AMERICAONE HAS BITTERSWEET DAY BATTLING STARS & STRIPES IN ROUND ROBIN 2

Hopes Torn In Two as Spinnakers Shred In Heavy Winds

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, November 17, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, sailed the most eventful race of Round Robin 2 against Stars & Stripes (USA 55). Both boats suffered causalities throughout the match, Stars & Stripes having broken their boom vang and AmericaOne tearing one genoa and one spinnaker. The eventual outcome was a win by Stars & Stripes by 2m 46s.

Coming out of the pre-start, with AmericaOne holding a slight advantage, both teams hit the starting line dead even, AmericaOne to leeward and slightly ahead on starboard. Stars & Stripes tacked away into clean air as AmericaOne managed to gain a 3-4 boatlengths lead to the first weather mark. AmericaOne held the lead until two-thirds up the third weather leg. USA 49 and USA 55 engaged in a close tacking duel until a slight tear in AmericaOne’s jib, near the second spreader, gave Stars & Stripes a window to advance. AmericaOne was losing ground and opted to made a quick jib change. At the last weather mark, both boats bore away and set their spinnakers. A large puff of wind blewout USA 49’s spinnaker setting the team into full motion, at nearly the same moment Stars & Stripes broke their boom vang. While AmericaOne switched to a new spinnaker, the previously tattered spinnaker flew from the mast like a pennant.

AmericaOne continued to gain on Stars & Stripes, as the two teams matched one another gybe for gybe. As USA 49 approached the finish line, nearly even with USA 55, the umpires tagged AmericaOne with a penalty as USA 49 passed closely behind Stars & Stripes transom. Stars & Stripes went on to win the race while AmericaOne went above the finish line and took a penalty turn.

“Today was certainly the most exciting race of this round. We didn’t win but it was great to be pushed so hard,” explains AmericaOne Skipper, Paul Cayard. “It’s not easy to give up four points but we feel in the long run we are better for the experience .”

RR2/Race 9 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; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; Phil Trinter of Lorain, OH, grinder; Mike Howard of Malibu, CA, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Russ Silvestri of San Francisco, CA, downwind trim; Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, 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 Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, navigator. The 17th crew person was Mr. John McCormick.

Final Scores To Date:

Prada /38 points**

America True /30 points

Stars & Stripes /28.5 points

AmericaOne /24 points*

Young America / 24 points

Nippon Challenge /21.5 points*

Le Defi Francais /14 points*

Spanish Challenge /13 points*

Abracadabra 2000 /12 points*

Young Australia /9 points*

FAST2000 /8 points

* Were not able to complete Race 6 due to insufficient wind

**Prada had a BYE today

Other Delta Results:

America True over Fast 2000/ FAST 2000 WITHDREW FROM RACE

Young Australia over Young America /YOUNG AMERICA WITHDREW FROM RACE

Nippon over Spanish Challenge / SPANISH WITHDREW FROM RACE

Le Defi Francais over Abracadabra 2000 / ABRACADABRA WITHDREW FROM RACE

Round Robin 2

AmericaOne’s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 2 is as follows:

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We still have a lot to accomplish but everything is in place

Today was one of those days that we all became sailors for. With sunny skies and a beautiful building northeasterly sea breeze the AmericaOne Team was ready for battle. After yesterday’s defeat to Prada we re-grouped and were ready to grab some points and position ourselves back in the top three. Our opponent today was our friend from Hawaii. John Kolius and his team on Abracadabra were also looking for win but today wasn’t their day! Paul came out of the barn with all guns blazing. Our first confrontation with them after entering the starting area resulted in Abracadabra being tagged with a foul by the umpires. After three laps of great sailing AmericaOne pulled out to a 2 minute and 52 second win. AmericaOne Founder, Bill Leroy, sailed as our 17th man. As soon as we finished he was straight into the speedboat and racing for the airport. Thanks to Bill and all of the other Founders’ that have been down over the last few weeks to support the team. Once ashore the sailing and shore teams were straight to work on our new boat USA 61. Now she sits in the yard with keel, rudder and mast all attached and ready to go. Tomorrow we will christen the boat before we head out to race Dennis Connor and his team on Stars & Stripes. USA 49 & 61 should see some two boat testing by early next week. We still have a lot to accomplish but everything is in place and we have a team dedicated to winning the race!

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AMERICAONE NARROWLY DEFEATED IN ROUND ROBIN 2

Mid-series Race for USA 49 is Competitive Despite Light Wind

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, November 15, 1999 — AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, was narrowly defeated in Race 7 of Round Robin 2 for the Louis Vuitton Cup by Prada Challenge (ITA 45). Light and shifty wind conditions on the course found both teams close in pre-start maneuvering and on the first leg, however Prada was able to position itself on the favored side of the course, gain a lead, and finish the race ahead of USA 49 by 1m.

“It’s never easy to lose,” said AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard. “But we sailed tough today and we congratulate Prada on their win. They did a good job at the start and defended their position well. I was satisfied with our boat speed and handling.”

Today’s racing for the Louis Vuitton Cup threatened to be cancelled when the Race Committee headed out to the racecourse and found no wind for the second day in a row. Yesterday three out of the five races were postponed due to insufficient wind, including AmericaOne’s match against Le Defi. In the past three days, two days have seen extreme wind conditions causing a modification in the round robin schedule.

Racing got under way at approximately 1:15 PM this afternoon.

After winning the pin end at the start Luna Rossa got off to a two-boatlength lead. AmericaOne gained on the Italians on the downwind leg of the 6-lap course. With the breeze building to a strong 10 knots on the second upwind leg AmericaOne continued to keep pace with Luna Rossa around the mark into the second leeward leg. In classic match-race strategy USA 49 initiated maneuvers and was countered by ITA 45 as they covered with matching gybes. Luna Rossa stretched their lead on the third lap of the course and crossed the finish line with a one-minute lead.

Race 8 against Aloha Racing’s Abracadabra is scheduled for tomorrow Tuesday, November 16, 1999.

RR2/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; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; Phil Trinter of Lorain, OH, grinder; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Morgan Trubovich of Newport, RI, downwind trim; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, downwind trim; Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, runner; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Bruce Nelson of San Diego, CA, traveler; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist, and Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, navigator. The 17th crew person was AmericaOne supporter Mrs. Jan Finch of San Francisco, CA.

Final Scores To Date:

Prada /34 points

Young America /24 points

America True /22 points

Stars & Stripes /20.5 points

AmericaOne /20 points*

Nippon Challenge /17.5 points*

Spanish Challenge /13 points*

Abracadabra 2000 /12 points*

FAST2000 /8 points**

Le Defi Francais /6 points*

Young Australia /5 points*

* Were not able to complete Race 6 due to insufficient wind

**FAST 2000 had a BYE today

Other Delta Results:

Spanish Challenge beat Young Australia by 1m 36s

America True beat Stars & Stripes by 1m 6s

Nippon Challenge beat Le Defi by 49s

Young America beat Abracadabra by 4m 58s

Round Robin 2

AmericaOne ‘s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 2 is as follows:

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RACES POSTPONED UNTIL SATURDAY

Due to excessive winds earlier today, the Race Committee postponed the fifth race of Round Robin 2 for the Louis Vuitton Cup until tomorrow (Saturday 13 November). Gusts of 40 knots were predicted this afternoon with heavy rain squalls. Tomorrow the wind should decrease to 15 knots. Young America was scheduled to race their second boat USA 58 today, and Nippon Challenge managed to set up a new mast last night (their boat JPN 44 dismasted yesterday during the race against AmericaOne). AmericaOne was scheduled for a BYE today.

FINAL SCORES TO DATE:

Prada /22 points

AmericaOne /20 points

Young America /16 points*

America True /14 points

Nippon Challenge /13.5 points

Stars & Stripes /12.5 points

Abracadabra 2000 /12 points

Spanish Challenge /9 points**

FAST2000 /8 points

Le Defi Francais /6 points

Young Australia /1 point

* Young America was penalized one race

**Bravo Espana had a BYE

THE RACING TOMORROW – RACE 5 of Round Robin 2:

1st Match Prada Challenge vs Spanish Challenge

2nd Match Team Dennis Conner vs Nippon Challenge

3rd Match Le Defi vs Young America

4th Match America True vs Abracadabra 2000

5th Match Young Australia 2000 vs FAST2000

BYE: AmericaOne Young America was scheduled to race their second boat USA 58 today, and Nippon Challenge managed to set up a new mast last night (their boat JPN 44 dismasted yesterday during the race against AmericaOne). AmericaOne was scheduled for a BYE today.

FINAL SCORES TO DATE:

Prada /22 points

AmericaOne /20 points

Young America /16 points*

America True /14 points

Nippon Challenge /13.5 points

Stars & Stripes /12.5 points

Abracadabra 2000 /12 points

Spanish Challenge /9 points**

FAST2000 /8 points

Le Defi Francais /6 points

Young Australia /1 point

* Young America was penalized one race

**Bravo Espana had a BYE

THE RACING TOMORROW – RACE 5 of Round Robin 2:

1st Match Prada Challenge vs Spanish Challenge

2nd Match Team Dennis Conner vs Nippon Challenge

3rd Match Le Defi vs Young America

4th Match America True vs Abracadabra 2000

5th Match Young Australia 2000 vs FAST2000

BYE: AmericaOne

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AMERICAONE WINS RACE FOUR AGAINST NIPPON CHALLENGE

Nippon Challenge Retires with Broken Mast

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, November 11, 1999 — AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, defeated Nippon Challenge’s Asura (JPN 44) in Race 4 of Round Robin 2 for the Louis Vuitton Cup. The Japanese team retired approximately five boatlengths from the second leeward mark when its mast broke during a jibe, according to the Race Committee.

Racing was delayed this morning by the Race Committee due to shifty winds on the Atlantic course where AmericaOne and Nippon Challenge were scheduled to race. Nippon Challenge led AmericaOne over the starting line by a slight margin. Immediately, AmericaOne tacked away onto port to build boatspeed. With the wind slowly building on the left side of the course, AmericaOne’s Tactician John Kostecki made the call to tack back to the left side and in doing so gained on the Japanese competitors.

“We had a two boatlength lead four minutes from the first windward mark when our genoa broke,” said AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard. “The Japanese took the lead there and held it for the next two legs.

“On the second downwind leg, AmericaOne closed to a position of control,” Cayard continued. “Very near the mark Nippon was penalized for crossing on port tack in front of AmericaOne, on starboard. Twenty seconds later their mast came down. It was a tough fight until that point.”

Nippon Challenge retired from racing and was towed back to the Viaduct Basin to assess the damage.

RR2/Race 4 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; Mike Howard of Malibu, CA, grinder; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Morgan Trubovich of Newport, RI, downwind trim; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, downwind trim; Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, 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 Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, navigator. The 17th crew person was Mr. Ron Martin, Telcordia Technologies, Plano, TX.

Final Scores To Date:

Prada /22 points

AmericaOne /20 points

Young America /16 points

America True /14 points

Nippon Challenge /13.5 points

Stars & Stripes /12.5 points

Abracadabra 2000 /12 points

Spanish Challenge /9 points

FAST2000 /8 points

Le Defi Francais /6 points

Young Australia /1 point

Other Delta Results:

Stars & Stripes over Prada Challenge/01:51

Abracadabra 2000 over Young Australia/YOUNG AUSTRALIA RETIRED DURING RACE

FAST 2000 over Young America/ YOUNG AMERICA DID NOT RACE

America True over Le Defi Francais/ 00:59 BYE: Spanish Challenge

Round Robin 2

AmericaOne’s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 2 is as follows:

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AMERICAONE CAPTURES WIN IN THIRD RACE OF ROUND ROBIN 2 AGAINST FAST 2000

Tragedy Strikes Young America

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, November 9, 1999 -AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, won its second race on day three of Round Robin 2 for the Louis Vuitton Cup. Despite the gloomy weather, whitecaped swells and winds ranging upwards of 18+ knots the AmericaOne crew defeated FAST 2000’s be hAPpy (SUI 59) by 3m 29s. During the Nippon vs. Young America match, Young America suffered serious structural damage when their boat buckled and nearly sank forcing them to retire from the race.

Off of the starting line, Cayard and the AmericaOne Team won the preferred right hand side of the race course. Although AmericaOne followed slightly behind FAST 2000’s Skipper Marc Pajot, when the starting gun sounded, SUI 59 quickly lost ground. It was evident that AmericaOne had equal speed but pointed closer to the wind and was able to quickly establish a comfortable lead. As the race drew to a close the winds built to 20+ knots, waves increased and visibility diminished. AmericaOne held and maintained a large lead and demonstrated its superior pointing ability in heavy air wind conditions.

“We’ve never sailed in this much wind before,” remarked AmericaOne Grinder Jim Nicholas. “So it was good to see that our boat handling and mechanical equipment performed well. We consider ourselves lucky that things didn’t break on our boat today.”

Deteriorating weather conditions are expected tomorrow, which may postpone racing until Thursday.

RR2/Race 3 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; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; Mike Howard of Malibu, CA, grinder; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Morgan Trubovich of Newport, RI, upwind trim; Russ Silvestri of San Francisco, CA, downwind trim; Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, 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 Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, navigator. The 17th crew person was Mr. Pat Campbell.

Final Scores To Date:

Prada /22 points

AmericaOne /16 points

Young America /16 points

Nippon Challenge /13.5 points

America True /10 points

Spanish Challenge /9 points

Stars & Stripes /8.5 points

Abracadabra 2000 /8 points

Le Defi Francais /6 points

FAST2000 /4 points

Young Australia /1 point

Other Delta Results:

Prada Challenge over Young Australia 2000/ 03:34

Abracadabra 2000 over Stars & Stripes/ 00:03

Nippon over Young America/ YOUNG AMERICA WITHDREW DURING RACE

Spanish Challenge over Le Defi Francais/ 00:19 BYE: America True

Round Robin 2 AmericaOne’s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 2 is as follows:

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AMERICAONE FIGHTS FOR WINNING RECORD AGAINST SAN FRANCISCO RIVAL IN RACE 2

USA 49 is Unable to Overcome an Over-Early Start AUCKLAND, New Zealand, November 8, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, suffered an over-early call by the Race Committee and was forced into a restart on Race 2 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Exciting pre-start maneuvers seemed to replay in reverse from the match in Round Robin 1 as this time AmericaOne was over the line early and unable to recover from the original deficit. America True (USA 51) emerged as a winner by 1m 29s.

Yesterday’s scheduled match between the two San Francisco-based teams resumed today after a postponement due to high winds. On the first windward leg, AmericaOne repositioned itself onto the weather hip of America True in hopes of extending its lead but the match ran its course with America True covering USA 49 tack for tack in the 19+ MPH winds and significant swells.

“I think we will have a lot to gain by reflecting on the mistakes we made today,” explained AmericaOne Tactician John Kostecki. “We pushed too hard at the start and went over the line early. Unfortunately, we were never able to make up the difference. There is a positive to losing in that it makes you stand-back and take a critical look at your techniques and work harder than ever to improve them.”

RR2/Race 2 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; Kevin Hall of Highland, CA, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Morgan Trubovich of Newport, RI downwind trim; Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, runner; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Bruce Nelson of San Diego, CA, traveler; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist, and Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, navigator. The 17th crew person was John LaFond, Ford Motor Company, MI, USA.

Final Scores To Date:

Prada /18 points

Young America /16 points

AmericaOne /12 points

America True /10 points

Nippon Challenge /9.5 points

Stars & Stripes /8.5 points

Le Defi Francais /6 points

Spanish Challenge /5 points

Abracadabra 2000 /4 points

FAST2000 /4 points

Young Australia /1 point

Other Delta Results:

Prada Challenge over Nippon Challenge/ NIPPON WITHDREW DURING RACE

Young America over Spanish Challenge/ 01:23

Le Defi Francais over Young Australia 2000/ 01:43

Fast2000 over Abracadabra 2000/ ABRACADABRA WITHDREW DURING RACE

BYE: Stars & Stripes

Round Robin 2 During Round Robin 2 each of the 11 Challengers from seven nations will race each other one time – the winner receiving four points per race. One team takes a bye in each flight of races. Racing is scheduled to begin daily at 12:15 PM local time on a full-length America’s Cup course, three laps totaling 18.55-nautical miles windward-leeward format. AmericaOne’s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 2 is as follows:

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AMERICAONE OPENS ROUND ROBIN 2 OF THE LOUIS VUITTON CUP WITH A WIN

Undisclosed Adjustments to USA 49 Prove Solid

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, November 6, 1999 – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 challenger, won its opening race on day one of Round Robin 2 for the 2000 America’s Cup season. Skipper Paul Cayard and the AmericaOne crew defeated the Spanish Challenge’s Bravo Espana (ESP 47) by 1m 15s. Adjustments were made to both boats following Round Robin 1 – AmericaOne sailed with a repaired and remeasured boat and Bravo Espana received a new mast.

The weather conditions showed great improvement from the heavy wind and rain conditions seen over the past few days. However, wind shifts remained lumpy, ranging upwards of 15+ knots. The drag race between Cayard and Spanish Skipper Pedro Campos at the start left AmericaOne slightly behind to windward of Bravo Espana. Rounding the first windward mark, AmericaOne’s Tactician John Kostecki located a significant shift in the wind direction from the right giving USA 49 a speed advantage that pushed them well into the lead. By the second windward leg, Cayard remained in control of the match.

“It was good to see that we have improved our boat speed,” explained AmericaOne Tactician John Kostecki. “The goal right now for all of the teams is to optimize boat performance in this second round. Clearly there were marked differences between our win over the Spanish from Round Robin 1 to Round Robin 2 — I could see we had both improved our speed.”

RR2/Race 1 Starting Line-Up: Curtis Blewett of Los Angeles, CA, bow; Greg Prussia of Oroville, 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; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Morgan Trubovich of Newport, RI downwind trim; Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, runner; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; Bruce Nelson of San Diego, CA, traveler; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist, and Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, navigator. The 17th crew person was Terry Kohler of Wisconsin, IL.

Final Scores To Date:

Prada /14 points

AmericaOne /12 points

Young America /12 points

Nippon Challenge /9.5 points

Stars & Stripes /8.5 points

America True /6 points

Abracadabra 2000 /4 points

Spanish Challenge /5 points

Le Defi Francais /2 points

Young Australia /1 point

FAST2000 /0 points

Other Delta Results:

Stars & Stripes over Le Defi Francais/ 00:41

Prada Challenge over FAST2000/ 02:19

Nippon Challenge over Abracadabra 2000/ 02:08

Young America over America True/ 00:33

BYE: Young Australia 2000

Round Robin 2 During Round Robin 2 each of the 11 Challengers from seven nations will race each other one time – the winner receiving four points per race. One team takes a bye in each flight of races. Racing is scheduled to begin daily at 12:15 PM local time on a full-length America’s Cup course, three laps totaling 18.55-nautical miles windward-leeward format. AmericaOne’s schedule for the remainder of Round Robin 2 is as follows:

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USA-61 Takes Flight for AmericaOne

The last boat built for this America’s Cup campaign will arrive via air express in Auckland this week. AmericaOne (USA-61) will be flown into New Zealand from California aboard a 747 on Monday afternoon.

Paul Cayard’s AmericaOne team is the last syndicate to take delivery of a boat. At a press conference on the eve of Round Robin Two of the Louis Vuitton Cup, Cayard was coy about when the boat would enter the competition.

‘We might use it in Round Robin Three,’ he said. ‘Having it here early definitely gives us some flexibility for two boat testing, and to race it before the Semi-Finals.’

The early arrival of USA-61 (the boat wasn’t originally expected until December) has also been a boon for Young Australia 2000. AmericaOne has finished with its charter of 1995 Cup boat oneAustralia. The Young Australia team has negotiated a charter with its Australian owner, and will now sail the boat in Round Robin Two.

The air express delivery is a first for Air New Zealand Cargo. It’s the first time in history an America’s Cup boat has been shipped on a 747, and USA-61 is the largest cargo in the history of Air New Zealand.

The AmericaOne team says the boat should be ready for sailing well before Round Robin Three.

– Peter Rusch

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AmericaOne Completes Round Robin 1 of the Louis Vuitton Cup

Round Robin 1 – Auckland, New Zealand – AmericaOne, the San Francisco-based St. Francis Yacht Club’s America’s Cup 2000 Challenger completed Round Robin 1 of the Louis Vuitton Cup Challengers Series with a score of 8 wins, 2 losses. AmericaOne raced against each of the challenger syndicates for a total of 10 races on the Haruaki Gulf, New Zealand. Racing took place October 18 to 28, 1999.

The first of three round robins in the Challenger’s Series, a win was worth one point. A Round 2 win is worth 4 points and a win in Round 3 is worth 9 points.

“Looking back on Round Robin 1 and our first month here in New Zealand we have a lot to be pleased with,” said AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard. “Our boat is fast, our team is strong and we have all the pieces around us necessary to win the Louis Vuitton Cup. ”

Summary of AmericaOne Races in Round Robin 1

[October 18, Races 1 & 2] AmericaOne defeated the Spanish Challenge’s Bravo Espana (ESP 47) by 1m 9s, and won against America True (USA 51) by an even greater margin of 3m 45s.

“The boat performed well in the first race,” said Tactician John Kostecki. “It was really our first race so we took it slow and talked out a lot of maneuvers. It was a good race for us.

“The wind was fickle that day and we had a nice break at the start because they (America True) were over early.” USA 49 continued to gain on each leg and went on to win comfortably.

[October 19, Races 3 & 4] AmericaOne easily defeated FAST2OOO’s be hAPpy (SUI 59) by 14m 9s, and finished the second race against the Nippon Challenge’s Asura (JPN 44) by 2m 26s.

“We had a good day of racing today which turned fairly aggressive in Race 4 against Nippon,” commented AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard. “We were unfortunate in that we broke down prior to the onset of the race. Luckily, we were able to qualify for a postponement in the rules and took the 45 minutes we were allotted, fixed the part and then went on to win the race.”

[October 20, Races 5 & 6] AmericaOne had a bye in Race 5 and in Race 6 defeated Le Delfi’s Sixieme Sens (FRA 46) by 1m 26s.

Having lost the start against the French by seconds, AmericaOne overtook the lead position in the first leg and continued to gain on each leg to eventually win. “The start of the race with the French was interesting,” said AmericaOne Skipper Paul Cayard. “He (Bertrand Pace) was very aggressive and really pushed the line hard to have a slightly better start than we did. We climbed out to windward to have a four boatlength lead at the first cross.” The lead continued on each leg and USA 49 won the race.

Racing on October 21 was postponed due to weather by the race committee.

[October 22, Race 7] AmericaOne lost to the Prada Challenge by a mere 17s. In a race plagued with spinnaker maladies for both teams, the Italian syndicate racing on Luna Rossa was able to recover from their onboard mishaps in time to cross the finish line ahead of AmericaOne.

“We were pretty happy to be in such a tight boat race with Prada. We know that they’ve put in a lot of time training during the last three years,” said Cayard. “All in all I’m pleased to have been so competitive.”

[October 23, Race 8 & 9] In Race 8, AmericaOne defeated Aloha’s Abracadabra (USA 54) by 1m 8s, and defeated Stars & Stripes in Race 9 by 1 minute.

“Our first race of the day was great,” said AmericaOne Tactician John Kostecki. “Each day we are learning more about our boats, our team and further raising the level of our boat speed.” Star’s & Stripes fouled AmericaOne in a pre-start maneuver. The umpires tagged Team Dennis Conner with a penalty for colliding with AmericaOne’s transom in a misjudged duck below AmericaOne’s stern. Although seriously damaged, the AmericaOne Team cautiously sailed the course and finished ahead of Stars & Stripes by 1 minute.

The international jury granted AmericaOne’s request for time to effect repairs to the transom. AmericaOne’s matches were rescheduled for Thursday, October 28.

[October 28, Race 10 & 11] AmericaOne defeated Young Australia (AUS 29) by 1m 32s, and withdrew in the final race against Pact 2000’s Young America (USA 53).

“We suffered some damage to our mast before the first race against Young Australia. We tried to repair it in between the two races, but six minutes before the warning signal we knew that we weren’t able to complete the race with the damage.

“Actually, it has come time to show up at the starting line ready to sail,” said Cayard. “If you have damage and you breakdown, you’re probably not ready to race.”

The AmericaOne Team is looking forward to the next round of racing. “You look at where Prada is at this point,” said Mainsheet Trimmer Terry Hutchinson. “They’re basically two years ahead of us in sailing time. If we can go out with three months of sailing time and and only lose to them by 12 seconds, then that’s great news for us.”

Final Scores Round Robin 1:

Prada /10 points

AmericaOne /8 points

Young America /8 points

America True /6 points

Abracadabra 2000 /4 points

Nippon Challenge /5.5 points

Spanish Challenge /5 points

Stars & Stripes /4.5 points

Le Defi Francais /2 points

Young Australia /1 point

FAST2000 /0 points

Round Robin 1 Sailing Crew: Bill Bates of San Diego, CA, mast/sewer; Josh Belsky of Hood River, OR, pit; Curtis Blewett of Los Angeles, CA, bow; Gavin Brady of Annapolis, MD, runner; Paul Cayard of Kentfield, CA, helmsman; Sean Clarkson of Middletown, RI, main assist; Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, DE, navigator; Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis, MD, mainsheet; John Kostecki of Fairfax, CA, tactician; David McClintock of Portsmouth, RI, upwind trim; Bruce Nelson of San Diego, CA, traveler; Jim Nicholas of San Diego, CA, grinder; Greg Prussia of Oroville, CA, bow; Russ Silvestri of San Francisco, CA, downwind trim; Ralph Steitz of Port Washington, NY, mid bow; Phil Trinter of Lorain, OH, grinder; Morgan Trubovich of Newport, RI, downwind trim; Matt Welling of Bay Shore, NY, grinder; Mike Howard, Malibu, CA, grinder.

17th crew sailing aboard USA 49 in Round Robin 1:

Race 1, St. Francis Yacht Club member and AmericaOne supporter Larry Finch, San Francisco, CA; Race 2, St. Francis Yacht Club Commodore Monroe J. Wingate, San Francisco, CA; Race 3, United Airlines Mileage Plus Auction winner Ted Springstead, Port Townsend, WA; Race 4, St. Francis Yacht Club Vice Commodore Bruce Munro, San Francisco, CA; Race 5, bye, Race 6, David Pensky; Race 7, Hewlett-Packard Design Challenge Winner Terrel Silvers, Iowa Park, TX; Race 8, Michael Herlick, Wellington, NZ; Race 9, Kerry Dobbs, Auckland, NZ; Race 10, James Allison, Auckland, NZ; Race 11 not completed.

About the Louis Vuitton Cup, Round Robin 2 Round Robin 2 of the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger’s Series is scheduled for November 6-18, 1999, with one race scheduled per day. There are three reserve days.

With Auckland’s summer season and its related weather patterns coming on full blast in November, spectators can plan on another Round Robin full of thrilling racing. Every race counts, but with the value increasing to 4 points per win in round robin 2, the stakes will be higher for each syndicate. Stay tuned for some exciting racing come November 6.

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