /8 points**

* Stars & Stripes had BYE today.

**FAST 2000 has withdrawn from the Louis Vuitton Cup.

***These races were abandoned today and are rescheduled.

Other Delta Results:

Nippon beat Prada Challenge – Delta 03:13

Abracadabra beat FAST2000/ FAST2000 WITHDREW DUE TO A BROKEN MAST

Le Defi Francais vs Young America / RACE WAS ABANDONED

Young Australia vs America True / RACE WAS ABANDONED

AmericaOne ‘s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 3 is as follows:

Paul Cayard and the AmericaOne Team Force Italians to Take Second Loss of Series

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 6, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, won today’s match against top ranked contender Prada (ITA 48) by 23s. Excitement was high as two of the top ranked teams squared off for a nail biting mid-series race for the Louis Vuitton Cup. Out of 24 matches sailed by Prada, this match marked their second loss, having won 22 of the 24 races.

Weather conditions remained shifty as light air prevailed and delayed the start of Race 5 for over an hour. ITA 48 was penalized after a pre-start knock on USA 49’s stern, which damaged AmericaOne’s scoop and Prada’s bow. Once racing got underway, AmericaOne was off to a well-timed start at the pin end on starboard tack eight seconds ahead of Prada. The slight wind conditions seemed to favor Italian’s light air boat as the team approached the first windward mark. A favorable right hand shift afforded Prada a big gain. No passing lanes remained up until the second windward mark but Cayard and the AmericaOne Team remained patient. Prada’s pre-start hit meant that they would have to make a penalty turn before the race ended. USA 49 closed up the distance on the last downwind leg and reduced ITA 48’s lead, not leaving Prada’s Skipper Francesco De Angelis enough time to execute a penalty turn. As AmericaOne crossed the finish line, Prada finished its turn.

“Prada is still the best team in my book,” remarked AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard. “They were able to position themselves well for the first favored right hand shift off of the starting line. We sailed a good race by hanging tough and keeping the race close. For us the match was successful not only because of the end result but because the racing was challenging and we pushed hard.”

Only three real matches were sailed today, as the race between Young America and Stars & Stripes was rescheduled for Wednesday. Young Australia sailed around the course alone to collect nine points since Be hAPpy withdrew from the Louis Vuitton Cup.

RR3/Race 4 Starting Line-Up: Greg Prussia, Oroville, CA, bow; Curtis Blewett of Los Angeles, CA, mid-bow; Bill Bates of San Diego, CA, mast/sewer; Josh Belsky of Hood River, OR, pit; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Phil Trinter of Lorain, OH, grinder; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Carter Perrin of Houston, TX, downwind trim; Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, runner; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Morgan Larson of Capitola, CA, traveler; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist; and Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, navigator. The 17th crew person was Mr. Tom Seip of Orinda, CA, USA.

Final Scores To Date:

Prada / 73 points

AmericaOne / 72 points

Nippon Challenge / 65.5 points

America True /65 points

Stars & Stripes / 45.5 points

Spanish Challenge /44 points

Young America / 42 points

Le Defi Francais /32 points *

Abracadabra 2000 /25 points

Young Australia /18 points

FAST2000 /8 points**

* Le Defi Francais had BYE today.

**FAST 2000 has withdrawn from the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Other Delta Results:

Nippon Challenge beat The Spanish Challenge – Delta 01:19

America True beat Abracadabra – Delta 01:35

Young Australia beat FAST2000/ FAST2000 WITHDREW DUE TO A BROKEN MAST

AmericaOne ‘s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 3 is as follows:

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 5, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, was narrowly defeated by 20s in Race 4 of the Louis Vuitton Cup by John Cutler at the helm of America True’s USA 51. Conditions on the Hauraki Gulf remained favorable throughout the day despite the frequently changing winds.

Shifting winds on the racecourse led to two separate postponements at the start of the match as the windward mark was reset. When the final starting sequence began, AmericaOne forced America True above the starboard tack layline to the committee boat. Paul Cayard and the AmericaOne Team were off to a perfect start as USA 49 crossed the line 15 seconds ahead of USA 51. With a sizeable lead over America True, AmericaOne chose and defended the left side of the course rounding the first mark 24 seconds ahead. AmericaOne continued to gain on America True, loosely covering each tack and gaining a significant eight boatlength lead. As the wind continued to shift, the Race Committee made its 3rd change on the racecourse. The new mark was laid while the old mark remained in place. Failing to identify the proper mark, AmericaOne forfeited the lead to America True.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed with the result of today’s match,” explains AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard. “We were controlling the race when we made a fatal mistake which resulted in America True’s win. But we have another tough race on our hands tomorrow, so we need to remain focused and prepare for battle.”

In other matches today, Stars & Stripes was forced to withdraw from the race against Prada when minutes before the prestart the aft deck of USA 55 separated from the hull. Prada went on to sail around the racetrack to collect its nine points. The Race Committee has granted Stars & Stripes a 48 hour delay in their next scheduled race to make repairs to their boat and as a result the overall race schedule has been modified. ( Please see below). FAST2000, unable to repair its mast that was broken in Race 2 of Round Robin 3, withdrew from the Louis Vuitton Cup and its opponent, Le Defi Francais, sailed around the course alone to collect its nine points.

RR3/Race 4 Starting Line-Up: Greg Prussia, Oroville, CA, bow; Curtis Blewett of Los Angeles, CA, mid-bow; Bill Bates of San Diego, CA, mast/sewer; Josh Belsky of Hood River, OR, pit; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Phil Trinter of Lorain, OH, grinder; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Carter Perrin of Houston, TX, downwind trim; Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, runner; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Morgan Larson of Capitola, CA, traveler; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist; and Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, navigator. The 17th crew person was Mr. Pierre-Louis Castelli of Paris, FR.

Final Scores To Date:

Prada / 73 points**

AmericaOne / 63 points

Nippon Challenge / 56.5 points*

America True /56 points

Stars & Stripes / 45.5 points

Spanish Challenge /44 points

Young America / 42 points

Le Defi Francais /32 points

Abracadabra 2000 /25 points

Young Australia /9 points

FAST2000 /8 points

*Nippon had BYE today.

**FAST 2000 did not compete today due to a broken mast in Race 2. Prada sailed the course alone and picked up nine points for the race.

Other Delta Results:

Young America beat Abracadabra – Delta 02:10

Le Defi Francais beat FAST2000 /FAST2000 WAS NOT ABLE TO SAIL DUE TO A BROKEN MAST

The Spanish Challenge beat Young Australia 2000 – Delta 00:42

Prada beat Stars & Stripes / STARS & STRIPES WITHDREW FROM RACE

AmericaOne ‘s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 3 is as follows:

Gear Breakage Challenges Both Teams

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 4, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, won Race 3 in the third round of the Louis Vuitton Cup against Young Australia (AUS 31) by 55s. Both teams suffered breakage, which made for challenging racing – Young Australia tore two headsails and AmericaOne momentarily lost its main halyard.

Spectacular conditions greeted competitors on the Hauraki Gulf: 16 knots of wind, sunny skies, and flat seas. After a brief delay by the Race Committee to allow Young Australia to replace broken mainsail battens, the pre-start period began. AUS 31 had the favored starboard end when entering the pre-start, an advantage they maintained to win the start. Trailing across the line, AmericaOne had better boat speed and gained steadily.

As AmericaOne moved into the lead on the first leg, the headsail tore on AUS 31. AmericaOne continued to increase the distance over the next two and a half legs. With just one-quarter of the last windward leg to sail, USA 49’s main halyard broke causing the mainsail to slip approximately 10 feet. Quick teamwork sent bowman Greg Prussia up the rig to fix the halyard and the mainsail was re-hoisted. USA 49 went on to win comfortably.

“You never know what will happen during racing,” said AmericaOne main trimmer Terry Hutchinson. “Today’s halyard problem is a good example of our team being prepared and not letting a potentially devastating development get the best of us. The crew did a great job today.”

Ross Munro and his wife Marilyn Horne, of yachting apparel retailer Line 7, rode as 17th crew aboard USA 49 and AUS 31, respectively. Line 7 is a supplier of AmericaOne and a sponsor of Young Australia.

RR3/Race 3 Starting Line-Up: Greg Prussia, Oroville, CA, bow; Curtis Blewett of Los Angeles, CA, mid-bow; Bill Bates of San Diego, CA, mast/sewer; Josh Belsky of Hood River, OR, pit; Phil Trinter of Lorain, OH, grinder; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Carter Perrin of Houston, TX, downwind trim; Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, navigator; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Ralf Steitz of Port Washington, NY, traveler; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist; and Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, navigator. The 17th crew person was Mr. Ross Munro of Auckland,

NZ. Final Scores To Date:

Prada / 64 points*

AmericaOne / 63 points

Nippon Challenge / 56.5 points

America True /47 points

Stars & Stripes / 45.5 points

Spanish Challenge /35 points

Young America / 33 points**

Abracadabra 2000 /25 points

Le Defi Francais /23 points

Young Australia /9 points

FAST2000 /8 points

*Prada Challenge had BYE today.

**FAST 2000 did not compete today due to a broken mast yesterday.

Young America sailed the course alone and picked up 9 points for the race.

Other Delta Results:

Nippon Challenge beat Stars & Stripes – Delta 00:45

Spanish Challenge beat America True – Delta 00:22

Le Defi Francais beat Abracadabra – Delta 00:46

Young America beat FAST2000/ FAST2000 WAS NOT ABLE TO SAIL DUE TO A BROKEN MAST

AmericaOne ‘s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 3 is as follows: