With a deep sadness still evident in todays press conference in San Francisco Today
Tom Ehman vice commodore Golden Gate Yacht Club announced GGYC has put forth a detailed document to there Panel that highlights a Complete investigation of how the can improve Safety first .
- KEY POINTS. todays Press conference
- The America's Cup Will continue as planned.
- America's Cup Race management will head six person panel to reieww all aspects of Crash , safety .Oracles crash as well as Artemis Racing. The United states Coast Guard will also be a big part .
- No Sailing until this Thursday this was not mandatory its was voluntary out of respect for Simpson family and team Artemis .
- The New Castle report earlier this last week was grossly in accurate per witnesses on the scene from Oracle team usa and Artemis racing members .
- The Red Bull Youth Americas Cup Teams unanimously support event going forward.
- German Federation for what ever reason will not back the Red bull Youth Team they had perviously funded . The team and its sailors have not Pulled out of the race and are working with RBYAC commette and ACEA to perhaps find funding.
- There are several teams from the trails that are ready willing and abile to fill there spot officials are working to help the Germain team that qualified to get them to the show .
- Louis Vuttion Cup and its organizers fully support ACEM as wel as GGYC to hold event
- Largest factor to be reviewed safety measures to keep crews safe in all aspects .
America's Cup Post on press conference.
America’s Cup organizers have confirmed that this summer’s events remain on track.
In parallel with completing the final arrangements for the America’s Cup, a highly experienced panel of sailing and safety at sea experts has been appointed and charged with reviewing the training and racing of AC72 yachts in the 2013 America’s Cup.
The Review Committee will make its recommendations following the loss of Artemis Racing crew member Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson (GBR) in a training accident on San Francisco Bay on Thursday of last week.
Members of the Committee – download bios here – have strong backgrounds in the sport at its highest levels as well as involvement in other reviews where an incident at sea has claimed the life of a competitor.
Iain Murray, the Regatta Director, will chair and lead the Review Committee comprised of:
• Iain Murray (AUS, Chair)
• Sally Lindsay Honey (USA, Deputy Chair)
• John Craig (USA)
• Chuck Hawley (USA)
• Vincent Lauriot-Prévost (FRA)
• Jim Farmer QC (NZL) Bios Below
The U.S. Coast Guard supports this approach and will assist as appropriate. Lt. Jon Lane, with 26 years in the Coast Guard and 10 years experience as a marine casualty investigator will serve as liaison.
Tom Ehman, the Vice Commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club (the America’s Cup Trustee), said, “The America’s Cup will go ahead this summer. We will see the world’s best sailors racing at the highest level on one of the most iconic race tracks in sport.”
With regard to the Review, Ehman added: “The Committee brings immense experience and expertise to this Review. At a meeting in San Francisco this morning, the teams expressed unanimous support for this Committee and this process.”
The Review Committee will report as soon as possible, given that racing starts in seven weeks.
Review Committee – Member biographies
Sally Lindsay Honey (USA) Sally Lindsay Honey of San Francisco, CA is a member of US Sailing’s Safety-at-Sea Committee. This two-time winner of US Sailing’s Yachtswoman of the Year award (1974, 1973) has logged more than 35,000 ocean miles, double-handed and fully-crewed, including seven Farallones Races, two Transpac Races, four Pacific Cups, two Bermuda Races, a Transatlantic Passage, and a Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Island, in addition to extensive cruising on both coasts, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. She also campaigned a 505 dinghy and other one-design classes at the national and world-class levels for twenty years. Honey is a life-long sailmaker who worked for North Sails for four years before starting her own business. She was the owner and president of Precision Technical Sewing and Spinnaker Shop in Palo Alto, CA from 1979 to 2007. The business specialized in sailmaking, marine canvas, and industrial sewing for the aerospace, electronics, medical, and exhibit industries. Honey chaired the US Sailing Independent Review Panel for the Low Speed Chase capsize during the 2012 Farallones Race.
John Craig (USA) John Craig is currently the Principal Race Officer for the 34th America's Cup, responsible for conducting the races of the America's Cup World Series, the Louis Vuitton Cup, America’s Cup Challenger Series, and the America's Cup Finals. A board member of US Sailing, Craig was the race manager at San Francisco's St. Francis Yacht Club for more than 10 years, running everything from Optimist regattas to World Championships for the Star and Melges 32 class. He has run approximately 300 regattas on San Francisco Bay. Before joining the St. Francis Yacht Club, Craig was the coach of the Canadian Olympic team for approximately 10 years and has worked closely with many of the top sailors in the world throughout his career. Craig was on the panel for the US Sailing Independent Review of the Low Speed Chase capsize during the 2012 Farallones Race.
James Farmer QC (NZL) Jim Farmer is a Queen’s Counsel, admitted to practice as such in New Zealand, New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. In addition, he has been admitted to appear on a case by case basis as a non-resident Queen’s Counsel in Hong Kong. He has University degrees from the University of Auckland – Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws with First Class Honours – and from the University of Cambridge – Ph.D, for which he was awarded the Yorke Prize. He has held academic positions at Auckland, including an appointment as a part-time Professor of Law, and Cambridge, where he was a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College. His field of practice covers all areas of commercial law and public law. He is particularly known for the many appearances that he has made as counsel in competition (antitrust) law cases. He has in the last 15 years competed as a yachtsman, forming Georgia Racing, which has built 5 keel boats ranging between 36 and 53 feet in that period. He has successfully campaigned these boats in New Zealand (winning 2 New Zealand IRC championships and a number of major regattas) and in Australia as well as winning the Kenwood Cup in Hawaii, placing 4th in two Mumm 36 World Championships (San Francisco and Italy) and placing second in the Corum Cup in Hong Kong and Hamilton Island in 2010 in Australia.
Iain Murray (AUS) Iain Murray is the Regatta Director for the 34th America’s Cup and CEO of America’s Cup Race Management. Murray has won a record six consecutive 18ft Skiff World Championships, from 1977 to 1982. The success in the 18’ skiffs led to his selection as helmsman of his 1983 challenger Advance. Murray joined with the Kookaburra syndicate for Australia’s defense of the Cup in 1987 where they earned the right to defend the Cup after a cantankerous defense series. Murray also led the Spirit of Australia challenge for the 1992 Challenger Series. In 1995 Murray was a member of oneAustralia syndicate, which saw their Challenger fracture and sink whilst racing the winning New Zealand yacht. From 1995-2001 Murray was on the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, including serving as Deputy Chairman for three years from 1998. Murray has logged 18 Sydney-Hobart Races, including three overall victories and five line honors wins culminating in breaking their own race record in 2012.
Charles Hawley (USA) Chuck Hawley has sailed more than 40,000 miles on vessels ranging from ultra-light “sleds”, to singlehanded sailboats, to the maxi-catamaran PlayStation. His voyages include two singlehanded passages to Hawaii, three crewed Transpac races and a world record attempt on the west-toeast transatlantic record. As Chairman of US Sailing’s Safety-at-Sea Committee, Hawley has moderated more than 50 US Sailing Safety-at-Sea Seminars since 1990. He is also a powerboat instructor for US Sailing. Hawley has participated in extensive research into crew overboard recovery, life raft design, anchor design, and storm tactics. He has served on the American Boat and Yacht Council Technical Board of Directors, the Transpacific Yacht Club board, and the Pacific Cup Yacht Club board. Hawley is a staff Commodore of the Santa Cruz Yacht Club. Currently, he is the Vice President of Product Information at West Marine. Hawley was a contributing advisor for the US Sailing Independent Review of the Low Speed Chase capsize during the 2012 Farallones Race.
Vincent Lauriot-Prévost (FRA) Vincent Lauriot-Prévost is a co-founder of the French multihull design firm Van Peteghem Lauriot Prévost (VPLP), which have set and hold more records than any other design team. They specialize in multihulls, including racing trimarans, custom sailing catamarans, the Lagoon range of cruising cats produced by Beneteau, and some work boats for fishing and day charter. Design projects include l’Hydroptère, Groupama 3, Maxi Banque Popuilaire V, and BMW Oracle BOR 90.
