TEAMORIGIN Newsletter April 2008

With the America’s Cup’s immediate future still in the hands of the New York courts the 33rd (and 34th!) Cup cycles are still on hold. Consequently it has been a testing few months for TEAMORIGIN, Britain’s America’s Cup Team.

TEAMORIGIN issued a statement in January of this year outlining modified plans and aiming for a possible America’s Cup competition in 2011. These plans called for the team to stand down from a full operational mode to a lower level of activity. Now, more than three months later, with no further clarity on the Cup’s future and having spent much time assessing and re-assessing various scenarios and strategies, a second modification of plans has been necessary.

TEAMORIGIN sails the ACC yacht GBR-75 at the Southampton Boat Show in September 2007 (Photograph: Ian Roman/TEAMORIGIN)

From 1st May 2008 TEAMORIGIN will reduce the retained team to a smaller core group. This group will comprise some of the management team, key design and sailing team members, a limited commercial/marketing team and essential support functions. TEAMORIGIN will be able to keep the vital elements of its programme alive and progressing forward and always b ready to ‘reignite and ramp up’ to full speed as and when clarity in the America’s Cup returns. Team members are now able to pursue other projects with the knowledge that they will be brought back into TEAMORIGIN once the next multi-challenger America’s Cup programme is properly defined.

On the sailing side, TEAMORIGIN has a number of sailing activities planned for 2008 which will keep many of the sailors together and focused on performance, as well as keeping the TEAMORIGIN brand alive and at the forefront of people’s minds. These activities will also provide partnership and hospitality opportunities during the Cup ‘interim’ period.

TEAMORIGIN’s Xtreme 40 sails for the first time, 25th April 2008 (Photograph: Ian Roman/TEAMORIGIN)

The first of these activities is the TEAMORIGIN’s entry into the 2008 iShares Extreme 40 Catamaran Circuit. Along with Cup teams Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing, the TEAMORIGIN purchased an Extreme 40 catamaran earlier this year and has now entered the 2008 circuit. TEAMORIGIN’s entry will be skippered by Robert Greenhalgh (strategist / traveller on the Cup team), who last year skippered Team Basilica, the 2007 iShares Cup X40 Champion.

Other TEAMORIGIN members joining Rob are his brother, Peter Greenhalgh (GBR) as mainsheet trimmer /tactician, Julian Cressant (FRA) as trimmer, Matt Cornwell (GBR) as bowman and Mike Heffer (NZL) as shore support.

The X40 catamaran now carries TEAMORIGIN colours and has just started training in the UK in preparation for competing at the first iShares Cup event in Lugano, Switzerland over the weekend of 30th May - 1st June. TEAMORIGIN is in discussions with a number of partners regarding involvement in the Xtreme 40 Race Programme from a branding and hospitality perspective.

The second of those activities involves a brand new 100-foot long Maxi named Speedboat. Following a 10-month build programme the new Juan K-designed canting keel yacht was launched in early April in Auckland, New Zealand.

This is a significant project for TEAMORIGIN as it has involved many parts of the team and will continue to do so over the next two years. The boat has been designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and his team. Andrea Avaldi and his group are responsible for the structural engineering, and Mickey Ickert and Gautier Sergent designed the complete sail inventory. Every one of these people are key elements of TEAMORIGIN’s technical team. Team Director Mike Sanderson was involved with Juan K in putting the programme together and will be the Race Skipper for the boat’s varied and exciting racing programme.

TEAMORIGIN sail trimmer Robbie Naismith has been heavily involved with the deck systems and sail inventories and will trim the sails in earnest when the boat is racing. Nick Bice has been a crucial part of the later stages of the build and assembly and will take the role of boat captain on board.

TEAMORIGIN Technical Director Stan Honey has been advising on the boats' extensive electronics package and has spent much time installing and configuring this important element in the yacht’s equipment list. Stan will also race on board as navigator. TEAMORIGIN rigger Ian Goldsworthy has assembled the running rigging package for the boat.

All in all a lot of useful experience has been gained by TEAMORIGIN with the design, build and commissioning of this racing yacht. But perhaps the most important benefit to TEAMORIGIN is the experience gained by the various individuals in working together as a team on a project that is not dissimilar to the kind of boat that might be used for the 34th America’s Cup.

Juan K-designed ‘Speedboat’ during early sailing trials in Auckland, April 2008 (Photograph: TEAMORIGIN)

And finally, eleven members of TEAMORIGIN’s sailing team will form part of the crew that will race the boat in a varied programme of regattas. The first competition will be the Newport to Bermuda Race starting on 20th June this year. This will be followed in July by a possible Trans Atlantic record attempt. Speedboat will then join the Mediterranean racing scene starting with the Maxi Worlds in Sardinia in September.

The full TEAMORIGIN crew line-up on Speedboat will be: Mike Sanderson, Stan Honey, Robbie Naismith, Neal Macdonald, Julien Cressant, Rob Greenhalgh, Mike Mottl, Chris Brittle, Justin Slattery, Nick Bice and Pawel Bielecki.

So far in early testing Speedboat has been going well - very well - with speeds in excess of 28 knots achieved in just 20 knots of wind on Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf!! Watch this space….

The TEAMORIGIN Match Race Crew, led by Ben Ainslie, wins the Cento Cup in Trapani, Italy, October 2007 (Photograph: Francesco Italia)

Everyone knows that TEAMORIGIN skipper and helmsman Ben Ainslie is currently focused on winning an Olympic medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in his Finn class dinghy. But he is also finding time to compete in three of the World Match Race Circuit events this year to further develop his match racing skills.

Ben and his team will fly TEAMORIGIN’s colours in three events this year - in Marstrand at the Swedish Match Cup (30th June – 6th July), in Hamilton at the Bermuda Gold Cup (7th October – 12th October) and in Malaysia at the Monsoon Cup (9th December - 14th December).

Ben’s team for the first event in Sweden will include Kelvin Harrap (NZL) alongside TEAMORIGIN members Matt Cornwell (GBR), Christian Kamp (DEN) and Anthony Nossiter (AUS).

TEAMORIGIN SAILORS AT THE GAMES
As well as following Ben Ainslie’s Olympic campaign, watch the other three other TEAMORIGIN sailors competing at the Beijing Olympic Games – Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson in the Star Class (GBR) and Anthony Nossiter in the Finn Class (AUS). The Olympic Games begin on 8th August 2008 and conclude on the 24th August 2008.	TEAMORIGIN’s Iain Percy & Andrew Simpson racing at the Bacardi Cup, March 2008 (Photograph: Dan Nerney/Rolex)

TEAMORIGIN skipper & helmsman, Ben Ainslie, with OnBoard sailors at the Dinghy Show, March 2008 (Photograph: On Edition/RYA)

TEAMORIGIN continues as the Main Partner for the Royal Yachting Association’s OnBoard programme - getting young people involved in sailing around the UK. This support involves regular financial contributions as well as team members spending time at OnBoard events, putting something back into the sport they love.

Earlier this year Ben Ainslie joined school children from Weymouth and London at the Dinghy Sailing Show, racing them on a dinghy simulator and coaching them as they tried to beat his time.

Ridwan, 11 from Hackney’s Jubilee Primary School commented at the time: “Today has been really exciting and it’s a real pleasure to come to the show. We met Ben Ainslie. He is a legend. I had a bit of a fear of sailing, but having heard him speak today I have lost my fear and can’t wait to get out on the water.”

Later this year there are sure to be more opportunities to meet TEAMORIGIN’s sailors at other RYA OnBoard events but in the meantime find out more at www.ruob.co.uk

For up to date news on all TEAMORIGIN events and activities make sure you check the team website regularly. www.teamorigin.com

For media enquiries email: media@teamorigin.com

For public enquiries email: info@teamorigin.com