ASIA’S LATE ENTRY FOR 2017 AMERICA’S CUP BERMUDA SUDDENLY STARTS LOOKING LIKE A CONTENDER AS AULD MUG CHASE GETS VERY, VERY SERIOUS.
ASIA’S LATE ENTRY FOR 2017 AMERICA’S CUP BERMUDA SUDDENLY STARTS LOOKING LIKE A CONTENDER AS AULD MUG CHASE GETS VERY, VERY SERIOUS.
MORALE IS SKY-HIGH at SoftBank Team Japan’s Bermuda home, with the team celebrating nailing its first and second race wins of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series.
In front of a daily crowd of tens of thousands on Chicago’s Navy Pier, the team sailed the black AC45 sporting Otosan – the dog mascot of SoftBank Corp – through shifty winds to the best results yet to stand on the podium, coming in third in the fleet of six. The two days of racing saw conditions that caused Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand to capsize.
The Japanese team started by stealing a third-place finish from Oracle Team USA. After a disappointing sixth place in the next, SoftBank stormed off the start in the final race, leading from first mark to the finish. Because of a delaying lull in the wind, the win in Friday’s substitute race became an official result so now lying ahead of Groupama Team France after Chicago, SoftBank Team Japan (STJ) is 5th with 259 points in the 35th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series.
“I think we had an much improved performance upwind today – it’s one of the things we’ve been focusing on. In general it felt like we were passing boats all around the course,” says STJ’s Kiwi Skipper Dean Barker, 43, who is competing in his sixth America’s Cup and won the 2013 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Trials for Team New Zealand.
“It’s really nice to finally get a podium result and two race wins. I think it gives all the guys, not just here in Chicago but also in Bermuda, a big lift. Everyone’s been working really hard to get the team to this point. A year into it I think the progress our team has made is fantastic and I’m proud and thrilled at the result here.”
This isn’t the only exciting news for SoftBank Team Japan. Going into Chicago, STJ and their fans were still celebrating the announcement that the series is heading to Japan in November. The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Fukuoka will be the first leg to be held in the country, and Asia. The eighth instalment, and the final event in 2016 ahead of the May 2017 qualifiers in Bermuda, will take place in Jigyohama on November 18-20, giving a morale-boosting home field advantage to STJ.
“With the races in Fukuoka in November, our goal is to not only perform well, but to also introduce the Japanese to the sport, and build faith and support in the team and the America’s Cup,” says Barker.
STJ General Manager and veteran crew member Kazuhiko ‘Fuku’ Sofuku, 49, is particularly ecstatic that the race will be taking his team onto home turf in front of home supporters.
“For me this is a dream come true moment and I cannot be happier,” Fuku says. “We had a great regatta in Chicago. We’re not satisfied yet, but we proved that we’re improving. We’re headed in the right direction – aiming to win the regatta which is the goal. We have a really strong team, a small team, a limited budget, but we have good people. We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing and improve every day.”
The last time Japan had a team in the America’s Cup was 1999, with Fuku crewing as bowman on monohull Nippon Challenge. “It’s been tough since the 2007 America’s Cup to be on the outside, but I was always hoping and thinking and preparing to be ready in case there was a chance. And here it is. For me it’s a tremendous opportunity.”
His fourth America’s Cup experience sees him switch from monohull racing to this year’s foiling multi-hull AC45F. “The new style of America’s Cup racing in the catamarans looks great. It’s challenging, probably more than in the past, but it also just looks like fun,” he said before the series gets underway. “It’s good for our sport, good for our partners, and good for us as sailors to have such high-performance boats in the America’s Cup.”
Back in Japan, Softbank Corp and Kansai Yacht Club helped make it possible for the Japanese team to take part. “It is an honour for the Kansai Yacht Club to try for the America’s Cup for the first time,” says Commodore Ko Watanabe of Kansai Yacht Club. “This is a great challenge to take on, not just for our club, but for the entire country. With support from across the entire nation, I am sure we will represent Japan with pride.”
And of course without the patronage of Oracle Team USA (OTUSA), the opportunity wouldn’t have happened.
“The relationship with OTUSA has been fantastic,” says Barker. “SoftBank Team Japan only got going in May 2015 and it has been a huge push to not only get ready for the ACWS, but to also build the infrastructure and team to a level where we can get going on our own. Without the assistance of OTUSA it would not have been possible to have our ACWS boat up and running, or the assistance to get the team fully operational. The relationship will continue to be beneficial for both teams with the ability to train together on the waters in Bermuda.”
SoftBank Team Japan was the third team to open a base of operations at the competition venue. “It’s a huge benefit to have our training base located right on the future America’s Cup venue,” says Fuku. “Especially with regards to the sailing environment, what we learn each day has been translating 100% directly into our performance analysis.”
Not only did the team move to Bermuda but their two Japanese sailors are making it their new home following the three-month crew search at the end of last year. Experienced Olympic 470 sailor Yugo Yoshida, 31, has competed in numerous ISAF Sailing World Championships as well as the 2012 London Olympics, while competitive rower Yuki Kasatani, 26, comes with rowing experience in Coxed Pair and Double Scull at the All Japan Cup events. At the base, the pair has been putting in 12-hour days, six days a week, for more than five months. Yoshida’s new muscle and strength is making him an ideal grinder/bowman.
“For me I’m really excited to see the two young Japanese sailors as they keep improving their skills,” says Fuku. “They have the skills on the water and they’re great athletes, they’re in the gym and also sailing every day. However, there’s not much time until the real racing starts so they need to work hard to make the best out of the next year. If they can do that then our team will grow even stronger.”
“Yugo and Yuki have done exceptionally well,” says Barker. “The progress they’ve made in the training on the test boat in Bermuda has been great. Yugo came in with a great deal of sailing experience in his own right and you can see that clearly when you go sailing with him. We’re keen to keep developing our team and make sure we’re rotating other sailors into our World Series lineup.”
Fuku affirms Dean’s impression of Yoshida. “It’s been incredible. The way he’s learned so quickly and fit into the team; his attitude has been incredible,” he says.
Yoshida joined as reserve crew at the New York racecs in May. “To get to this point it’s been a lot of hard work, but hard work is good,” he says. “Every day you have to have the right mental attitude to love the training and work. I’m so happy to get my chance to come to New York with the team.”
Although the entire team was disappointed not to make the podium in New York, all that is in the past with Chicago’s moraleboosting success. “We definitely feel like we’ve been making good progress,” says Barker.
“We’ve been working hard on all our communication, teamwork, and it feels like it’s working well. Next year is when it counts so if we can continue to make good gains then I’m really happy. The most important thing is how well we can combine the different personalities and cultures to make us a strong group. We do require everyone to speak and understand English as communication is key. We are, however, looking to build more of a Japanese identity within the team.”
STJ’s Tactician and Manager is British sailor Chris Draper, 37, who is competing in his second America’s Cup. “I think we are now at a stage where we are more than capable of winning an ACWS event,” says Draper. “We have shown that in a lot of the racing we’ve done already and with the training we have done we have all the pieces of the jigsaw. We are a new team and a new group of people and the potential is enormous.”
And he didn’t stop there. “Long term, I think there is absolutely no reason why we can’t win the 35th America’s Cup.”
Since Chicago, the team has been test racing furiously with Oracle Team USA and Artemis Racing in the waters around Bermuda ahead of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth that runs July 22-Aug 4, where they will be hoping to capitalise on Chicago’s success.
America’s Cup Bermuda takes place in June 2017 between the Challenger – the winner of the 2017 Louis Vuitton Cup – and the Defender, Oracle Team USA as winner of the 2013 America’s Cup.
www.softbank-team-japan.americascup.com
www.americascup.com
LOUIS VUITTON AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES LEADERBOARD
1. Emirates Team New Zealand 295
2. Land Rover BAR 285
3. Oracle Team USA 285
4. Artemis Racing 262
5. SoftBank Team Japan 259
6. Groupama Team France 234
THE IMPORTANCE OF SPONSORS
“Like any commercial sponsorship, there needs to be value both ways to make it worthwhile. We now have commercial partners with Softbank, 2XU, Yamaha and Airbus and will continue to look for new opportunities over the coming months.
“As we build the STJ brand and reintroduce the Japanese audience to the America’s Cup after a 15-year absence, we will work with our partners to increase exposure for the America’s Cup and SoftBank Team Japan in both Japan and on a world stage.
“With the ACWS travelling to many different countries, and the television product now being shown in many different territories, there are great opportunities for both brand exposure and hospitality, which are unique experiences for different companies. The different partners also help to build the identity and culture of our team.” – Dean Barker
