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For some, the chance to skipper a 78-foot
America's Cup Class (ACC) sailboat is just a dream. But
now, you can do better than that and own your very own piece
of America's Cup history and a superbly crafted ACC sailboat.
Abracadabra 2000 (USA-50) Louis Vuitton Cup Contender from
Hawaii, is for sale. The boat was designed by Australian
yacht design firm, Murray Burns & Dovell and hand painted
by world renowned marine life artist Wyland.
The highest bidder wins on e-bay
(Opening bid : $125,000.00).
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Involved since the 1970's at the pinnacle
of yacht racing, TAG Heuer announced its official sponsorship
of the 2003 America's Cup Challenger, Oracle Racing. The
sponsorship will feature the "Link Searacer" watch developed
by TAG Heuer to allow racing helmsmen to accurately judge
their approach to the start line, something that the Oracle
Racing boats will do countless times in training and more
than fifty times in competition.
In 1995 TAG Heuer supported New Zealand-born Chris Dickson
in the America's Cup with his boat NZL-39, the TAG Heuer
Challenge. Dickson was a Semi-Finalist in the Louis Vuitton
Cup in San Diego, CA that year, narrowly missing the Finals
against syndicates with significantly larger resources.
Chris Dickson commented: "Superior design, accuracy and
precision are all required to win the America's Cup and
Oracle Racing believes these are the same qualities offered
by TAG Heuer's "Link Searacer" watch. When the results of
a race can be determined by the final seconds, all the equipment
on an America's Cup Class Yacht must offer the highest performance
and this includes what the team wear on their wrists."
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News
from Ventura, California (06/11/01)
(Source: latimes.com)
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Battling choppy seas, fatigue and homesickness, a
well-financed group of sailors, their families and a support
crew have been in Ventura for more than two months preparing
for the first grueling step in the quest for victory during
the America's Cup yacht race two years from now. Since
early April, Oracle Racing--owned by billionaire software
developer Larry Ellison--has operated a sophisticated
$80-million sailing empire from a boat dock off Spinnaker
Drive in Ventura Harbor.
Amid the dry-docked fishing trawlers and moored pleasure
craft at the boat basin, the Oracle operation, with rows
of gray portable office buildings and a massive, tarp-covered
work area, is hard to miss.
Five days a week, two 16-sailor teams with members from
around the globe take a pair of massive training boats,
the USA 49 and the USA 61, to the churning waters off
Ventura County.
In September, Cayard, Cutler and the other Oracle team
members intend to pack up the entire training operation
and ship it to New Zealand for the Southern Hemisphere's
summer racing season. The 123-member team expects to return
to Ventura next spring for another half year of practice
before the preliminary competition starts in October 2002.
The team's two racing boats for the Louis Vuitton Cup
are under construction at an undisclosed location.
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Oracle
Challenge for America's Cup accepted (05/09/01)
(Source: RNZYC)
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A challenge from the Golden Gate Yacht Club for the
31st America's Cup regatta in Auckland, New Zealand in
2002/2003 has been formally accepted by the Royal New
Zealand Yacht Squadron. This third American syndicate
brings the current number of challengers to ten.
Peter Taylor, the Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht
Squadron, confirmed the acceptance of the challenge from
the San Francisco-based Golden Gate Yacht Club which is
partnered with the Oracle Racing Team.
The Golden Gate Yacht Club paid an entry fee of $US300,000;
having entered after the first deadline of March 1, 2001.
The other nine yacht clubs submitted challenges accompanied
by an entry fee of $US150,000 before that first deadline.
The final date for entries is March 1, 2002.
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Dickson
handed new role with Oracle Racing (05/08/01)
(Source: latitude38.com)
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Chris Dickson has been handed a new role with the
United States-based Oracle Racing's America's Cup syndicate.
The New Zealander will now be the key liaison point between
the sailing and Bruce Farr-led design teams for Oracle,
which will challenge for the cup next year.
Dickson is the syndicate's skipper and a member of Oracle's
afterguard, although a spokeswoman today said it was not
known if he would drive their boat during the Louis Vuitton
Cup. Joanna Ingley (Oracle) told a helmsman would only
be appointed just before the challenger races.
Dickson is joined in the afterguard by Paul Cayard, former
America True helmsman John Cutler, Italian Tommaso Chieffi
and Peter Holmberg, who sailed in the last cup with Dennis
Conner.
Ingley said Dickson's additional role was seen as a key
for the syndicate, as he would be responsible for ensuring
the sailor's on-water findings were clearly relayed back
to the design team.
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Today the Golden Gate Yacht Club submitted the required
entry to the RNZYS, as the 10th Challenger in the race
for the 2003 America's Cup Challenge, naming Oracle Racing
as their team.
"We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with
the Oracle Racing Team," said Norbert Bajurin Golden Gate
Yacht Club Commodore. "The America's Cup is undoubtedly
sailing's most prestigious trophy - a competition rich
in nautical history and we intend to give our team our
full support, to do our part, to help bring the Cup back
to America."
For The Golden Gate YC, having the opportunity to secure
yachting's most coveted trophy represents a milestone
in the clubs 62-year-old history. The Club has come a
long way since its founding in 1939, when its members
built a club house on a barge in San Francisco marina.
After the 1989 Earthquake severely damaged the club, members
pulled together and rebuilt it into the showcase facility
that now exists.
Oracle Racing recently concluded six month's of intensive
training on New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf and is currently
conducting their on the water training at their summer
sailing facility in Ventura, CA. The Ventura base is home
to the two Oracle Racing training boats as well as to
the team of 100 individuals.
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Chris
Dickson is still with Oracle
(04/25/01)
(source
: madforsailing)
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A spokesman for
Oracle racing declared today: "Chris is still with the syndicate
and we are looking forward to working with him - he is still
very much with us." This message was reinforced by syndicate
CEO, Bill Erkelens who was adamant in confirming that what
he called the "afterguard" - Cayard and Dickson - were still
firmly in place.
Erkelens went on, "We have over 100 people working in our
company and four people have left. That is just normal operating
of a business." Suggesting that the rumours had been fuelled
by unsubstantiated reports on a number of web sites, Erkelens
confessed, "I have been a little frustrated by other people's
comments that comment on speculation from somebody else".
The rumours appear to have started following the recent
departure of Bob Billingham. Billingham was a key member
of Paul Cayard's One America shore team in the last America's
Cup and was to have taken on a similar role in Oracle Racing.
The Oracle Racing spokesman suggested that Billingham's
departure was as the result of "a review of operations within
the Oracle Racing team which established a need to refocus
our activities." In addition to Billingham, three other
shore crew members, Brad Fitzgerald, Marc Cosby & Don Anderson
have departed the team.
At this stage Oracle were unable to confirm if there would
be new hirings to replace those who had left commenting
only that for the time being "a number of people are taking
on extra responsibilities to cover some areas". |
Rumours
about Oracle Racing
(04/20/01)
(source
: scuttlebutt)
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As Oracle Racing is beginning its second
training session in Ventura, America's Cup rumors are flying
about personnel changes at Larry Ellison's syndicate.
Apparently the syndicate's Operations Manager, Bob 'Budha'
Billingham and plus Donny Anderson and a number of members
of the OR shore team are no longer with the syndicate. But
most of the rumors center around the alleged departure of
OR's helmsman, Chris Dickson.
When asked for a comment, Oracle Racing syndicate head Bill
Erkelens said, "Chris Dickson is still on the team. He was
here at work today (Thursday) and all of the rumors are
just rumors. I look forward to continuing my working relationship
with Chris."
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As Oracle Racing is
beginning its second training session in Ventura, America's
Cup rumors are flying about personnel changes at Larry Ellison's
syndicate.
Apparently the syndicate's Operations Manager, Bob 'Budha'
Billingham and plus Donny Anderson and a number of members
of the OR shore team are no longer with the syndicate. But
most of the rumors center around the alleged departure of
OR's helmsman, Chris Dickson.
When asked for a comment, Oracle Racing syndicate head Bill
Erkelens said, "Chris Dickson is still on the team. He was
here at work today (Thursday) and all of the rumors are
just rumors. I look forward to continuing my working relationship
with Chris." |
Oracle
started arriving in Ventura (03/22/01)
(source
: Delphi
forum)
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Oracle Team members
have started arriving in Ventura, with accountants, chefs,
personal trainers and two of the most advanced boats in
sailing history to follow soon. Over the past month, all
100 members are expected to be here by mid-April to start
five months of training in and around the Ventura Harbor.
Chris Dickson has already arrived in Ventura and reportedly
will earn more than $1 million for his efforts.
The most important part of the crew had been training off
the Auckland, New Zealand, coast until about a month ago.
With autumn about to arrive there, members began moving
to Ventura, CA. During this time, some of his crew have
trained in Southern California before, using the deep-water
port in Long Beach to prepare for America's Cup 2000.
Robert Billingham, operations manager for the Oracle Racing
team, said crew members will spend about eight hours a day
on the waters off Ventura's coast. He expects they will
head out about 10 a.m. every morning and return by early
evening.
The crew will sail aboard the USA-49 and USA-61, the old
America One race boats Ellison acquired when he bought the
syndicate in July 2000. Both boats were used for the New
Zealand training and have been put aboard a container ship
bound for San Pedro. From there, they will be trucked to
Ventura, where they will be reassembled before April 15.
The syndicate is designing and building two other racing
boats -- the ones that will be used in the actual America's
Cup in New Zealand. Officials refuse to say where the construction
is occurring.
Oracle Racing has budgeted $500,000 for its stay in Ventura.
"This does not include all of the personal expenditures
the crew and staff will make while here," Billingham said.
Four support boats will be on hand, too. Two will tow the
racing sailboats the 500 or so yards between the docks and
the open sea. Another will resupply the racing boats with
all sorts of provisions while they're out at sea.
The crew has brought along two chefs, who will prepare meals
at the team's base camp in a parking lot along Spinnaker
Drive. The camp includes more than a half-dozen portable
buildings that already have been set up. They will house
everything from a gymnasium to an administrative center
filled with computers, accountants and others. Oracle has
even hired a private teacher to help home-school the 65
children coming along with the team. |
Oracle
Racing is leaving Auckland (02/24/01)
(source
: NZ
Herald)
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As Oracle Racing is beginning its second
training session in Ventura, America's Cup rumors are flying
about personnel changes at Larry Ellison's syndicate.
Apparently the syndicate's Operations Manager, Bob 'Budha'
Billingham and plus Donny Anderson and a number of members
of the OR shore team are no longer with the syndicate. But
most of the rumors center around the alleged departure of
OR's helmsman, Chris Dickson.
When asked for a comment, Oracle Racing syndicate head Bill
Erkelens said, "Chris Dickson is still on the team. He was
here at work today (Thursday) and all of the rumors are
just rumors. I look forward to continuing my working relationship
with Chris."
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