By Tom Rohrer
After fighting back from seemingly insurmountable odds, Oracle Team USA was in position to win and required Jeff Causey’s help to begin the final act of their comeback effort
Down 8-1 in the America’s Cup regatta to Emirates Team New Zealand, Oracle Team USA needed eight consecutive victories to repeat as cup champions of the tri-annual event. The team had lost six of the first seven races against Emirates Team New Zealand, and needed to win 11 total races due to a two point penalty prior to the event, which was held in San Francisco, Calif., from Saturday, Sept. 7 through Wednesday, Sept. 25.
One of five riggers on the AC72 boat used by Oracle Team USA, Causey, an Olympia native, had spent the previous 18 months supervising the project manager of the AC72 ‘wing.’
Team USA eventually would even the regatta up at eight points apiece. Despite the comeback, the team faced an issue requiring quick action.
Only minutes from the start of what would be the winning race for Oracle Team USA, Causey needed to repair a damaged structure around the control arms of the ship’s wing.
“This was right before the last race, about 20 minutes to go, and the race starts whether you’re ready or not,” said Causey, who graduated from Olympia High School in 2000. “I had the best global knowledge for what needed to be done, and I had to go up about ten meters and work on the repairs.”
Causey succeeded in his repairs, and Oracle Team USA took home the regatta by a final tally of 9-8.
The former captain of the Portland State University Sailing Team, Causey was recruited to become a member of Oracle Team USA following the 2010 America Cup, which was won by BMW Racing Oracle USA over Team Alinghi. Causey’s recruitment began while working aboard “The Speed Boat,” which was attempting to break the record for a transatlantic crossing.
“I was working out of college doing semi-professional and professional sailing on a number of circuits. I worked on a 100-foot boat “The Speed Boat,” which was built to beat the transatlantic crossing record,” explained Causey. “Andrew Henderson was a rigger focusing on the rope, and overseeing that aspect (on The Speed Boat). He was also the department head of rigging at Oracle. It was just after the 2010 America’s Cup and the club was regrouping and looking for fresh faces. That’s how I arrived there.”
In 2011, Causey and the rest of the 130 members of Oracle Team USA began preparing for the 2013 regatta. At the end of 2010 Causey was working on the Luis Vuitton Series, participating in a number of events that took him from Sardinia, to England and to Dubai, among other locations. Once Oracle Team USA announced the team members and the location of the America’s Cup, Causey hit the ground running. He helped test products and build systems for the AC72 boat that would be used in 2013.
Halfway through 2011, Oracle Team USA saw the workload increase, which is what Causey had expected prior to getting involved.
“It was six-to-seven days a week, not many breaks,” said Causey, who was on the boat for every America Cup race as a reserve sailor. “It was a grueling process, but that’s what I expected.”
The first AC72 was launched in September 2012. Prior to the launch, Causey focused on the rigging systems that would be used on the boat. Eighteen months ago, Causey began his work with the wing program of the AC72, which included checking and maintain the working parts of the wing and building all of the rigging that went into the part’s control system.
Eight days after the launch of the AC-72 last September, the Oracle Team USA boat capsized in the waters around San Francisco and for the next three and half months, the team rebuilt the boat while their opposition from New Zealand was logging sailing hours.
“We had done about half as much as sailing as Emirates Team New Zealand going into the regatta,” said Causey. “I think going into the event, we felt that disadvantage. It took us a week to close the learning gap they had on us.”
After falling behind significantly in the Cup standings, Causey said the team came to terms with the do-or-die situation they had put themselves in, and developed the appropriate attitude.
“Mentally, for a while, I was, and others were too, resigned to the fact that we were going to lose,” said Causey. “In a funny way, it took the pressure off. It didn’t slow us down, we were still working just as hard, but we developed that ‘nothing to lose’ mentality.”
Realizing the comeback was complete was a special moment for Causey.
“It was so frustrating at times for a number of reasons, and we had some rough moments,” Causey noted. “But coming back, seeing everybody work towards succeeding, it was a great moment. There are so many emotions because you have had so many experiences with the team and the boat.”
Causey’s love and passion for sailing was harnessed as a youngster, sailing on traditional wooden boats in the waters surrounding Olympia. That interest in sailing kept evolving, and Causey began participating in more competitive youth racing in the region.
“It’s something I’ve always been interested in,” said Causey of his passion for racing sailboats. “It definitely started when I was growing up in Olympia.”
Now an America’s Cup champion and part of a team on the forefront of the sports newest innovations and technologies, Causey has his eyes set on future events, including the Sydney to Hobart and San Francisco to Hawaii yacht races.
However, with only a week having passed by since the big victory, Causey is focusing on spending some much needed time with his family.
“Honestly, I’m still decompressing. I’m back home and I’m getting in some family time,” said Causey. “But soon I will be itching to get on water.”
No surprise there.
For more information on Oracle Team USA and the America’s Cup, visit http://oracle-team-usa.americascup.com/. Photo credits Guilain Grenier, Oracle Team USA.
