Scarica le confidentials interpretations
Per Victory Challenge si tratta della seconda
campagna consecutiva e per la Svezia rappresenta il quinto assalto alla
"Old Mug". Nel 2002 Victory Challenge aveva dato prova di
grande forza e determinazione, nonostante le avversità. Il fondatore
del team e Capo del Sindacato, Jan Stenbeck, infatti, scomparve alla
vigilia delle regate della Louis Vuitton Cup. Ma il team trovò
la grinta necessaria per andare avanti fino ai quarti di finale, per
poi essere eliminato nel ripescaggio.
L'attuale Victory Challenge può contare sull'esperienza acquisita
in quella campagna, sulla preparazione di molti membri del team e su
due ottime barche ACC, che serviranno da banco di prova per sviluppare
i nuovi scafi. Magnus Holmberg è stato reclutato per guidare
il team e, almeno per il 2005, sarà anche alla ruota. Ha partecipato
al circuito internazionale di match race 2005 proprio per affinare la
sua sensibilità e per presentarsi super allenato all'appuntamento
di giugno. Circa due terzi del vecchio equipaggio dovrebbero ritornare
in barca.
Victory Challenge parte un po' penalizzata rispetto agli altri team:
SWE 63 sarà convertita nella versione 5 e spedita a Valencia
per la fine di maggio. Questo significa che il team avrà circa
una settimana per preparare lo scafo e allenarsi prima dell'inizio delle
regate. Non perdetelo d'occhio, Victory Challenge recupera in fretta...
Anche la presenza di German "Mani" Frers Jr è una certezza
per il team. La barca di Victory Challenge, infatti non avrà
nulla da invidiare a quelle dei sindacati più forti. É
intenzione della squadra costruire due nuove barche prima del 2007.
Website: www.victorychallenge.com

The first America’s Cup yacht built by Victory Challenge was Örn
(SWE 63).
During the spring of 2005, she has been modified to comply with the
class regulations that apply for the 32nd America’s Cup.
The America's Cup class has been changed since Auckland and the new
version allows more sail, a lighter boat with deeper keel but with the
same stability as before. The result is a lighter, faster boat that
has been "turbocharged" for the 32nd America's Cup.
Victory Challenge’s designer Mani Frers has been responsible for
the modified design that has made it possible for Victory Challenge
to take part in the compulsory Acts of 2005.
The rebuild has been supervised by Victory Challenge’s shore manager
Sam Murch and took place in the same hall on the old shipyard Lindholmen
in Gothenburg where Örn and Victory Challenge's second yacht Orm
(SWE-73) were built ahead of the America’s Cup in Auckland 2002/2003.
Örn was launched in Valencia 4 June 2005.
Here is the history of Örn:
She was first launched on 10 December 2001 in Auckland, New Zealand,
where she had been transported on an enormous Antonov freight plane
after her naming ceremony in Gothenburg harbour on Saturday 27 October
2001. The naming ceremony was officiated by Norwegian singing star Sissel
Kyrkjebø.
”This is a more extreme and faster boat than I've ever designed
before”, said head designer German ”Mani” Frers Jr.
at the naming ceremony.
He was one of Prada’s head designers of the boat that took the
Italian syndicate to the final in the previous America’s Cup.
The building, which took a total of 20,000 hours, was led by New Zealander
Chris Mellow, who had previously taken part in building Team New Zealand’s
Black Magic boats. He was helped by around 20 professional boatbuilders
from Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and England.
Building boats is real craftsmanship, where the carbon fibre hull is
built up on a mould of clean cedar. Behind it all was a long period
of preparation using all the latest techniques; from three-dimensional
CAD drawings created by Mani Frers and his team in their computers and
transferred to Caran for producing a number of hull models in 1:4 scale
in the same manner as the company makes prototypes of car models. Alternative
boat models were built in carbon fibre composite, the same material
used in America’s Cup Class yachts. Tank testing of the models
took place at SSPA Maritime Consulting AB in Gothenburg. Structural
checks were carried out at the Semcon firm of engineers.
Through this process, the fastest possible hull was chosen to be used
as the hull for Örn.
After being modified in April/May 2005 to comply with the new class
regulations that apply for the 32nd America’s Cup, Örn has
become around a ton lighter. This weight has been taken from the bulb
and the draught has been increased.
Örn was used in round robin one of the Louis Vuitton Cup in October
2002.
Important facts on Örn after the modification to the new class regulations:
Length: 24 m
Width: 3.9 m
Weight: around 24 tonnes
Bulb: 19 tonnes
Mast: 0.8 tonnes
Fin: 1.0 tonnes
Hull: 2.2 tonnes
Mast height: 34 m
Draught: 4.1 m
Main sail: 215-220 sq. m.
Spinnaker: 500-530 sq. m.
Genoa: 130-140 sq. m.
Building material: Carbon fibre composite
Design: German Frers Jr.
Boatbuilder: Chris Mellow/Victory Challenge
Year of manufacture: 2001
Crew: 17 man
Yacht Club: Gamla Stans Yacht Sällskap – Stockholm
Country: Sweden (SWE)
Syndicate Established: 2001
Sail Numbers: SWE 63, SWE 73
Syndicate Head: Hugo Stenbeck
Team Leader and Helmsman: Magnus Holmberg
Afterguard: Johan Barne, Mattias Rahm
Designers: German Frers Jr.