Valencia,

This morning in Valencia Agustin Zulueta, General Director of Desafío Español, presented Paul Cayard as the team’s Sports Director.

In the last edition of the America’s Cup, Cayard worked with the team as Technical & Sports Advisor, overseeing the preparation and set up of ESP 97 during the weeks leading up the Louis Vuitton Cup in April 2007.

“In February and March, I experienced what it was like to work with Desafío Español. That experience made today’s agreement possible,” stated Cayard. He added; “The 33rd America’s Cup will be very different from the previous Cup. It will be more like the Cup in 1992 when we started to first use the America’s Cup Class boats.”

As Sports Director of Desafío Español, Paul Cayard indicated that he is aware of the “short time remaining until the start in 2009.” “You need money and resources to succeed. Fortunately, Desafío Español benefits from both. The team will fight for the Cup,” stated Cayard.

Cayard has led many campaigns, so his experience will be a fundamental asset to the Spanish syndicate. “I am well aware that this is a Spanish team. I will endeavour to learn Spanish and more about the Spanish culture. I did this with the Italian syndicate Il Moro di Venezia. I realize that it is key to create unity in the team, which is fundamental to win.”

Agustín Zulueta, General Director of Desafío Español, said that he had thought to introduce the entire crew at the beginning of October, but that he didn’t wanted to do so without introducing their leader first. “In the last edition, the Spanish team started a relationship with Paul Cayard with the idea of continuity. We want to create a team with an identity, the best Spanish team,” said Zulueta.

“We now have a motivated team, a crew which is excited to have a great leader such as Paul. He is one of the few people with in-depth experience in this game. Paul also knows what it is to live in Spain, having lived in Palma in 1990 to prepare the campaign of Il Moro di Venezia for the 1992 America’s Cup,” Zulueta added.

When asked about who will be at the helm of the Spanish boat, Zulueta said that it is very possible that Cayard will be, but another possibility is Laureano Wizner. “We won’t discard the possibility of signing another helmsman with a match racing background, one who could contribute his experience to the team,” said Zulueta.

Cayard added that it is important to have a helmsman able to feel the boat and understand the technical side of things. “It is important to have a helmsman who can convey their sensations to the technical team, in order to develop the best possible boat. To be at the helm is the best way to feel the speed and acceleration, and this information is critical,” stated Cayard.

“This America’s Cup will not be a classic match race, and the talent you need to develop a boat does not have to be the same as the one you need for pure match racing,” Cayard concluded.

Alinghi defends the America’s Cup for the first time in European waters with a 5-2 win over Team New Zealand. The two yachts were so evenly matched that it was the small things that made the difference in the series.

Remember that Team New Zealand led both Races 5 and 6 on the first downwind leg and then lost both. One for a torn spinnaker and one for a wind shift on the second windward leg. The score could have easily been different. However, it is the general feeling that Alinghi did have a slight edge in boat speed and this allowed them to survive in very difficult situations such as off the starting line today when there was just 40 meters between the two boats with Alinghi to windward. My guess is that this series has had more lead changes than any other America’s Cup in history.

Without going into the details of today’s race, suffice it to say that it was one of the best of all time. The wind was in, up to 18 knots, the waves were big and the race was spectacular. Three lead changes, a penalty for EmiratesTeam New Zealand at the second windward mark, and a 150 degree wind shift on the run to the finish. Then the closest finish in America’s Cup history, one second! Beating the previous closest finish, that of 1992 when Il Moro di Venezia beat America3 by three seconds. It could not have been more spectacular and in a way the finish race was a synthesis of the entire series.

Now what?

Probably a Cup in Valencia in two years. A short time frame is good for those teams who are continuing. Commercially, it seems to be the right thing to do, to keep the sponsors in front of their constituency. However, some tradition is going away. The Cup has always been a once every three or four year event like the Olympics and World Cup Football. There is something special about how Desafio Espanol has been accepted by Societe Nautique de Genève as Challenger of Record. The Spanish put on a great show here in 2007, exceeding many expectations by arriving in the semi-finals and even taking two races off the Kiwis, something Luna Rossa could not do in the Louis Vuitton Finals. For sure they will try to raise their game for the 33rd America’s Cup and being Challenger of Record is part of the complete package that this team is putting together. It also seems perfect to give the real home town team a role in this event.

The market for sailors, designers and managers is in full motion here in Valencia. A Cup in two years would be the shortest ever, so who can hit the ground running right now, with the right people, will certainly have an advantage. Those who have to go look for funding for six months will surely be behind the eight ball.

Will the boat change? The word is yes. It makes sense. With the performance envelope of these boats nearly reduced to one line, the only way the defender can get an edge is to change the class of boat. Of course this is not something Alinghi started thinking about yesterday. A few designs and probably even a few tank models have already passed under the bridge at Alinghi. Tomorrow they will reveal some of the rules to the rest of the group.

When, where, with what? This is the Cup. It is part of the game. The winner decides. It is what makes this thing a Holy Grail. On Thursday, Alinghi will release the Protocol that has been agreed with Desafio Espanol as Challenger of Record and in the following weeks more information will be released.

Big party at Alinghi tonight. Emirates Team New Zealand should hold their heads high. They did a fantastic job. The cruel reality in sport is that there is only one winner!

Thanks for following the America’s Cup with me this spring. In a few days, I will write my thoughts on Valencia and the upcoming announcements.

Paul

Another tough day for the Kiwi’s and the race slipped out of their hands on the second windward leg. Alinghi now has 3 match point points.

Today’s conditions were quite different to yesterday, flat seas and 8-10 knots of wind. Both boats were even coming off the line with Alinghi to windward. It took TNZ 3/4’s of the distance to the port layline to shake Alinghi off. From there, the left was good and TNZ rounded the windward mark with a 14 second lead.

The defended well on the run… again both boats looking dead even. The Kiwis went for the easier maneuver at the gate and that left them with the left which had worked well up until that point. The Swiss took the right gate and went right. New Zealand went with Alinghi to the right and gained initially but 3/4’s of the way out to the layline, a rightie came in and the Swiss made a nice gain. A few tacks ensued with the Kiwis protecting the left which was the open side of the course. On the last cross, the Kiwis went for a leebow but the Swiss had more pressure from the right and were able to gauge off and live to windward of TNZ. They held a 12 second lead at the second windward mark and despite a valiant effort by the Kiwis on the last run, the Swiss held on to get their 4 victory…

I have never seen two boats so even in performance, upwind and downwind and right through the wind range. This is amazing since they have quite different hull shapes. This is the closest America’s Cup in my lifetime and it is a pleasure to watch.

The Kiwis may be down but they are certainly not out. America’s Cup Management is preparing the awards presentation for tomorrow night (they have to be ready) and I am sure the Kiwis would love nothing more than to make the Swiss postpone their plans.

On 21 June 07, Paul and his daughter Allie Cayard joined in the celebrations at the 32nd America’s Cup Ball in Valencia. The stylish pair, dressed by Ermenegildo Zegna and Vera Wang, dazzled guests at Valencia’s most important event on the social calendar.

What a great race! We had two lead changes and in the end, the Kiwis who built a seemingly unassailable lead on the first leg to windward, were rewarded with the victory and now lead the series 2-1. Are we set for a long series or is the momentum changing and the Kiwis getting on a roll?

Last night a big front passed through the area creating mountainous waves on the race course this morning. The wind was rather light at 1500 today, at 10 knots but mostly very unstable. The race committee had to wait for 2 hours and 59 minutes (the last minute available under the rules) to get the race started. It was anything but straight forward but the Kiwi meteorological team led by Roger Badham figured it out. The call was for the right and Dean Barker got it at the start and Terry Hutchinson leveraged it. Alinghi must have had exactly the opposite call from its met team as they held a 50 meter lead off the line yet continued to split with Team New Zealand to a distance of over 800 meters before taking. After 10 minutes of sailing, the wind went abruptly right, the Kiwis tacked and had a 100 meter lead at the first cross. That lead grew to 370 by the first windward mark as the right kept paying and Hutchinson did not let go of it.

The race was anything but over on the first run and Alinghi made gains on each gybe cutting the lead to 250 meters as New Zealand approached the leeward gate. Then New Zealand found themselves in a very difficult position and had to make a very difficult manouver which they had trouble with. The gennaker got caught up in the genoa sheet block and they could not trim properly. Alinghi patiently and persistently dogged the Kiwis. The Kiwis tacked first to free their gennaker and the first cross there was only 80 meters in it. Huge comeback for Alinghi and race totally open.

The two boats exchanged tacks with the Kiwis, always protecting the right. Some great tactics at the second top mark allowed Alinghi to cross ahead of TNZ and round the second windward mark in the lead. The Kiwis then did a masterful job on the run, or Alinghi made a mistake. Alinghi chose to continue on the longer board at the first cross on the run to the finish and this gave the Kiwis room to get to the west of Alinghi. The wind rotated slightly to the east as it often does this late in the day.1845..and the Kiwis brought home the race with a handy 25 second margin.

The race was sailed in 9 knots dropping to 6 at the finish. The seaway was over 1.5 meters so incredibly difficult conditions for the helmsmen an trimmers. Impossible to tell anything about boat speed today. It was all the shifts and puffs.

Wild day, great race!

Now the question is how is Alinghi dealing with these defeats? How are they dealing with the huge reversal of momentum.expectations. The Swiss were clear favorites in this Final. Now they are behind. 2-1 is not terrible but the risk is that it could be 3-1 tomorrow night with a lay day to brew on Thursday. That does not sound like a pretty picture so I think tomorrow is almost a must win for Alinghi.

Stand by!