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America's Cup

Amazing racing today. Even if it was against the clock in the end. Early days as they say...
 
Stronger winds forecast for tomorrow against Luna Rossa & first time for Britannia to enter start on starboard: fascinating viewing - & superb coverage - but quite exhausting this morning !
 
Great news to wake up to! Looks like we can stay on the foils even when it’s light. Great to see Rita sail round Magic like that! I can’t see them sailing in any less wind so we may have a good all-rounder now. Giles and Ben make a great team - Scott’s calls have been spot on.
More wind tomorrow?
 
Yes, it's really annoying seeing those guys go about their normal lives, sitting in the sun, and going to restaurants and bars. I wonder what we did wrong over here? :)
 
Nero said:
Yes, it's really annoying seeing those guys go about their normal lives, sitting in the sun, and going to restaurants and bars. I wonder what we did wrong over here? :)
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Only a mumpsimus throttlebottom snollygoster bloviator called Johnson!
 
How things can change , the Americans now look like they are the ones with the dud boat ! However a lot of the performance was due to excellent sailing and keeping in good wind pressure so maybe not a speed machine yet but it shows how the old settings and foils were holding the crew back
 
Another great days racing. Well maybe not so for US. Seems both US and It have some technical issues. Love to gloat but too early yet.
 
Quite exhausting watching these races !
Spike said:
Having seen the recent news, fingers crossed US yacht is ok and they can still compete.
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Scary https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/america...ic-boat-seriously-damaged-in-dramatic-capsize

So much to say about this & Dean Barker is facing a lot of criticism for rounding the final mark in the more difficult way, but this is the America’s Cup & these boats are so fast that a 500m lead can be lost on a single leg: Lewis Hamilton doesn’t drive cautiously when Verstappen is right behind with one lap to go ! In any event, it looks like it may have been a jammed line on one of the backstays that caused the accident.

What is looking increasingly strange is American Magic having their skipper/tactician also practically full-time grinding: he cannot possibly contribute in the way Giles Scott does on Britannia; there were times today when Dean Barker seemed to be asking his opinion without getting an immediate reply (very annoying if you’re the helmsman). And will Luna Rossa keep going with two helmsman who don’t change sides, especially when only one of them has won the AC before (twice): I just can’t imagine Spithill liking the situation, which is presumably more about wanting an Italian boat helmed by an Italian to win for Italy (but really needing an Aussie to do it)?

Anyway, very well done again by Sir Ben & Giles, although it was a strange pre-start error in Race 1. So far they have made the least mistakes : boat speeds seems very similar all round. I wonder what Peter Burling & his ETNZ crew make of it!
 
There'll be a lot of epoxy and carbon fibre being used over the next week - by Friday Patriot will be back and running. But how that port runner got snagged, who knows. The poor trimmers are trying to dump power, and nothing happened.

Great rapport between Ben and Giles - the latter is really enjoying his freedom to keep his eyes out of the boat. But Prada was no slouch. Some of Rita's speed in those conditions has been sacrificed for light wind performance methinks.

I hope ETNZ are not learning too much!

BTW the coverage on Youtube is brilliant. Sailing exciting? Shurely shome mishtake.
 
It's not a small hole either.....

yandy305445.jpg
 
This was much worse than originally expected ,looks like the leeward runner not realising was the major cause ,but the warning from the helmsman that they were going for a risky turn in the conditions was not heeded !
Sir Ben managed to magic a win after a misjudged start but the Italian boat looks good so we are still not certain who will win overall
 
Nero said:
It's not a small hole either.....

yandy305445.jpg
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It’s extraordinary: look at all the delamination and presumably carbon fibres. I think they will either have to retire from next weekend’s races, in which case Britannia wins the Prada Cup (I think), or “race” in Defiant, boat #1, just for practice. That would give them 2weeks, which 24/7 is really 4 weeks, to make suitably strong structural repairs to Patriot, before starting the final challenger run-off from the back.

It seems the winner will be the team that wins the starts and makes fewest mistakes on-course: boat speeds are so close.
 
jtrade said:
I think they will either have to retire from next weekend’s races, in which case Britannia wins the Prada Cup (I think), or “race” in Defiant, boat #1, just for practice.
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Fraid not, Prada goes through to the final, which will be against Britannia. The winner then faces ETNZ. Strange rules considering Ainslie's dominance so far. The whole point of the Prada Cup is to weed out the also-ran, and make a climax winner-takes-all at the end. Much better for telly.
 
I wonder how the damage happened. Did they hit something? I can't help thinking that removing that hatch from the deck increased the water pressure into the hull. Maybe that was what caused the delamination
 
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