Good info
Today's races
14:08 Bermuda
NZL vs GBR (R5)
14:36 Bermuda
SWE vs JPN (R5)
15:06 Bermuda
GBR vs NZL* (R6)
15:35 Bermuda
JPN vs SWE* (R6)
High winds and building. We could see postponements due to upper wind limit.
Picture from the race course right now, looks way windier than yesterday![[Linked Image]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBumJwUV0AQav3c.jpg)
Under postponement and monitoring wind and sea-state.
We are done. Racing postponed for the day.
Have they come up with an upper and lower wind limit to start and or abandon a race yet? I haven't heard one mentioned...yet, but after yesterday's wipeout they might come up with one.
Its all in the rules: https:/
6-24 kts, taken as a 5 minute average between 8 and 3 minutes before the start.
I feel for TNZ on this one, but the damage could have been much, much worse. I'm sure they will be back out there tomorrow.
The safety of the one design aspect of the boats certainly shone through yesterday, but I still don't entirely agree with this. The one design beams I'm okay with, the one deisgn #1 element on the wing I am sort of okay with, the rest not really. FYI the #2 element (trailing edge flap) and wing controls are not one design and open to interpretation. My understanding is only the structural main element mast is really strictly one design. I think TNZ would have gone with more margin in the hulls rather than relying on Oracles lower volume prescribed hull design, if given the flexibility there. Would it have saved them? No, they were on the foils going down the mine and it was too late by the time the bows hit. If anything a bigger bow section would have hurt. The emphasis on the controls and foils clearly favor Oracle, who have more experience than any other team besides the less well funded TNZ campaign. I understand the AC is never very fair but I preferred the run what you bring and your wallet can swallow over this glorified AC45F racing. Frankly the same level of racing could be had with a box/open rule AC45F.
I'm really disappointed Oracle sailed in the initial LV challenger series. I think that was rather unfair and unsportsman like. I'm also not okay with the 1 boat rule for the challengers. That clearly favors Oracle whom I suspect have a second boat in the shed just in case (with the amount of money thrown around, why wouldn't you?). One designing the major structural elements of the boat made it pretty feasible that a second boat could be built on the cheap. This puts Oracle in a position to effectively force races in conditions that are otherwise very hairy and marginal, yesterday wasn't deadly but it was a bit marginal. By the time the challenger gets through to the finals, they will likely have done some damage to their race stead and be operating at a higher weight as a result. Far from ideal if it goes light, but good for Oracle!
It's not an easy balance. They need more teams, or no one will watch/care. The teams have stated (over and over) that cost is a major obstacle. That's the reason for the one-boat rule, and the size/design itself. They tried to minimize how much design each team would need to develop and fund. I too was disappointed when they announced 50 footers.
Conspiracy theorists may say otherwise.
Mike
Philip, let's just sat that we agree to disagree on Ben's actions and intent yesterday. It's certainly not personal. Thanks for all the great links and posts.
Mike
I couldn't watch anything today. Was NZ back out on course? Any more info on the repairs they needed to make? Having two wings that both need repairs would put a huge strain on them. Unless of course they have a third one.
No racing, too much wind. Not sure if anyone went out earlier in the day.
Mike
6-24 kts, taken as a 5 minute average between 8 and 3 minutes before the start.
I feel for TNZ on this one, but the damage could have been much, much worse. I'm sure they will be back out there tomorrow.
The safety of the one design aspect of the boats certainly shone through yesterday, but I still don't entirely agree with this. The one design beams I'm okay with, the one deisgn #1 element on the wing I am sort of okay with, the rest not really. FYI the #2 element (trailing edge flap) and wing controls are not one design and open to interpretation. My understanding is only the structural main element mast is really strictly one design. I think TNZ would have gone with more margin in the hulls rather than relying on Oracles lower volume prescribed hull design, if given the flexibility there. Would it have saved them? No, they were on the foils going down the mine and it was too late by the time the bows hit. If anything a bigger bow section would have hurt. The emphasis on the controls and foils clearly favor Oracle, who have more experience than any other team besides the less well funded TNZ campaign. I understand the AC is never very fair but I preferred the run what you bring and your wallet can swallow over this glorified AC45F racing. Frankly the same level of racing could be had with a box/open rule AC45F.
I'm really disappointed Oracle sailed in the initial LV challenger series. I think that was rather unfair and unsportsman like. I'm also not okay with the 1 boat rule for the challengers. That clearly favors Oracle whom I suspect have a second boat in the shed just in case (with the amount of money thrown around, why wouldn't you?). One designing the major structural elements of the boat made it pretty feasible that a second boat could be built on the cheap. This puts Oracle in a position to effectively force races in conditions that are otherwise very hairy and marginal, yesterday wasn't deadly but it was a bit marginal. By the time the challenger gets through to the finals, they will likely have done some damage to their race stead and be operating at a higher weight as a result. Far from ideal if it goes light, but good for Oracle!
Jesus some of you guys are a buzz kill! I seriously doubt Oracle has a second boat. There's not THAT much hangar space out there and they would get called out on that in very short order if they pulled something like that out of the shed. lol.
This has been a fantastic event so far. Oracle was in the first round robin series and it has been controversial. Questions should be asked and discussed - no harm in that. It was the compromise to reducing cost by going to one boat campaigns - Oracle has no second boat to race against and test with and the other teams thought it unfair if Oracle was allowed to have two boats and they weren't.
It would be really obscene to expect Oracle to have no opportunity to race head to head against anybody and go straight into the final round. I would be over pretty fast and it would seriously negatively impact their chances of holding the cup. Oracle needed something in exchange for reducing the campaign cost by agreeing to one boat (and let's face it, Larry Ellison would probably fork out the money pretty fast for a second boat if he could). It sounds reasonable to me.
The camera footage and video assembly has been OUTSTANDING. The summary of yesterday is chill inducing (https:/
I think they do have some real calculating to do on the best way to assign and clear penalties. It's been a real point of contention in several races. I think they need to go back and eventually reconsider some sort of course changing maneuver instead of the GPS derived thing...cross a beam reach and come back to course or something...maybe these boats turn fast enough now that a 360 is reasonable (though I kinda doubt it)...or maybe even just an easy to understand flat-out finish time penalty for each incursion (5, 10 seconds?).
Finish time penalty may make the most sense. I've thought of an opposite-direction half-turn (gybe if you're going up wind, tack if going downwind) as an alternate penalty, but that would be way too dangerous in winds over 20.
Mike
Here's a good one...
We need that Irish dude from the Olympics to do the play calls on days with yesterday's wind!
Mike
Bwahahaha would be awesome
I'm pretty aware of the dock space in Bermuda, having been on the grounds of the team bases several times. I just find it hard to believe they, the defenders, don't have a second boat but I'm also likely to be wrong this cup cycle. I'm willing to bet they have everything for a second boat in the shed, it just might not be fully assembled.
The defenders had plenty of practice race opportunities on the great sound before the competition began. To say they had no real racing opportunity prior to the start of the real competition is a falsehood. They didn't need to sail in the Louis Vutton series to learn what they already knew going in or watching from afar like every other defender, including themselves, have done in the past 166 years of cup tradition. They sailed in it to take a 1 point lead in the AC finals. Not particularly fair if you ask me, but the AC has never been about fairness.
I do agree the race footage, when you can get it, has been spectacular!
I've had zero problems getting footage, live or replay, via NBCSN, on PC and Android, also live on TV when I'm home. I'm​ not getting Virtual Eye, but don't care.
We desperately need a defender series. Did AUS, NZL or Alinghi have defender series during their tenure?
Mike
Forecast for today?
I just found a site calling for low teens in the afternoon. Not sure if that's reliable.
Mike
winds 11-13 knots. Perfect day to race.
Cool. Go Artemis!!!
Three races per pair scheduled​. This round could end today.
Mike
16 knots of breeze at the start, boat speeds over 40 knots at the first mark!
NZL with some sort of issue (of lack of confidence?) at the start, handed GBR a huge lead, but NZL was ridiculous on the foils, making GBR look like amateurs in their roundings. NZL passed on the final beat, never looked back.
I don't care what the commentators say, GBR should have covered and given a better fight. This is match racing, and sometimes the slower boat can win.
Mike
SWE with a great setup and defense in the pre-start, but slow to the line. JPN over early, and SWE capitalized. JPN went for a split at the first leeward gate, but SWE gybed to cover! Great match race happening here, Ainsle should pay attention...
Mike
Artemis takes Race 5, score 3-2. Awesome!!!
Mike
Ben seems to have gotten the message, covering much tighter in this one. Just let NZL tack away, though...
GBR sailing much better than NZL so far in this one
Mike
Ainsle got one! Just needs to sweep the next three...
Mike
Think Sir Ben might be a little aggressive on this last race?
Artemis takes the second to tie 3-3!!!
Ainsle is hosed early in this one...
Mike