Offshore Rules is the global website magazine for racing sailors. Our readers are passionate about sailboat racing and we strive to match their passion with vibrant and entertaining online content from around the globe. We bring you on-the-spot regatta reports, exclusive sailor interviews, equipment reviews, boat tests and much more besides.http://www.offshorerules.comCopyright Offshore Rules. All rights reserved.http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=481 Image by Bobby Greiser.   Light winds were the order of the day down in Auckland New Zealand for the first matches of the Louis Vuitton Trophy where eight aspiring America's Cup teams are competing. You can watch video of each day's action from our friends at Sail.tv on Offshore Rules by clicking here Matches between Francesco Bruni's Italian Azzurra crew and Ben Ainslie's British Team Origin squad generally prove interest...Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:47:57 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=481http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=480 Image by t.Martinez. Despite the glitz and glamour ashore out in Dubai for the 2010 Puma Moth World Championship, the on the water conditions are proving less than perfect for Moth sailing. Light and flukey winds have prevailed for the first two days of racing, making it difficult at times for the sailors to get their boats airborne. Australian Moth technical guru Andrew McDougal appears to be revelling in the tricky breezes however and after four races he tops th...Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:01:30 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=480http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=479 Image by Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race. Back at the end of 2008, I jumped at the opportunity to join UK sailing legend and double Olympic silver medallist, Ian Walker, aboard his Irish/Chinese sponsored Green Dragon Volvo Ocean Race entry, on a leg of the delivery trip following a raucous launch party in Dublin, down to the race start in Alicante. Understandably at that point, Walker was by his own admission, feeling the enormous strain of being a...Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:09:43 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=479http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=478 Image by Joy Dunigan/IM32CA. I guess I should have known that returning to competitive sailing for the first time in eight months would be a major challenge. Spending most of that time in press boats watching the some of the world’s best sailors plying their trade, apparently counted for absolutely nothing and my return to racing last week at the Miami Grand Prix left me seriously questioning if I had ever set foot on a raceboat before. I was acting as a...Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:25:31 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=478http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=477 With just a few days to the start of racing and with only a six-strong IRC fleet and just ten Farr 40’s registered, the scratch sheet at this year’s Miami Grand Prix is dominated by the twenty-three boat entry in the Melges 32 class. Following on from their closely fought series in Key West a couple of months ago, most of the usual Melges 32 suspects will be on the startline this week. This event sees the return to US racing of the reigning Melges 32 worl...Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:39:03 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=477http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=476    Image by Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi.   Shortly after watching BMW Oracle Racing dominate race two of the 33rd America’s Cup in Valencia, outside the Alinghi base in Valencia, Andy Rice and guest podcaster Matt Sheahan from Yachting World, discuss the drama and excitement of the race and speculate on the future of the AC...   You can download the Sailing Talk Podcasts direct from iTunes here . ...Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:54:18 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=476http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=475 Image by Ian Roman.   Today is a day of questions at the 33 rd America’s Cup in Valencia. Firstly will the breeze stabilise enough for race two of the series to happen? If it does, what will be the prestart strategies from the two teams? Are we in for another explosive prestart skirmish akin to the amazing first minute of race one, or will we see a more conservative approach? Will the Alinghi afterguard and crew have recovered mentally from the drubbing di...Sun, 14 Feb 2010 11:52:53 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=475http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=474 Image by Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi.   Still in Valencia and having witnessed first hand BMW Oracle Racing’s defeat of Alinghi in the thrilling first race of the 33rd America’s Cup, Andy and Justin assess the performances of the two teams, both on the water and at the post race press conference....   You can download the Sailing Talk Podcasts direct from iTunes here. ...Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:51:10 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=474http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=473   Image by Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi.   Challenger BMW Oracle Racing today comprehensively defeated the America’s Cup holders Alinghi in the first race of the 33 rd America’s Cup Deed of Gift match in Valencia.   Against all expectations of a tactic free drag race with the boats separated by as much as forty miles, on the water and online spectators were treated to an exciting race packed with drama from the off. Much had been mad...Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:09:06 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=473http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=472 Image by Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi.   Sunshine and five knots across the course here in Valencia today. The boats are out at the race area and it looks like we are close to getting race one of the 33rd America's Cup underway. We will be posting live text commentary over on our Regatta Live! site as soon as racing gets underway.   Go there now to follow the action... ...Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:22:22 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=472http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=471   Image by George Johns/Alinghi.   Collective fingers here in Valencia are crossed for a suitable weather window tomorrow to allow the first race of the 33 rd America’s Cup to take place. That said the level of confidence is pretty low, as in reality the ‘fresh to frightening’ conditions we experienced today, look likely to continue tomorrow.   Alinghi’s weather team suggested this afternoon that the chance of...Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:13:53 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=471http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=470   Yesterday we got our first close up view of Alinghi V and she is no less impressive in real life. Like all of you, we can't wait to see her racing, so fingers crossed for Friday...   ...Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:30:59 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=470http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=469   Image by Guido Trombetta/Alinghi.   Without a doubt, one of Alinghi's strongest PR assets is Ed Baird, their winning helmsman from the last Cup. His enthusiasm for the event, the team and the new multihull format is infectious. In the three videos below, amongst other things, he talks to us about the unique experience of sailing Alinghi V and why the 33rd America's Cup will be so different to past iterations...   ...Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:46:37 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=469http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=467 Image by Andy Rice - www.sailjuice.com James Spithill spoke to a packed press conference soon after the decision was made not to race and gave some interesting insights into the BMW Oracle Racing campaign....                   ...Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:42:44 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=467http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=468 Image by Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi.   In their first attempt at a Video version of the Sailing Talk Podcast, Andy and Justin are joined once again by Yachting World’s Matt Sheehan, on the third day of the 33rd America’s Cup in Valencia.   Speaking from the Alinghi Base after another day without racing and with the background accompaniment of Alinghi V’s famous engine, they bemoan the lack of action so far, postulate about what ca...Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:40:04 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=468http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=466   Image by Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi.   An audible groan went around the media centre here in Valencia when it was announced this afternoon that for the second time there would be no racing at the 33 rd America’s Cup. Despite the apparently benign conditions prevailing onshore, after venturing out to sea some twenty plus miles, Race Director Harold Bennett decided that conditions were unsuitable for safe racing between BMW Oracle racing and Alinghi. The...Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:25:38 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=466http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=465    One of the most talked about gadgets at the 33 rd America’s Cup is the Racer’s Edge wind finding device produced by the company Catch the Wind Inc. The device, which is claimed to be able to provide instant, accurate measurements of wind velocity and direction up to a thousand metres away by using laser technology, has been spotted on board BMW Oracle Racing’s trimaran in recent weeks. According to the man behind the device, ex Lockheed Martin...Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:59:38 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=465http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=464   Image by Andy Rice www.sailjuice.com .   With no actual sailing to watch, this afternoon we got an insight into the psyches of BMW Oracle sailors John Kostecki (tactician), James Spithill (skipper and helmsman) and Matteo Plazzi (Navigator) as they answered questions from the assembled media. I have paraphrased some of their responses below:   Thirty-year-old James Spithill was asked how he coped with the pressure of being ultimately responsible...Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:09:16 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=464http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=463   Image by Veronique Teurlay.   Day two of the 33 rd America’s Cup was always a scheduled lay day and in time honoured regatta style the rainy windless conditions which prevented race one taking place yesterday have given way to sunshine and twenty plus knots of breeze. The conditions were so fruity in fact that both the Alinghi and BMW Oracle camps both chose to stay ashore and the only match racing on offer was two model boats here in the harbour. Th...Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:31:05 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=463http://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=462 Image by Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi.   Together at last. The sight we have all waited so long, the Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing crews on the same piece of water ready to face off in the first race of the 33rd America's Cup. Only thing missing was the wind which failed to materialise in any meaningful way across the racecourse. After several hours of mind numbing waiting around, the RC finally pulled the plug mid-afternoon. Tomorrow is an enforced lay day, so both team...Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:50:42 GMThttp://www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx?id=462