While the racing for the Louis Vuitton Cup – the series that determines the America’s Cup challenger – doesn

Published: December 11, 2006

SYDNEY, Australia: Leading American sailor Paul Cayard has joined the Spanish America’s Cup team as a technical adviser, the team said in a statement Tuesday.

Cayard, a winner of seven world championships and of the Volvo Ocean Race, has sailed in five America’s Cups, winning the 160-year-old trophy in 1992 as skipper of the Italian entry Il Moro di Venezia.

Agustin Zulueta, sporting and technical director for Spain’s Desafio Espanol 2007, said the team had signed an agreement with Cayard and with the Cayard Sailing Company to use his technical expertise as it prepared for the America’s Cup regatta off Valencia in mid-2007.

“We are trying to raise the level of our crew. We want to use the best Cayard can give us and we fully trust the crew we now have,” Zulueta said.

Reports from Valencia said Cayard would be involved with the Spanish team for a period of two months, providing technical advice and helming its second boat in trial races with its Cup entry ESP-97. The possibility of an extended contract would be discussed at the end of that period.

Cayard last sailed in the America’s Cup for the AmericaOne syndicate in New Zealand in 2000. He was to sail for the San Francisco-based Oracle team at the 2003 Cup but was sidelined after a dispute with syndicate owner Larry Ellison.

Wednesday December 13, 2006

American Paul Cayard has joined Spanish America’s Cup team Desafio Espanol as sport and technical adviser.

Cayard has sailed in five Cup regattas and won the Louis Vuitton Cup in 1992 as skipper on Italian boat Il Moro di Venezia, beating New Zealand in the process.

Espanol’s sporting and technical director, Agustin Zulueta, said he believed Cayard’s experience would help their team to make the semifinals of the Louis Vuitton challenger series which starts on April 16.

Cayard would oversee the syndicate’s second yacht, ESP97, and it was hoped his inclusion would help raise the level of their crew.

The syndicate’s sailors are mostly Spanish, with several international crew including Karol Jablonski and Jesper Radich. Their afterguard features New Zealander John Cutler.

Cayard is understood to be helming the syndicate’s B-boat. But it is unclear whether he will continue to once the challenger series starts.

The Spanish are fourth in the challenger rankings and widely tipped as semifinalists, alongside Emirates Team NZ, Oracle and Luna Rossa.

Meanwhile, in Dubai defenders Alinghi are wrapping up their first period of training for the first event of their defender trials series. The trials continue in Dubai next month, then move to Valencia, and will help determine the crew that will race in next year’s Cup.

The most eagerly awaited decision is who will helm the boat – Peter Holmberg, Ed Baird or Jochen Schuemann. In this week’s trials of eight races, Baird will helm one boat and Holmberg the other.

THE TOP SIX

Challenger rankings:

*Team New Zealand – 125

* Oracle – 123

* Luna Rossa – 118

* Desafio Espanol – 85

* Mascalzone Latina – 73

* Victory – 68

17 October 2006

A guest of honour, Paul Cayard was recognized for his achievements in the sport of sailing on 17 October 2006 at the Audi Sports Awards held in Rome’s prestigious Cinecitta. Alongside fellow champions in golf and alpine skiing, Cayard and the others shared a bit of insight into their passion for their respective sports with well known commentator Kay Rush. Audi also took this opportunity to present the new Audi R8 to this exclusive audience.

This book is written as a memoir of the Pirates of the Caribbean campaign in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006.

The book is composed of two sources of content. First, there is text that was written by Paul Cayard after the race concluded. Second, all the daily reports that were generated during the race, much of them from onboard, are appended to each leg and this text is italicized. The daily reports give a great insight into what life was like onboard The Black Pearl in various moments, frightening moments as well as exuberant moments. As they were written in the “heat of the moment”, they bring the emotion of these moments to life.

It is my belief that this book will provide great enjoyment for all who read it. But its greatest purpose will be for the crew who sailed The Black Pearl. It is my vision that when each of us is in our 70’s, we will be relaxing on our sofas on a cold winter’s night, with the fireplaces well stoked, sipping a single malt whiskey, and through this text, will relive this great adventure.

In the end, it is all about what you did with your time on this planet. The nine months that we lived onboard The Black Pearl were exceptional by any measure.

Paul Cayard

Copies are $25 and Autographed copies are available for $50, available on cayardsailing.com

More information, and ordering can be found here – Sorry, no longer available