Maybe things aren't quite so bad as they seem
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24
Apr 2007
Editorial: Maybe things aren't quite so
bad as they seem
Welcome to Sail-World.Com’s America’s Cup newsletter
We are now on Day 8 of the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup and with the cancellation of racing again yesterday/last night, we have seen only one full day of racing in the event. And another where one flight out of two was sailed.
Most have given up on banging away about the wind, and like a condemned man seem increasingly resigned to their fate.
From a race organisation perspective things are not quite as bad as they seem.
By our count there are 14 days left available for racing to the end of Round Robin 2 (includes reserve days), without encroaching on the sacrosanct time between the end of the Round Robins and start of the Semi-Finals.
So in those 14 days there needs to be conducted 17 flights of racing – a total of 8.5 days required out of the 14. By normal standards this is quite achievable. At the current rate of progress it seems rather marginal, however we will not dwell on that.
The story
of Day 8 of the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup BMW Oracle Racing
©Photo - Gilles Martin-Raget
Once we get to the point where say there are just nine days left available, which by our reckoning is the 29th April, then we a reach a point where some very hard decisions have to be made. That point is just five days away.
The options will then be to cut into the downtime between the Round Robins and Semi Finals, or invoke the 'Sudden Death' clause in the Notice of Race 5.3(e), which allows organisers to excuse from further competition those challengers who are no longer in mathematical contention for the Semi-Finals. What time would be saved by this measure is not exactly clear – unless they also went to three races per day, or some other circumstance where a reduction in competitor numbers would facilitate the staging of more racing.
However conjecture on that front, at this stage, is just shadow boxing.
The saving grace from the current hiatus are the Louis Vuitton Acts. They have given the opportunity for coverage and exposure for all teams beyond just the two Cups, and allowed the event to span three years instead of three months.
The time to count the cost of the past week, and what is to come, will be after the Cup, when we can look at the big picture, but not now. However the disappointment is inescapable for a venue that promised so much, but has delivered so little, so far.
Sorry for the lack of images with today’s news – but there is only so much that can be taken of boats on windless daze.
We do have some extracts from two of the weblog sites (blogs) which are maintained by journalists based in Valencia, which provide an interesting perspective and backdrop to the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Good sailing!
Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor
PS There is plenty of racing taking place elsewhere in the world see our website www.sail-world.com for the latest reports from Hyeres and elsewhere.
By nzeditor@sail-world.com
Fisher's View: Busy doin'
nothing
By Bob Fisher,
For one who is 'trying to find
lots of things not to do,' Valencia is ideal, particularly
if yacht racing is on the agenda. Each day passes without
wind and little promise of it. The official forecast from
ACM for Tuesday was: 'Warmer and less cloud, but less wind.'
Any less and the heavens will have to suck....
[more]
BMW Oracle Racing makes good use of the
day
By BMW Oracle Racing Media,
After waiting in vain
for more than two hours, the Louis Vuitton Cup Race
Committee sent the fleet back to shore without racing after
the wind once again failed to reach suitable levels for
racing.... [more]
Again no wind - Desafío Español
2007
By Desafío Español 2007 media,
If the wind
permits it, tomorrow Desafío Español 2007 will face
Mascalzone Latino. Including today that is now six days that
regattas have not been able to take place.... [more]
With
weather like this every race is marginal
By Warren
Douglas, Emirates Team NZ Media,
Faint hope that racing
might take place was the best our weather team could promise
before the yachts left the dock early this afternoon. Tom
Addis said chances of races today and tomorrow were very
slim. 'We might see one race, but definitely not two races
on a day. Each race is a marginal affair at the moment....
[more]
Racing Postponed at the Louis Vuitton Cup
By
ACM,
Light conditions continue over the waters off
Valencia and on Monday, racing was postponed in Flights 4
and 5 of the Louis Vuitton Cup.... [more]
Quotes of the
Day: Louis Vuitton Cup - Day Seven
By ACM,
Quotes of
the Day: Louis Vuitton Cup - Day Seven, Valencia, 23 April,
2007... [more]
From the Blogs: SailJuice - Andy Rice
By
Andy Rice:,
You can tell a lot about a team from its
attitude to light and fluky conditions. There's no doubt
that the wind conditions in Valencia - when they are good
enough to actually race in - are a great leveller between
the strong and the weak teams. So no wonder the big teams
would rather wait while some of the minnows want to get on
with it.... [more]
From the Blogs: Tack by Tack - Mark
Chisnell
By Mark Chisnell,
Martins Rijkuris (Capt
Marty) asks, 'What was the port that Russell Coutts
preferred over Valencia?' Cascais, Marty, where windguru
(www.windguru.cz) reports that it's blowing 5-6 knots. So we
can't even indulge in a little schadenfreude......
[more]
Sailing is cancelled again
By Bert
Willborg/Victory Challenge,
Sailing is cancelled today as
well. It is the seventh day of eight that this has happened
at the beginning of the challengers’ series, the Louis
Vuitton Cup. Round robin one should have been completed
yesterday, now it will take at least until Friday until the
remaining 40 races are over.... [more]
Louis Vuitton Cup -
Monday Racing Abandoned
By Sail-World.com,
After two
hours on postponement racing was abandoned for the day at
Valencia. Flights 4 and 5 of the Louis Vuitton Cup will be
moved to Tuesday...
[more]
ends