KEY POINTS:
Should Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams manage an Olympic medal in the Star class yachts in Qingdao, there might be a bit of a debt of gratitude to be paid to America's Cup syndicate BMW Oracle.
Pepper, an America's Cup veteran (Team New Zealand, Mascalzone Latino and now
a strategist with Oracle) is at his third Olympics and doesn't see too much problem in crossing over from the 90-foot America's Cup class yachts to the small Stars, which begin racing this week.
But it's been the support that the multi-million dollar syndicate, still locked in its bitter courtroom struggle with Cup holders Alinghi, has given Pepper and Oracle team-mate Carl Williams that might help make the difference at Qingdao.
Pepper and Williams are based in Valencia, headquarters of the giant Oracle syndicate, and have done most of their preparation there, at selected spots in Europe plus Qingdao. Pepper estimates 70 per cent of their time has been spent on preparation for the Olympics and only 30 per cent on Oracle.
While it might seem the courtroom drama locking up the Cup might leave time on Oracle's hands, Pepper said the syndicate, until recently, had been preparing and training for an America's Cup challenge in March and then October.
"We've been operating on an earliest-case or a worst-case scenario," he said. "But the support we have had from Oracle has been great. Whether it's been time or sailmaking or boatbuilders or logistics it's been really good."
Having the weight of billionaire owner Larry Ellison's syndicate behind them will be useful enough but it will all come down to the unpredictable light airs of Qingdao - which advantage US and European sailors brought up in such conditions but not Kiwis who are raised in heavy or moderate airs.
"Carl and I have done a lot of work on our light-air sailing and we feel we have closed the gap a lot," said Pepper, who sailed for New Zealand in the 1996 Atlanta and 2004 Athens Games. "We have also trained hard and really worked hard on Star - the boat is an athletes' boat, there is no doubt about that and even at Oracle we have trained for Star rather than for Oracle and that's been good for us too."
Star is the class that perhaps most requires fitness and athleticism at the Olympic regatta. The yacht is small and the two-man crew must not only set the sails and steer the boat but they are also a key part of its motion - they have to move around according to the direction of sailing and trim the boat in counterbalance to the force of the wind.
So the smaller but athletic Pepper and the giant Williams (whose nickname is, inevitably, Tiny) make a good team as they get their Star yacht sizzling. They are fine medal chances - they were world champions in 2006, fourth in 2007 and sixth in this year's worlds. That seems a downward progression and, while they have had an unusual preparation, mostly at Valencia, many might be prepared to look past Pepper and Williams as medal hopes. But it would be misleading to do so.
Pepper says sailing at Valencia has seen ideal Qingdao-like conditions and also offers a wide range of other conditions. Men's boardsailor Tom Ashley also chose to do his pre-Olympic prep in Valencia and he is a strong New Zealand medal chance.
Many sailors have branded the Qingdao regattas as lotteries because of the fickle conditions and the green algae which has plagued the course but which is now under control.
But Pepper thinks the sailors who manage the lows will do best. Star sailors are allowed to drop only one race - their worst performance - from their points tally over the series of races and the final race counts for double points; a tough agenda.
"I don't think it will be the 'highs' that win the regatta; it'll be the way people manage the 'lows'," said Pepper. "That's what will make the difference overall."
As for the America's Cup, Pepper is just as frustrated as anybody with the courtroom stalemate but reiterates Oracle's party line that it is up to Alinghi to end matters - even though it is Oracle that is appealing against the last decision handing the momentum back to Alinghi.
"It's in their hands," said Pepper. "Alinghi have a second chance to write a new protocol which Oracle and all other challengers think is fair - and then things could get back to normal."
So on it goes. But, at Qingdao, Pepper and Williams will not be thinking America's Cup. They'll be thinking medals and if they win one, you could say they consulted the Oracle.
