USA Wins Race 1 - 33rd America's Cup

Race 1 Highlights Video here.

Lots of detail Cup Info here.

And the official website here.

Race 1 America's Cup

Race 1 Results:
Course: 20 nautical miles to Windward and Return. Course set at 180 degree. BMW Oracle (starboard tack), enters from right, Alinghi (port tack) enters from the left.

2:35: Racing underway. Penalty on Alinghi in the Pre-Start. BMW Oracle stalled, both OCS, Alinghi gets out first. Early jump to a lead for Alinghi as BMWO has to return.

Up the course, wind building to 8 kts. BMW gains on Alinghi, cutting into lead, Alinghi swaps foresails, BMW Oracle still gaining. USA pointing higher, going faster, gets ahead into 250m lead. Now 400m lead. BMW Oracle drops headsail. Out ahead to 425m. Then gaps closes, both head right, but down to 160m lead. Speeds about 20 knots upwind.

Halfway up the Windward leg, BMW Oracle extends again 300m. 500m. 630m. Wind at 9 kts. Getting toward the layline. Alinghi tacks first. BMWO about 2 minutes later. Lead 900m to BMW Oracle. To 1200m. Nearing the Windward Mark. Wind at top dropping from 10 kts to 7, at 175 degrees. BMW Oracle tacks for the mark. Rounds at 4:04pm.

Return Leg:BMW Oracle heads downwind. Alinghi rounds, 3:21 delta. BMW Oracle leads by 1598m. 2100m. 2700m. Speed downwind about 25 knots for BMWO. Alinghi gybes. Distance 3300m to BMW Oracle. Alinghi still carrying a penalty. USA heading lower, speed to 28.5 knots. Wind 8 kts. More than halfway along the return leg. Still huge lead to BMWO. Finish coming up. BMW Oracle wins Race 1! Alinghi takes penalty turn, Apparent finish delta of 10:04, problem with turn, has to return above the line, final delta 15:28.

Quotes of the Day:
Jimmy Spithill, Skipper, BMW Oracle: “I always thought if we were able to fly a hull we'd be faster upwind, but I was genuinely surprised downwind."

Dirk de Ridder, Wingsail Trimmer, BMW Oracle: "Over probably 9-10 knot breeze it’s more efficient without the headsail, and the wing is working at maximum efficiency at that windspeed, and there was no surprise we were better upwind against Alinghi with the wing only....Once we get to over over 10 knots we’re at our absolute best and probably more wind we’d even be better. So good to see in the lighter wind up the first beat we were actually going quite well -- we were very very pleased"

Larry Ellison, Owner, BMW Oracle: "I would have sailed today if they weren’t about to call a race in three-and-a-half knots. If it’s very very light, we’ll sail with minimum crew again. I had intended to sail today and I intend to sail Sunday but not if the breeze is three knots of breeze."

Ernesto Bertarelli, Owner, Alinghi: "The wing seems to be quite a weapon."

Brad Butterworth, Skipper, Alinghi: "What do you want me to say, they sailed from behind us to in front of us."

Jimmy Spithill, Skipper, BMW Oracle, on the pre-start: "I was approaching it pretty aggressively because the wind was quite light -- we did a great job on the entry. We were able to get a piece of ‘em and a force a penalty which was good, but then pretty soon after -- we’re sort of learning all the time -- we had a hard time sorta stopping the boat. We ended up rolling forwards and getting overlapped to windward....

"We sort of had a hard time to try and stay out of irons. We got stuck in irons. We had an issue with one of the winches, we couldn’t get the sail on ‘em, and obviously we couldn’t get the bow down. So it was a bit frustrating, you know, as we really had him on the back foot there."

Question: As you came across the line, how did you feel when you started chasing Alinghi down?Spithill: “Pretty fired up, we pushed the boat harder than I’ve ever pushed it before –- I mean right on the edge.....the boat really took off."