34th America's Cup: multihulls!

Yes, but you need human power to hold a rudder in place, or to steer or to pull
on lines etc etc.

 

34th AC

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That's just plain nuts! Have you ever watched an AC race before these?

 

It's their job to pump it up and to try to increase the number of viewers:
they'd be pilloried and sacked if they said it was boring, as many people have
said.
Maybe it will get a few more viewers in the USA if the whole shebang was
going to be decided in the last race. That's still a remote possibility.

The telecast really has been absolutely brilliant. And ad free here (apart from
the actual billboards).
I only wish there was some continuous "useful" data that was running in a small panel.

And consider yourselves lucky the IJ didn't rub your team out for corrupting
the event, you cheating scum.

 

Most of them. I've even listened to them on radio, and followed them in newspaper
reports, as far back as Weatherly vs Gretel.
A hell of a lot of them were dull processions too.

 

Funny, by reading the overexcited comments here I had the impression that Oracle completely dominated the ETNZ.

So I went to the AC webpage to see the results of the day and found out that today's score was 1-1. It means that ETNZ needs just 2 more victories to win the AC.

Another note for the future: always do a reality check before taking too seriously what's been written on internet forums.

 

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You're way out of line! That kind of asinine comment is uncalled for and just plain wrong if you have even a rudimentry sense of justice and fair play. That is one of the most disgusting comments made by anyone on this forum in a damn long time.

 

Don't be fooled by some people and their multiple exclamation marks.

Yes, it could be all over after the next day's racing.

Good idea. Always suspect people who only praise an event and never find
fault or criticise it.
Or, as one of Australia's most corrupt politicians once said:
"In a race always bet on the horse named "Self-Interest". At least you know
it's trying".

 

Why? Their team cheated and the whole lot could have been rubbed out.
It has happened before in several other sports, so why is the AC so special?
In fact, several cheats are still facing disciplinary hearings in their own countries after the AC.

You don't like how I phrase it: I think you are over-protective of the cheats and their management. Cry me a river.

I hope you realise people can bet on these events, so the cheating is
a kind of criminal fraud, not just a breach of sporting etiquette.

 

The second race was quite a nail biter maybe a poor tactical decision for Ben Ainslie and Jimmy Spithill on Oracle to duck the stern of ETNZ by so much? They seemed to lose a lot of ground there. It's tough to criticise either team really they are both sailing very well.

ok. I get it now after Ben's explanation in the press conference, fair enough decision under the circumstances.

 

34th AC

Press Conference today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvDkOv-cFwE

 

34th AC

I didn't notice this at the time but I was impressed by Oracles upwind foiling today with the lee hull just barely above the water-what fantastic altitude control to foil so close to the surface upwind and so high downwind!
But I just found out that they were clocked at 31 knots upwind!

 

34th AC

From Scuttlebutt tonight-from the editor:

Epic, epic racing this past weekend on San Francisco Bay. The 34th America's Cup has lived up to its promise. "We have now seen more passing in this Cup than any other dating back to the first defense in 1870." - Gary Jobson

 

34th AC

Percy succeeds Cayard at Artemis: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...-artemis-after-america-s-cup-elimination.html

 

What a spectacle !
Simply fascinating and exciting to watch.
The future ?
Purpose built foilers with soft sails ?

 

Wow, amazing, fabulous, Cmon!

Race 2 today had it all. I was shouting at the Kiwis to tack on top of Oracle but they didn't probably because they have lost their speed edge. They played it so coolly that they must have ice in their veins. No playing the card after getting trounced, no yelling or pouting just "Give us a chance and we will sail better" Fab sailing.

For me I cannot believe how these guys can handle the pressure. (Okay here comes the bragging.) My best sailing was at the Laser Worlds. In that you would have a guy on your tail the whole race. One slip up, one bad wave, one no perfect tack and you would lose a place. No kidding, I once was on the wrong side of a 5 degree shift about 400m from the finish and lost 10 places. The pressure was intense and it can do you head in. That is what impressed me so much here.

In race 2 both boats sailed incredibly well and no one blew up. Going 40 knots and converging, not just tacking on top when you want to get defensive, slowing to dip and splitting. This is a master class in how to stay focussed and not lose the plot. Kiwis were slower everywhere on race 2 and still won. Great sailing in the most intense pressure sailing I have ever seen. Mortals would blow a gasket

Thanks to the people who put this on. For a tragic like me it gets no better. Shouting at the screen like I did in 1983.

cheers

Phil

PS Guys - use the ignore button - it helps the heart condition