BA Cup — 17 October '08

17 October –19 October

Leo Dixon Reports from the BA CupMalcom McKeag 0207 201 6265

The British American Cup 2008

The 2008 British American Cup was held in Oyster Bay, NY, between 17th – 19th October 2008 and is the pinnacle of international keelboat team racing bringing together one of the oldest sporting rivalries, British versus America.

The British team, skippered by Leo Dixon, consisted of 10 of the sailors that were narrowly beaten in the 2007 BA Cup, along with two highly experienced team and match racers who joined the team earlier this year.

The American team was also different from that of 2007, with the notable inclusion of Tim Wadlow, fresh back from the Olympics, and Carl Ziegle, a highly-experienced team racer and ex-US National Sonar Champion. The team was skippered for the fifth time by Dean Brenner, US Olympic Team Manager.

Following a well-structured training programme in home waters, the British team had two days of training in the US prior to the event.  Both days saw light airs and finished early due to the lack of breeze.  Colin Gordon of NYYC, a highly-experienced team racer and Sonar sailor, was on the water during official practice day overseeing the British Team’s preparations, providing them with tips on sailing the Sonars in light airs.

Day One – The Americans gain hope

The first day of racing dawned and the American team won the toss of the coin and elected to sail boats numbered 9-12, whilst the Brits took boats numbered 1 – 4.  The forecast was light for the day, however the teams took to the water in approximately 5-8 knots of breeze.

In Race 1, the Brits had an excellent start and led for much of the way around.   Typically with  four-boat team racing the climax of the race is the final leg-and-a-half on the port- hand box course, and this race was to prove no different.  The Brits looked to have done enough and have the Americans back in 7th & 8th place on the final approach to the finish line - but the wind headed a couple of boat-lengths from the finish and the British boat in 6th just managed to get picked-off by an American boat and in doing so incurred a penalty. First blood to the American team.

Although the British team started well in races 2 and 3, the Americans quickly overhauled the and were not only tactically more astute but had a speed edge on the downwind legs.

Race 4 started well for the Brits and one of their boats was firmly in the race approaching the final two legs of the course. In slowing down the race at mark 3, the leading British boat let two Americans through whilst slowing down the third American boat.   In the light airs this manoeuvre proved costly and the attempted conversion of the American boat to the back of the race was halted with the assistance of the leading two American boats.

The Brits headed to shore 4 – 0 down for an open and honest debrief on their performance and to plan how to get themselves in the regatta.

Day Two – The Brits strike back

Looking to halt the Americans in their tracks the Brits were pleased to see on their drive to Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club white horses building in Cold Spring Harbour, in approximately 20 knots of breeze.  Weather more akin to sailing at Cowes.

Race 5 commenced and was a classic team race from start to end with boats missing each other by a matter of inches and sometimes  rubbing gunwales, the racing was that close.  The Brits in particular looked to be working more collaboratively around the race track, never extending when in the lead, and looked much more comfortable passing two of American boats into 7th & 8th (one of the two more stable winning combinations).  The finish line approached and it was nip and tuck again, the Brits’ plan seemingly changing up the final leg to getting three of their boats into the top four (the other more stable winning combination).  Even though one of the Brits incurred a penalty after the finish, the other three had done enough to win the race. 

Race Six saw the British team building on the first race victory and really taking the game to the Americans, and for a change it was the Americans, with the pressure on, making the mistakes, causing collisions and incurring penalty turns from the on-the-water umpires.  Two victories and the Brits were pumped up and right back in the regatta.  

Race Seven and the Brits dominated the pre-start, start line and first leg.  The Brits rounded in 1,2,3 and 5 places, a solid winning combination.  Throughout the first lap these positions were retained and as the team approached the second lap the British boat in 5th place laid a mark trap at the windward mark to create as big a distance as possible between the Americans in 6th, 7^th and 8th allowing the leading British leading boats to deal with the one remaining American.  A stable winning combination you’d think.  Well, with Carl Ziegle driving the American boat in contention and hovering all over the British boat in 3rd place, the American team pulled themselves back into the race.  All agreed exceptional sailing at the coal face by Carl and his crew. Yet again the race would be decided on the approach to the finish line.  The boats again passed each other by a matter of inches and twice American boats got penalized as they tried to pass the Brits to the back of the fleet.  The  race drifted over to the port hand side of the final beat and gradually as the boats came across to the middle of the track, the winner would be determined by which team managed to lock the opposition into 7th & 8th position.  When it mattered most the Brits locked the opposition in their cross hairs and took the win.

Unfortunately, as often happens in these situations, the rope around the Americans neck was loosened, and Race Eight saw the Brits’ poorest start in the series.   In the lighter airs in the afternoon the Americans never looked like surrendering the lead and convincingly closed out the race to leave the score going into the final day at  America 5 – Great Britain 3.

Day Three – Protests and Hearings and the return of the Americans

After the mandatory draw for boats, which mirrored the draw from the previous day, the Brits’ debrief called for improvement on Day Two and even more clinical execution of the conversions on the opposition.

Due to the strength of the breeze (22-24 knots) the Principal Race Officer and his team took the sailors round the corner to sail in the shelter of the Causeway rather than being exposed in the Sound.

The half-an-hour sail gave the Brits time to prepare for sailing in the breeze.  An indication of the strength of the breeze was soon apparent as a number of boats hoisting their spinnakers in the preparation time laid their boats flat or spun them out of control.

The PRO however decided that the use of spinnakers was allowable in the conditions which was a real credit to the skill of both teams and so Race Nine commenced.

A rather soft start from the Brits saw the American team take an early lead and despite some excellent sailing from the British boats to break down the lead, the Americans took the race.

Race Ten and carnage ensued.  Another classic team race saw the two teams sail within inches of each other for the entire two laps of the race.  Unfortunately one of the British boats suffered a sheared tiller in one of the fiercer gusts while leading one of the opposition.  Not surprisingly in that strength breeze, the boat spun out of control and the left the helmsman hold a few shards of marine plywood instead of a 2.5 foot tiller with which to steer the boat.  All of a sudden the Brits were 3 versus 4 boats.  Meanwhile further round the race track, two of the British boats set up a well rehearsed team racing conversion in order to pass one of the opposition behind them both.   The move sees the lead boat set up as an obstruction, thus forcing the opposition boat to windward of him and allowing him to luff the opposition out of the way, enabling his team mate through.  As the gap between the three boats (two Brits, one American) closed the American took the surprising option of steering a sharp angle below the boat creating the trap.  The inevitable happened and the American boat hit both British boats.   Immediately the American boat took a voluntary penalty turn, accepting responsibility for the incident.  In the process however he severely damaged one of the British boats in a collision that could be deemed to be avoidable and open to further penalty.

The Brits lost the race across the finish line (due to them being a team mate down with gear failure) but were appeased by the fact there would be two on-the-water hearings in front of the jury to challenge the damage caused to one of their boats and also the gear failure experienced by the other boat.

The hearing process took two hours with various helms being transported to and from their boats to join hearings, give evidence, ask questions of their opponents and be cross-examined by the jury.  In the first hearing for Rule 14 damage, the Brits won the hearing and the Americans were penalised with a half race win penalty.

In the second hearing the Brits were also successful and won the request for a re-sail due to the gear failure.  This win was a double-edged sword as the Brits hopes were still alive, the score was 6 – 3 but now the jury deemed the half-race win penalty fell away with the "abandoned" race.

The Brits stepped up to the plate in the re-sail of Race Ten and pressured the Americans all the way around the track.  With the continuing to execute their conversions the Brits managed to control the top quarter of the last beat and usher the Americans in with US boats in 7^th & 8^th place. 

The score line was now 6-4, with the winner of the BA Cup being the first team to 7 wins.

The Britishtails were up and the Americans were increasingly frustrated with not only the loss but also the earlier delay for the hearings, which they lost, however they channelled their energy effectively and both teams were locking horns in Race 11 as if their lives depended on it.   Olympic sailor Wadlow had a shocking day on the water incurring penalty after penalty as the Brits exerted more pressure on the Americans.  The race took much the same pattern as the previous six and would be settled on the final leg after a series of slowing-down manoeuvres were excellently executed by both teams.  The fleet split up the final beat and the Brits looked to have the upper hand with two of their boats controlling one American on the far left-hand side of the course and one Brit covering one American on the far right.  Then the unthinkable happened: the American boat being controlled on the left made a tight tack and attempted to cross both Brit boats who were on the right-of-way starboard tack.  The Brits thought that if he managed to cross the first British boat, the American would certainly be caught by the second British boat, but it was not to be. Showing excellent judgment the American boat crossed both British boats by a matter of inches.  There and then, due to the split of the fleet, and the proximity of the finish line the British hopes faded and the Americans won the race.

Final score America 7 – Britain 4.

There followed a Prizegiving Dinner on the Sunday evening where the teams exchanged pleasantries, gifts and thanks and the BA Cup was presented to the home team.