You will recall that they dropped their keel recently (their new Farr designed keel, by the way) and while the fin was located, they haven't been able to find the lead bulb itself! Wonder who ended up with it?
In addition, we understand that when the boat fell over it's systems were still electrically powered-up by battery and the metallic alloy fittings in the rig charged with electricity - word is that the charge fried everything connected to it and also caused serious and perhaps fatal damage to the new rig they were using . . .nice. Oracle has been trying to locate a temporary replacement bulb to use (even asking other syndicates which is a no no and there were no takers in any event, and they are off the water until a replacement is obtained since two boat testing doesn't work particularly well with one boat. This now brings us to Wisconsin, where workers are feverishly laboring to fabricate another new keel assembly and you can bet that when completed it will be the most spent in history to transport a chunk of lead! In the meantime, the boys loyal to Ellison (and not the reticent Cayard loyalists who continue to sulk that the King is Dead), are doing the Larry Ellison posse dog and pony show tour most recently in SF where LE stated that BMW will come on soon as an Oracle sponsor and that he intends to run the AC like Formula 1 once he wins . . . the man certainly doesn't lack confidence. . .

December 7, 2001