Yachting: Brady criticises Valencia wind

Nearly every day for the past two months, Gavin Brady has steered one of Oracle's slick grey yachts from the syndicate's temporary base at Valencia's Real Club Nautico out to the Mediterranean.

But after two months of light, fickle conditions, the New Zealand helmsman is not convinced Valencia was the best choice of venue for the 2007 America's Cup, and believes a successful summer of sailing in Auckland may have set Emirates Team New Zealand up for success in the early acts of the 2005 season.

Oracle has been training in Valencia since late March. While Team New Zealand had ideal sailing conditions over the summer in New Zealand, the wind has been fickle in the city that will host the event from mid-April to June 2007.

Brady said the summer breeze had just started to kick in, bringing an end to the fickle period. It does not bode well for event organisers who chose Valencia because of its consistent breeze.

"I don't think in many aspects that Valencia has turned out to be quite the place we were told it was going to be," he said. "It has been an eye-opener for us."

Team New Zealand sailed virtually every day over the summer and that, combined with their success last year and modifications to their race boat, made them the "guys to beat", Brady said.

Oracle will race USA76, the boat the syndicate used throughout the 2002-03 challenger series, in this year's acts.

Like all the teams, they have modified their boats to comply with new design specifications, which has meant designing new sails and rigs and slightly altering the hull shape.

However, Brady isn't so sure it was the best idea to force teams into complying with the new design specifications this year.

"A lot of teams have found it probably wasn't the most sensible of changes, as it has forced them to spent a tonne of money and hasn't really done anything to the boats. It is not like they are going 20 knots downwind or anything."

He is also not overly excited about the newly announced points system which means teams carry points from the acts through to the Louis Vuitton Cup.

"Yes the acts are important, yes we are trying very hard, but we are in 2005, not 2007. To have points that contribute to your result in 2007 is a bit tough, especially on the teams showing up for the first time.

"I am pleased the points don't count for too much, but it is a shame they count at all."

After winning the opening act in Marseille last year, Oracle struggled in the second and third acts in Valencia, which Brady puts down to the fact they were forced to swap yachts after USA76 was damaged in a storm, and a touch of tiredness.

This year, he said, they wanted to "go in and sail to our potential". They would mix and match their crew, especially their afterguard which, along with Brady, includes syndicate head Larry Ellison, chief executive Chris Dickson, John Kostecki, Bertrand Pace and Ed Smyth.

Now permanently based in Valencia, Brady said adjusting to Spanish life had been a challenge.