Oracle the inevitable winner

Michelle Slade reports from the IACC racing in San Francisco

Larry Ellison’s Oracle BMW Racing once again won the Il Moro Trophy regatta in a clean sweep but only after a good fight from USA-49, the yacht formerly America One in the 2000 America’s Cup. In the vintage division, Team Wells Fargo helmed by John Sweeney took first place after winning race two on Sunday in a tiebreaker against NZL-20 helmed by Karie Thomson and David Thomson.

The Il Moro Trophy regatta was organised by The Challenge Series, the only organised fleet racing of vintage America’s Cup Class yachts, and hosted by the Sausalito Yacht Club.

Helmed by Peter Stoneberg with a rock star crew including Dawn Riley, Hamish Pepper and Jeff Madrigali, USA-49 put on a great show on Sunday, leading USA-76 helmed by Larry Ellison for a good part of the first race.

In the spirit of the regatta, Oracle BMW’s Chris Dickson said, "Peter wasn’t meant to be rounding marks in front of us - they weren’t supposed to do that well!" Complimenting the fleet, Dickson added, "we’re doing our best to support the profile of these events in San Francisco and will make sure we have more yachts racing at the next event."

The two grand prix division yachts shared close racing throughout the weekend and provided San Francisco spectators with an awesome display of world class America’s Cup Class racing.

In the vintage division, lead changes and a number of spinnaker blow outs made for some exciting moments for the many guests on board the hospitality boats. Newcomers to the fleet, Dick Watts and Tom Thayer did a great job helming Il Moro di Venezia in a transition from their Farr 40 experience. NZL-20 and USA-11 won three races each, with USA-11 taking the last race to win the vintage division.

The essence of The Challenges Series events shone through yet again with a great regatta, sailing in near-perfect conditions in beautiful surroundings, with a significant focus on fun. The full complement of six races was sailed in breezes that averaged 15-18 knots throughout the weekend.

At the prize giving, Herb Myer of Well’s Fargo, the event’s primary sponsor put forth a challenge to Larry Ellison for a contribution of $50,000 to a favorite charity if Team Wells Fargo beats ORACLE BMW in the next Challenge Series event, The Golden Gate Cup on September 5-8.

The Challenge Series extends its thanks to sponsors Wells Fargo, Protector USA, Archipel Wines, Paul and Shark, and Com Nav, and host, the Sausalito Yacht Club.

Results from Day 3, Il Moro Trophy Regatta

Race 1

Grand Prix Division

Place Yacht Time Team
1st USA-76 01:40:37 Oracle BMW Racing (Larry Ellison)
2nd USA-49 01:41:20 Peter Stoneberg

Vintage Division

Place Yacht Time Team
1st USA-11 01:47:15 Team Wells Fargo (John Sweeney and Tina Kleinjan)
2nd NZL-20 01:53:18 Karie Thomson and David Thomson
3rd ITA-1 01:55:29 Team Paul & Shark (Tom Thayer and Dick Watts)
4th NZL-14 01:57:39 Team Archipel Wines (Mary Coleman)

Cumulative Point Standings

Grand Prix Division
USA-76 5
USA-49 10

Vintage Division
NZL-20 6
USA-11 6
ITA-1 12
NZL-14 16


Race 2

Grand Prix Division

Place Yacht Time Team
1st USA-76 01:23:57 Oracle BMW Racing (Larry Ellison)
2nd USA-49 01:39:29 Peter Stoneberg

Vintage Division

Place Yacht Time Team
1st USA_11 01:36:15 Team Wells Fargo (John Sweeney and Tina Kleinjan)
2nd NZL-20 01:40:15 Karie Thomson and David Thomson
3rd ITA-1 01:45:16 Team Paul & Shark (Tom Thayer and Dick Watts)
4th NZL-14 01:45:18 Team Archipel Wines (Mary Coleman)

Cumulative Point Standings

Grand Prix Division
USA-76 6 – First place, Grand Prix division
USA-49 12

Vintage Division
USA-11 9 – First place, Vintage division
NZL-20 9
ITA-1 18
NZL-14 24