Round Robin 2 gets off to a slow start
Editorial: Round Robin 2 gets off to a slow
start
Welcome to Sail-World.Com’s America’s Cup newsletter for Day 14 of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Today should have been the start of Round Robin 2, and it was for some.
Racing got underway on the northern course after the start was delayed waiting for the breeze to fill in.
On the southern course, racing was called off for the day at around 5.30pm Valencian time.
The delay means that those
scheduled to race on the southern course will race two races
tomorrow, while those who have completed a race today will
be back to just one race.
BMW Oracle Racing had an untroubled race to score another win on Round Robin 2 - Day 1 BMW Oracle Racing © Photo - Gilles Martin-Raget
So tomorrow’s program currently looks like this:
Louis
Vuitton Cup - Round Robin 2 - Flight 2
Team Shosholoza
(RSA 83) - United Internet Team Germany (GER 89)
BMW
Oracle Racing (USA 98) - China Team (CHN 95)
Luna Rossa
Challenge (ITA 94) - Victory Challenge (SWE 96)
+39
Challenge (ITA 85) - Desafío Espanol 2007 (ESP 97)
AREVA
Challenge (FRA 93) - Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team (ITA
99)
Bye Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL 92)
Louis
Vuitton Cup - Round Robin 2 - Flight 1
Emirates Team New
Zealand (NZL 92) - Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team (ITA
99)
AREVA Challenge (FRA 93) - +39 Challenge (ITA
85)
The process from here is that if a match is not sailed on one day it will be held over to the next until the schedule is back on track for one race per day. For our Emirates Team NZ fans, please note that although NZL-92 is one race behind, they will be sailing only the last race tomorrow, as the have a bye in Flight 2.
For Round Robin
2, the points are the same as for Round Robin 1 – 2 points
for a win. However the courses have been lengthened to 3nm
miles per leg. The wind limits of seven to 23 knots remain.
The leg time limit is extended to 40 minutes.
Emirates Team New Zealand strategist on NZL92 Terry Hutchinson watches the horizon for a sign of wind to come. Day one of Round Robin two was finally cancelled at 5.30 when wind failed to fill in. Emirates Team NZ/ ©Photo Chris Cameron ETNZ
The major drama of today’s racing occurred as Victory Challenge and Team Shosholoza neared the leeward mark ready for the takedown, with the South Africans well in control of the race. RSA’s spinnaker pole was allowed to touch the forestay under full load breaking the pole immediately. Although they made a slight gain on the Swedes on the beat, for the final run they elected to set the spinnaker off their bowsprit.
They hung on very well, only to be rolled the Victory Challenge after two miles of the three mile leg, and thereafter it was game set and match.
The other matches when fairly much as predicted, the only other action point being when Team China did a very spectacular trawl with their spinnaker around the leeward mark.
Hopefully we will see more breeze in Valencia tomorrow.
Good sailing!
By nzeditor@sail-world.com
Fisher's View: Wobbly wind
again
By Bob Fisher,
There is an old adage that
states: you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make
it drink. It is applicable in Valencia to yacht racing. All
the paraphernalia was in place – the committee boats, the
mark laying craft and the competitors, but only on the north
course was any racing possible.... [more]
Victory
Challenge earns come from behind win
By America's Cup
Media,
A large spectator fleet on the north race course
saw the first Flight of action in Round Robin Two of the
Louis Vuitton Cup. A close battle between Shosholoza and
Victory Challenge was the highlight of the day, although
China Team had some surprises for Luna Rossa early in that
match as well.... [more]
BMW ORACLE Racing adds
another win to tally
By Ivor Wilkins, BMW Oracle Racing
Media,
BMW ORACLE Racing added another two points to its
score and retained the top place on the Louis Vuitton Cup
challenger selection series with a clinical 3 minutes 17
second win over United Internet Team Germany in Valencia
today.... [more]
Luna Rossa wins her 200th
official
By Luna Rossa Media,
Luna Rossa’s first
race of the eliminatory Round Robin 2 began at 4.25 p.m.
with 8 knots of breeze from the north north east, sun at sea
and cumulonimbus on land.... [more]
Quotes Of The Day:
LVC Round Robin 2
By America's Cup Media,
Our weather
team told us there would be a pretty big right hand shift,
and whoever was in front would probably win the race. So the
mentality had to shift from it being a four leg race to
being a one leg race,... [more]
Shattered spi pole
costs RSA against SWE
By Team Shosholoza Media,
South
Africa’s Team Shosholoza started the Louis Vuitton Cup
Round Robin 2 in superb form today by leading their closest
rivals the Swedish Victory Challenge around all three marks
on the race course but a shattered spinnaker pole put paid
to ultimately pulling off a win as the Vikings overhauled
them on the final run to the finish to cross the line 52
seconds ahead.... [more]
Victory Challenge wins over
Shosholoza
By Bert Willborg/Victory Challenge,
Team
Shosholoza takes the lead on the first beat and leads at
every rounding, even if it’s close. Only the three matches
on the north course are sailed. The two on the south course
are delayed.... [more]
From the Blogs: SailJuice -
Andy Rice
By Andy Rice: www.sailjuice.com,
Thumbs Up
for BMW Oracle: 'A fantastic day’s racing in Valencia to
conclude a Round Robin that at one time seemed like it would
never end. So what did we learn from today? Well, for
starters, that none of the helmsmen in the leading teams are
infallible'... [more]
German team succumbs to BMW
Oracle Racing
By Oliver Laskowsky,
'We were looking
good on the first cross which let us hope. However on the
downwind leg our opponent just went away with a wind shift.
We don’t know the reasons for that. But we are looking
ahead and are motivated for our next races', says Skipper
Jesper Bank.... [more]
Emirates TNZ: Second round
robin starts for some
By Warren Douglas, Emirates Team NZ
Media,
The second round robin of the challenger
elimination series got underway for some syndicates today.
The breeze failed the others. On the north course three
races were completed. On the south course the two scheduled
races were abandoned when the breeze failed to fill in and
settle.... [more]
32nd America’s Cup - A Simple
Guide available now
By Kate Killick,
Well known
Auckland sailor, Penny Whiting, has launched a new edition
of her famous America's Cup Guide for the 32nd America's
Cup. For those that spent the last Louis Vuitton and
America’s Cup races wondering what on earth the
commentators were talking about, Penny Whiting’s The 32nd
Americas Cup is just the thing to help get you up to
speed.... [more]
Repairs to Longtze complete
By
China Team media,
The race against time has been won by
the technical team. The repairs have been finished. 'We have
removed the damaged pieces, repaired the carbon pieces which
hold the bolts next to the keel box, by making new ones.
What is long is the curing. That started this morning and
will be finished tomorrow. We will go sailing tomorrow
morning to test the boat and we will be on the starting line
tomorrow at 14:15', explained Herve Devaux from China
Design....
[more]
ends