Oracle Team USA delivers the knock-out punch to defeat Emirates Team NZ

“This is it! Work your arses off!” –Ben Ainsle

ORACLE TEAM USA won the 34th America’s Cup in a winner-take-all 19th race, defeating challenger Emirates Team New Zealand by 44 seconds in today’s clincher. Led by 35-year-old skipper Jimmy Spithill, ORACLE TEAM USA won by the score of 9-8.

OTUSA Wins! © ACEA / PHOTO GILLES MARTIN-RAGET

This is the second America’s Cup win for ORACLE TEAM USA and Spithill, which won the 162-year-old trophy in Valencia, Spain, in February 2010. Then 30 years of age, Spithill became the youngest to ever skipper a Cup winning team.

In the past week ORACLE TEAM USA has steadily improved its boatspeed to the point where it could hydrofoil upwind at 30-32 knots, incredible performance never seen before in the America’s Cup.

“It was a fantastic race. We wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Spithill, the two-time Cup winner. “We came from behind, the guys showed so much heart. On your own you’re nothing, but a team like this can make you look great… We were facing the barrel of a gun at 8-1 and the guys didn’t even flinch.

“Thanks to San Francisco, this is one hell of a day,” Spithill said.

Jimmy’s cup runneth over.

ORACLE TEAM USA’s victory marks one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of sport. The team won 11 races to score the 9 points required for victory due to a penalty imposed by the International Jury. Just last Wednesday, Sept. 18, ORACLE TEAM USA trailed the series 8-1. With the challenger on match point, the defender closed out the series with eight consecutive victories.

This was the third time in the history of the America’s Cup with a winner-take-all final race. Previously, the defender won in 1920 and the challenger won in 1983. Both times the winner rallied from a multi-race deficit, but never anything amounting to eight straight wins.

“This was a wonderful match of teams,” said Regatta Director Iain Murray, who’s been involved with the America’s Cup since 1983. “In the case of a boat coming from behind, 3-1 down as was the case with Australia II in 83, the shoe is on a different foot this time around. Then it was the challenger behind and this time it was the defender. But in the end we had great competition between two great teams, evenly matched, battling it out to the end.”

One million fans visited the official America’s Cup venues at Piers 27/29 and Marina Green since they opened on July 4, and hundreds of thousands more lined the shores of San Francisco Bay to catch a glimpse of the flying, foiling AC72.

Oracle TeamUSA takes their victory lab around San Francisco Bay.

34th America’s Cup Standings (first to 9 points wins)

• ORACLE TEAM USA – 9 (11 wins; ORACLE TEAM USA was penalized its first two victories by the International Jury)
• Emirates Team New Zealand – 8

Race 19 Performance Data

• Course: 5 Legs/10.07 nautical miles
• Elapsed Time: OTUSA – 23:24, ETNZ – 24:08
• Delta: OTUSA +:44
• Total distance sailed: OTUSA – 11.9 NM, ETNZ – 12.2 NM
• Average Speed: OTUSA – 30.55 knots (35 mph), ETNZ – 30.55 knots (35 mph)
• Top Speed: OTUSA – 44.33 knots (51 mph), ETNZ – 45.72 knots (53 mph)
• Windspeed: Average – 18.2 knots, Peak – 21.3 knots
• Number of Tacks/Jibes: OTUSA – 9/7, ETNZ – 9/7

From AmericasCup.com

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Mobile Boat Ramp Application Receives Honorable Mention at NMMA Awards

The Boat Ramps Mobile App

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) was honored today for innovative achievement by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Boating Writers International (BWI) at the 70th annual Miami International Boat Show & Strictly Sail Miami. RBFF received an Honorable Mention in the 2011 Innovation Awards for its Take Me Fishing Boat Ramp App.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Boating Writers International (BWI) honored eleven marine products with 2011 Innovation Awards on Thursday and one as an Honorable Mention. The recognition took place during a State of the Industry Breakfast at the Miami International Boat Show & Strictly Sail Miami.

The Innovation Awards, organized by NMMA and judged by BWI, recognize products that best meet the following criteria: innovative distinction from other products currently being manufactured; benefit to the marine industry and/or consumer; practicality; cost-effectiveness; and availability to the consumer within 60 days of award receipt.

Among the winners for the Consumer Electronics and Software category, NMMA bestowed Honorable Mention to the Take Me Fishing Boat Ramp Mobile App. Available on iTunes and in the Droid Market, the FREE app allows users to search an impressive database of more than 35,000 launch points by city or zip code and even offers turn-by-turn directions. It’s already been downloaded by more than 27,000 mobile users.

BoatU.S. Mobile App

The app was developed by Derek Trauger & Associates who have a number of useful apps available for boating enthusiasts on both iPhone and Android phones. Traugers’ most recent: The BoatUS app that helps members call for a tow and includes helpful location and tracking features just for boaters, sailors and anglers. The moment you hit the App’s ‘Call Now for a Tow’ button, it automatically provides TowBoatU.S. with critical information before their crew even answers the phone.

Traugers’ other apps include Padi, Dive Spots, Bait Shops and iBoatShows. With over 60,000 downloads to date, Derek is on his way to becoming the top App Developer to the Marine Industry.

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Angels of the Seas creates conservation contest

Angels of the Seas, a campaign focused on conservation projects, has launched a conservation contest to allow individuals, corporations, conservation groups, grass-roots organizations and tournaments to compete for honors for their efforts in conservation, the company stated in a press release.

Betty Bauman (right), Nancy Birnbaum (bottom) shark huggers!

The founder of Angels of the Seas, Betty Bauman, started the campaign in order to increase the number of conservation projects.

Bauman is founder of the “Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing!” Seminars series held annually thoughout Florida, knows just how important conservation is.

“Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing!”has focused on conservation at the seminars and now, through its parent company’s alliance with the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) we are launching the Angels of the Seas Conservation Initiative, where you can create a conservation or awareness project and be recognized for it. No matter how big or small, every effort counts.

“Right now, especially with the Gulf Oil spill, the nation has become focused on the importance of marine conservation. It’s time for those who make a difference to be recognized with a Nobel-style program,” she stated in the release.

Joining with Save Our Seas Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting conservation, the campaign allows organizations to submit their conservation projects for honors at the Miami Boat Show in February 2011 through Web-based entries into different categories. Organizations, individuals and groups can request an entry form by e-mailing AngelsOfTheSeas@gmail.com.

“We have decided to open this contest to the entire marine industry and organizations, as the more people we have starting conservation projects, the better it is for marine life,”  Bauman stated in the release.

You have until Jan. 15, 2011 to complete your project. There will be two tiers of awards, Interim Honors and Final Awards. Projects that have submitted web pages and have made progress by Oct. 15, 2010 will be eligible for Interim Honors at the Islamorada seminar kickoff event on November 12, and still be eligible for final awards (submit web pages by Jan. 15) made at the Miami Boat Show February 17-21, 2011.

Pick your favorite marine issue and do something about it! It can be as easy as organizing a group to gather litter from the water or writing a web-based educational flier, poster or booklet about conservation that you can also print and distribute.
They have also included conservation education so that individuals can participate, and spread marine stewardship behaviors to communities. There’s even a category for existing conservation groups to compete head-to-head.

This is a call-to-action is aimed at grass-roots levels. In the spirit of conservation, this is open to women’s teams as well as mixed teams.

For details and to enter, go to: Angels of the Seas Conservation Initiative,

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