Four Challengers Invoke Postponement Rule For The

Faced with ugly weather conditions on the Hauraki Gulf today four challengers for the Louis Vuitton Cup requested postponement of their scheduled matches to another day. The Race Committee agreed and initially granted requests from San Francisco

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AMERICAONE SUFFERS FIRST LOSS OF SEMI-FINALS DUE T

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, January 3, 2000 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, suffered its first loss today in the match against John Cutler and the America True Team (USA 51) by 2m 23s. In day ridden with heavy weather and wind conditions, fortune changed hands as leads were lost and gained in nearly every match of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals, AmericaOne was no exception.

After an initial postponement called by the Race Committee, AmericaOne was off to a good start as it surged over the line to leeward hooking America True. At the onset of the race AmericaOne’s Skipper Paul Cayard covered USA 51 keeping the opposition close. On the first windward leg, AmericaOne extended its lead on port tack by pointing closer to the wind. After rounding the first downwind mark, a crossed halyard led to a delayed spinnaker set for the team on USA 61. Strong winds kept the gybing angles small, forcing the pair to sail almost directly to the mark, boat handling remained difficult and competition close. Going up the second beat, Cayard and the AmericaOne Team fought furiously to push Cutler over the layline. With a 27-second delta at the second leeward mark, AmericaOne was comfortably in control. The spinnaker on America True ripped in two, breaking the spinnaker pole in the process. As a result, AmericaOne rounded the last leeward mark a minute ahead of America True but moments later, USA 61 suffered a mishap of its own when the jib halyard broke. As the jib came down, it tore the headfoil (sleeve on the forestay into which the leading edge of the jib is slotted). This made it impossible to hoist a new jib forthe balance of the race.

“We were very encouraged by USA 61’s speed and handling in the rough conditions on the course today,” explained AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard. “We had a comfortable lead and felt we were in control when we experienced mechanical problems. It’s frustrating to lead for two-thirds of the race and then lose due to gear failure.”

Semi-Finals

During the Semi-Finals 6 Challengers from four nations will race each other two times. The scoreboard from the previous rounds has been cleared, the winner receiving one point per race. Only two of the six teams will remain after the next ten races. Racing is scheduled to begin at 1:15 PM local time on a full-length America’s Cup course, three laps totaling 18.55-nautical miles windward-leeward format.

Semi-Finals/Race 1 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; Phil Trinter of Lorain, OH, grinder; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; Mike Howard of Malibu, CA, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Carter Perrin of Houston, TX, downwind trim; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, strategist; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Morgan Larson of Capitola, CA, traveler, Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist and Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, navigator. The 17th crew person was Mr. Mal Thompson of Auckland, NZ.

Final Scores To Date:

Stars & Stripes / 2 points

AmericaOne / 1 point

America True / 1 point

Nippon Challenge / 1 point

Prada Challenge/1 point

Le Defi Francais / 0 points

Other Results:

Nippon beat Le Defi – Delta: 00:38

Stars & Stripes beat Prada – Delta 01:07

AmericaOne’s schedule for the remainder of the Semi-Finals is as follows:

Tuesday, January 4 – (Race 3) Prada Challenge

Wednesday, January 5 – (Race 4) Nippon Challenge

Thursday, January 6 – (Race 5) Stars & Stripes

Friday, January 7 – (Race 6) Le Defi Francais

Saturday, January 8 – (Race 7) America True

Sunday, January 9 – (Race 8) Prada Challenge

Monday, January 10 – (Race 9) Nippon Challenge

Tuesday, January 11 – (Race 10) Stars & Stripes

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AMERICAONE WINS FIRST RACE OF THE LOUIS VUITTON CU

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, January 2, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, won its first race on opening day of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals against Le Defi Francais (FRA 46) by 22s. Cayard and the AmericaOne Team debut USA 61 in her first competition around the track.

Wind conditions today ranged from 10-16 knots, whitecaps spotted the Gulf, and seas remained short and somewhat confused. As the five-minute gun sounded, Le Defi entered from the pin end and AmericaOne from the Committee Boat end. After an initial dial-up, AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard maneuvered into the controlling position and started at the favored pin end. Halfway up the first leg, USA 61 secured a three boat length lead. Towards the second windward leg, the AmericaOne Team found a big left-hand shift, which allowed the team to sail straight up the course on port. French Skipper Bertrand Pac

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AMERICAONE WINS FIRST RACE OF THE LOUIS VUITTON CU

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, January 2, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, won its first race on opening day of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals against Le Defi Francais (FRA 46) by 22s. Cayard and the AmericaOne Team debut USA 61 in her first competition around the track.

Wind conditions today ranged from 10-16 knots, whitecaps spotted the Gulf, and seas remained short and somewhat confused. As the five-minute gun sounded, Le Defi entered from the pin end and AmericaOne from the Committee Boat end. After an initial dial-up, AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard maneuvered into the controlling position and started at the favored pin end. Halfway up the first leg, USA 61 secured a three boat length lead. Towards the second windward leg, the AmericaOne Team found a big left-hand shift, which allowed the team to sail straight up the course on port. French Skipper Bertrand Pac

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AmericaOne Advances to Semi-Final Round of Louis Vuitton Cup

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

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SIX FINALIST FOR THE SEMI-FINALS

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

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AMERICAONE TEAM BATTLES FRENCH IN CLASSIC MATCH RACE

A Test of Speed Ensues With Pac

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AMERICAONE TEAM REMAINS IN CONTROL OF EAST COAST OPPONENT

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:

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AMERICAONE REMAINS IN FIRST PLACE TAKING ITS SIXTH WIN

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:

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Another day of two boat testing on the Hauraki Gulf

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.

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