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Americas Cup
Ainslie Launches America's Cup Campaign
Posted on 10 January 2012

Three time Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie has announced the launch of a new team that will initially compete in the next edition of the America’s Cup World Series along with plans to join ORACLE Racing for the defence of the 34th America’s Cup.

Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) will compete in the 2012/13 America’s Cup World Series (ACWS), following the completion of Ainslie’s London 2012 Olympic campaign in the Men’s Singlehanded Heavy Dinghy (Finn class) event.

The new global America’s Cup World Series circuit attracts some of the best sailors in the world in high speed 45 foot wing-sailed catamarans.

With the announcement of a new team, the triple Gold Olympic medallist also set out his long term vision to challenge for the 35th America’s Cup following the conclusion of the 34th Cup in San Francisco in 2013: “I’ve always tried to have a plan of what I’m doing next after the Olympics. The 2012 Olympics has been the focus, but from that has come the opportunity to be able to build a team which we hope can ultimately go on to challenge for the 35th America’s Cup.”

Four times America’s Cup winner and ORACLE Racing’s CEO Russell Coutts fully backed Ainslie’s goal to create his own future America’s Cup team. “With all the things that we are doing to improve the America’s Cup commercially, I think this is a great time for someone like Ben to be laying the foundations for his own team. With the massive improvements to televising the racing and staging it right where fans can see it, there has never been a better arena for stars such as Ben. ”

Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) will be entering the America’s Cup World Series under the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, which has supported the Olympian since the beginning of his career. Ben said: “It’s my home club; it’s where I grew up. I’ve had so much support from the club over the years, it seemed a natural fit.”

The AC World Series will provide a great testing ground and platform for Ben, as will joining ORACLE Racing for their 2013 defence. Ben will be added to an already impressive line-up which includes some of the best sailors in the world, such as James Spithill, youngest ever winning skipper of the oldest trophy in international sport, and Russell Coutts.

It will be the 34 year old Briton’s fourth America’s Cup campaign. After the 2000 Sydney Olympics Ainslie joined the American ‘One World Challenge’. Post-Athens in 2004 he helped ‘Team New Zealand’ lift the Louis Vuitton Cup before joining Sir Keith Mills start -up campaign ‘TEAMORIGIN’ as skipper after his victory at the Beijing Olympics.

On joining ORACLE Racing Ainslie said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity, I have a huge amount of respect for Russell, Jimmy and everyone involved. I think with the direction the Cup has taken in the last few years, it’s actually really important that ORACLE Racing win again and it continues on the path that it has taken. I’m very excited about it and hopefully I can help the team retain the Cup.”

Welcoming Ben to the America’s Cup, Coutts said: “It’s fantastic for the America’s Cup that we’ve got a three time Olympic gold medallist, four time Olympic medallist, hopefully soon to become five. The America’s Cup without Ben would be a little bit like Wimbledon without Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.

He’s the number one sailor in the world right now and it’s fantastic to have him involved in our team.”

The iconic America's Cup trophy was originally awarded in 1851 by Britain’s Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight, to the schooner America. The trophy was renamed the America's Cup after the boat and was donated to the New York Yacht Club under the terms of the Deed of Gift, which made the Cup available for perpetual international competition.

Ainslie will not rule out another bid for Olympic gold in Brazil 2016, but for now he sees his future with the America’s Cup.


Dress Code Update
Dress Code – with effect from Tuesday 10^th January 2012 (when the Club re-opens), the dress code will be SMART CASUAL at all times throughout the Club.  The Club definition of smart casual remains unchanged and for gentlemen excludes shirts or T-shirts without collars, rugby shirts or other similar sporting attire. Footwear will exclude trainers. Smart casual for ladies should be similarly appropriate. Members who wish to do so are encouraged to dress to a higher level when using Club facilities.

Denim – with effect from Tuesday 10^th January 2012, SMART DENIM will be permitted throughout the Club. Smart Denim excludes working jeans and denim with holes or fraying.

Catering Update
High Tea – From 13^th January 2012, a High Tea menu will be available for a trial period on Friday evenings between 6.00 pm and 7.00pm. The menu will be family orientated and will include a children’s section.

Sea Safety
In line with the RNLI promotion of Safety at Sea, we are asking the Clubs to promote the RNLI on their Website.

The RNLI Sea Safety Team are now promoting the new campaign of 'Safety Advice on Board' and 'Safety Advice on Shore'.  Please invite one of the Bangor Sea Safety Team to meet up with you for advice about your Lifejackets and Safety Equipment. Contact. Peter Bullick, RNLI, Lifeboats Sea Safety Officer  Mob: 07802537371,  email: bullicksgiftware@utvinternet.com.

(The RNLI have withdrawn the name of 'Sea Check' and replaced it with 'Sea Safety Advice on Board' and 'Sea Safety Advice on Shore')


Sydney Hobart Race
The Sydney Hobart Race which starts from Sydney each Boxing Day is one of the great offshore races in the sailing calendar. It's history has been chequered with tragic loss of life on several occasions as the boats cross the Bass Straight braving some of the wildest weather met by ocean sailors. The 2011 Race had included a competitor with some strong connections to Royal Ulster Yacht Club. Thirty-something Ian Lindsay was competing on board an Inglis 37 called Beyond Outrageous, renamed Kiss Goodbye to MS for the purposes of the race.

Ian's mother Liza McDowell is Club member and his uncle is a past Rear Commodore, Myles Lindsay. The connections do not stop there however; Ian's grandfather, Norman Reid was Rear Commodore in 1961, his great uncle Charles Neil was Rear Commodore 1954-55 and Vice Commodore 1982-84.

Ian sent Myles this e-mail comment after the boat finished on Friday 30 December:

"The race went fairly well but we didn't get much of our preferred reaching or running weather. The bigger boats in our division got a bit more light weather up ahead so we still did not too bad on handicap.

Funnily enough, the guy that does all the category 1 safety checks for the Sydney Hobart is from Bangor. He left a long time ago but I think chatting about Northern Ireland made sure he wasn't too harsh on us."

You can read all about the boat at: www.beyondoutrageous.com/home/. If you click on the team pages you can see a picture of Ian. The crew have already raised over 12,000 Aus dollars for the MS charity.

S Class Cruisers
Martin Pearsons is a man with a mission. That mission is to catalogue all the S Class cruisers built in the Bangor Shipyard between 1946 and 1964.

Martin got in touch with Betty Armstrong and with the help of several RUYC members, including Gordon Finlay, Winkie Nixon, David Greenhalgh and Willie Dickinson, has gathered a plethora of information about the class and the whereabouts of most of the boats. Still missing is info on numbers 16, 17 and 21 and updates on Southward No3; Sarcelle No9; and Segala/Seagala No 15.

There’s lots of interesting stuff on: www.shipyardboats.co.uk/S-Class_Archive/Home.html


OLYMPIC SELECTION FOR SEATON AND MCGOVERN
RUYC/BYC member Matt McGovern and helmsman Ryan Seaton from Carrickfergus currently competing at the ISAF World Sailing Championships in Perth, Australia have been chosen to represent Ireland in the 2012 Olympics sailing in the 49er Skiff Class.