NBC to air documentary on Ted Turner’s successful 1977 Americascup Defense on Saturday, June 17 2:30pm ET. This will be after the Match races.
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The agonizing discussion of how VMG works was hard to listen to, but the graphics were very well done and should explain to the non-sailor how it works... The leader bar and separation distance were easy enough for my 11 year old to figure out. The football yardage lines kind of helped, as did the boat tracks.
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I remember thinking,
Jesus Ken, do you even know what VMG is?
...and then back to one of my favorite Einstein quotes (which is a very introvert type thing) ... something along the lines of,
if you can't explain it in simple terms, you don't understand it well enough
.
When I was on the steeper end of the learning to sail curve, I kept hearing that VMG is not a very useful data point for some reason - I'm not sure if it was the guys that were just not happy with, or didn't understand, the up and coming GPS tech at the time. Thanks to that, I rarely ever sailed with a VMG number on display anywhere (somewhat regrettably because I think it might have shortened my learning curve a little) but I do race with a running VMG estimate in my head and balance that against where I am on the course and what's happening around me.
herring probably - unless they are making the boat shorter or with less windage - but I thought the hulls were one design. How much of the hulls was one-design, though? Can they change the bow?
I also think that everything leading up to this point has shown that the relative bow buoyancy has been pretty important...unless you are going to replace it with a ski, lol.
Mike
I'm coming to agree that the answer is a penalty time adder - they can display it right below the race time on the TV for each team somehow - kind of like penalty time in soccer. A boat that gets dinged with an infraction just occurs a finish time penalty. They get a 10 second penalty time (or whatever, for each infraction). If your opponent also makes an infraction, one infraction cancels the other out and you are back to zero. When the boat with a penalty crosses the finish line, you see their penalty timer start counting down and if the other team isn't across when it hits zero - they win. I think the time adder would be pretty insignificant relative to wind conditions.
This would also give them the option to assess different size penalties for different infractions too - something that isn't done, or certainly would be decipherable, with the current system....say, in the case where Artemis went outside the boundary and got a second penalty for being out there too long...10 seconds for the first and then 5 seconds for each 10 seconds you spend outside the boundary. You could take out a few of the arbitrary judgement calls this way too and let the computer do the computing and assigning the penalty.
but I thought the hulls were one design. How much of the hulls was one-design, though?.
they are, the rules require only a small percentage of a team’s bow section to be constructed in the country of origin.
The thinking here is put the Oracle bows on the JPN boat and Oracle will two boat test.
Get in the race!
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Don't think for half a second that Ken doesn't understand VMG. He grew up racing on Narragansett Bay (shifty and puffy like a lake, with extremely variable currents), and has done a few stints in the VOR.
Unless you're on a piece of water with no current or wind shifts; VMG, like boatspeed, is something to consider, but may not always be the priority. There are times when you may prioritize one of these over the other, or sacrifice both for another goal, like placement vs your competition, or preparation for an expected shift in wind or current, etc.
Wind forecast for tomorrow says low teens, should be fun!
Mike
Press Conference Live NOW!
![[Linked Image]](http://cdn.sailingscuttlebutt.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2017-06-15_16-09-27.jpg)
THE FRONT FELL OFF
Thought that was a Hobie Bob. Burling could use one...
Mike
but I thought the hulls were one design. How much of the hulls was one-design, though?.
they are, the rules require only a small percentage of a team’s bow section to be constructed in the country of origin.
The thinking here is put the Oracle bows on the JPN boat and Oracle will two boat test.
If you want to hear JS's answer, listen to today's presser. JS response was perfect and I found it quite entertaining.
. . . . and to get the whole picture, yesterday NZ stated while posting the same picture, and I quote,
Closing the circle. OracleTeamUSA spare bows heading over to SoftBankTeamJPN to create Oracle Boat 2- surprised?
Jimmy trolling the media was AWESOME
Mike
Wait a minute... The SB article referenced with that red bow picture says that the score is currently USA 0, NZL -1. So, USA needs to win 7, NZL need to win 8. How did I miss that?
Mike
They forgot to pitchpole?
Mike
Wind forecast is 8-12 knots out of the east. Very shifty. Playing the shifts and boat set up should be prevalent today.
Two races today and two races tomorrow.
First race start 14:12 Bermuda.
Both teams on light air foils
Interesting that we have Nathan in the booth! Maybe they're reading these posts???
Jimmy really put them in a bad spot in that start, but almost pulled it off. NZL holding the lead for 5 legs so far though. We may be seeing the results of no defender series.
Mike
NZL really screwing themselves at the final gate. Extra gybes, down off foils. I doubt USA can catch them, but WOW Burling sucks at this mark...
Mike
I'm finally watching on the app but really agravated, had set a recording, the recording says America's cup from Bermuda but the show was something called
The More You Know
Is anyone watching this on an actual tv channel like the schedule says?
https:/
NZL takes the first race. Score is now 0-0, first to 7 wins the cup.
Mike
Here's a question.... Why was Philippe Presti wearing a Zhik trap harness?
Weird... Kenny doing only the post-race, on-water interviews again.
Mike
BTW, it's awesome that we've graduated to full NBC (not just the SN channel).
Mike
NZ very fast in light air, only Achilles heel appears to be not enough hydraulic reserve to do consecutive jibes. Spithill needs to win the start. Damon, I'm watching on NBC, not NBCSN.
Ugh!!!!! They ran ads over the entry again. Wwwwwwttttttttffffffffffff????!!!!
Mike
Spithill screwed himself again at the line, behind and slow this time. WOW.
Mike
Oracle loses start again, 5 sec deficit at 1st mark.
NZL going much better than USA in the light air, much better first gybe and angle into the gate. USA going to split at the gate, but are WAY out of this early.
Mike
USA slight gain out of the gate, but NZL tacking onto loose cover. Very smart.
Mike