America's Cup Trimaran BOR90
America’s Cup Back to Court and BMW Oracle Trimaran BOR 90 Sailing Again
BMW Oracle Racings America’s Cup team is starting sea trials of their newly modified trimaran BOR 90 in the waters off Point Loma this week. Helmsman James Spithill was seen with the America’s Cup trimaran on the dock, and the racing team will now ease into this next round of testing, as structural and other tests continue on the waters off San Diego. “As we gain more confidence with the boat, we’ll certainly be out there pushing it and seeing what we can get out of it,” Spithill said.
“It’s breaking new ground,” said 30 year old Spithill. “This has never been done before, so it’s an incredible opportunity for the sailors on both teams, and all the people involved; designers, builders. These boats have the most amazing power-to-weight ratio. There’s nothing else that’s ever been done on this sort of scale.”
BMW Oracle is the Challenger for the 33rd America’s Cup. The team will meet the Swiss Defender Alinghi in a best two out of three head-to-head duel starting February 8, if they can keep the fighting on the water and out of the courtroom, which sounds unlikely given the news from the America’s Cup teams today.
A hearing has been set for next Tuesday between Alinghi of Switzerland and BMW Oracle Racing of San Francisco. The America’s Cup teams are heading back to a New York court in a fight over rules for their showdown next year in the giant multihulls.
BMW Oracle Racing spokesman Tom Ehman says the defending champion Swiss are “playing fast and loose with the rules,” including the use of an engine to trim sails and possibly move ballast on their 90-foot catamaran, which was launched last week on Lake Geneva. At BMW Oracle Racing’s request, the court has ordered Alinghi to show why it should not be held in contempt for failing to comply with the America’s Cup Deed of Gift by denying the Americans their rights as challenger.
By Sailing the World
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