01.05.2007
Sail-World.com America's Cup 2007 Newsletter....
Welcome to Sail-World.Com's America's Cup newsletter for Day 15of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Today saw the strongest breeze yet on the race track off Valencia. Getting into double figures (12-15kts) for the first flight, and then softening for Flight 1 which was carried over from the previous day.
With the breeze came plenty of action and upsets.
None more so than the win by cellar dweller China Team over top of the table BMW Oracle. After establishing a useful lead, sailing with a completely rotated crew, USA-98 blew a headfoil. While repairs were made, the distance was lost, with the USA starting the game of catch-up from over 1000 metres behind.
Elsewhere there were upsets and very close matches. Unluckiest team of the day were +39 Team who cleaned the Spaniards out at the start but still lost their first race by just half a boatlength to Desafio Espanol. +39 was 150 metres in the lead on the second run before being closed to just a boatlength most of the way down the final leg, and then finally overrun by the home team.
The second race for the low-budget Italian team was no less thrilling, trailing Areva just by just over a boatlength into the finish. But a close encounter between the Italian spinnaker and the French backstay, put and end to the plucky +39's chances. The four points from the day would have proved heartening for +39, getting them back in touch with the middle order of the points table, and lso serving to establish a clear gap between the top three and the mid-group.
The much awaited match between Emirates Team New Zealand Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia, held over from the previous day, saw the Kiwi team sail to a measured win over the Italians. The NZL-92 afterguard was ever conscious that the Valencian breeze, while softening from the double figures of the previous flight, was full of rabbit holes in the form of 15 degree shifts and a 50% variance in strength.
Communication aboard the New Zealand boat seemed to be an improvement on the previous round, being less blue and with good linkage within the afterguard and masthead on what was a very difficult day. However we are still a long way away from Peter Blake's hallmark of 'please' tacked onto the end of most on-board communication.
The fickle fortunes on the water were underlined by Mascalzone Latino who broke a spinnaker pole Shosholoza style on the final run. They lost their forward hand over the side in the process, when he was hit in the chest with the broken pole end. After being retrieved well aft at the backstays by the afterguard, the foredeck crew effected a splint on the pole end only to have that break too, and eventually ran with the spinnaker tacked onto the bow.
Did they lose through this chain of disasters? Oh no, they cut a cool 50 metres out of NZL-92's lead!
However the Kiwis were out for points in the bag and looked to be the class act on the water on this day.
The Emirates Team New Zealand performance was very comforting for the nervous types around the Waitemata waterfront. Clearly NZL-92 looked much more comfortable in a breeze, and the conditions which are expected to prevail as this series builds into the match for the 32nd America's Cup.
Good Sailing!
Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor
Tomorrow's race schedule: 'Louis Vuitton Cup' - Round Robin 2 - Flight 3
Desafio Espanol 2007 (ESP 97) - AREVA Challenge (FRA 93)
+39 Challenge (ITA 85) - Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL 92)
United Internet Team Germany (GER 89) - Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA 94)
China Team (CHN 95) - Victory Challenge (SWE 96)
Team Shosholoza (RSA 83) - BMW Oracle Racing (USA 98)
Bye Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team (ITA 99)
Fisher's View: BMW Oracle beaten
The overall leaders weren't just beaten, they were surprisingly defeated by the China Team. It was a result that before the race any bookie would have offered odds of 5,000-1 against, but this is America's Cup racing and the strangest things happen....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33205&ntid=58
NZL 92 starts with a win
Emirates Team New Zealand got its first race of round robin 2 today, beating Mascalzone Latino. The race was postponed yesterday. On the leaderboard, NZL 92 with 20 points is third in the Louis Vuitton Cup rankings behind Oracle and Luna Rossa, both on 23. Emirates Team New Zealand was the scheduled bye in Monday's race programme and has one race in hand....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33209&ntid=58
Quotes of the Day: LVC Round Robin 2, Flights 1&2
Ian Burns, Design Team, BMW ORACLE Racing on losing the head sail in 13 knots: 'It was disappointing. We couldn't get round intact so they deserve the two points - these things happen in sailing, its part of the territory really. We were surprised and disappointed to see that failure, but I think it's a sign of cutting it too close for comfort...
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33214&ntid=58
China beats the top Challenger for first LVC win
It was a day of close racing and surprise finishes at the Louis Vuitton Cup where the bottom ranked China Team earned its first win of the competition over the leader, BMW ORACLE Racing, when the American team lost its headsail on the first upwind leg....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33213&ntid=58
Team Shosholoza back in the hunt
Team Shosholoza was back in the hunt again today for a place in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals after a clean, no mistake start to finish victory over United Internet Team Germany in rising 12 to 15 knot breezes that saw plenty of action and drama among the other boats on the race course....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33212&ntid=58
BMW ORACLE Racing posts a loss
A gear problem on USA 98 saw the team record its first loss of Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robin Two...
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33211&ntid=58
An expensive coat of paint for Mascalzone
The Jury for the 32nd America's Cup has fined the Italian Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team 10,000 Euros for a technical violation of the measurement rule for the America's Cup Class....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33217&ntid=58
Luna Rossa beats the Swedes and is first overall
14 knot breeze is blowing on the northern course at the start of the race between Luna Rossa and Victory Challenge....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33210&ntid=58
Desafio Espanol 2007 finds +39 hard to defeat
In the pre-start, the Spaniards and Italians marked each other closely, with the Italians finally managing to gain the advantage and depart ahead of their rivals, forcing the Spanish team to avoid the regatta committee boat and pass the departure point with the Italians more than a length ahead....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33198&ntid=58
China Team savours first victory over BMW Oracle
The first windward leg is where the duel is played out. Oracle, the big favourite to win the Louis Vuitton Cup, is very aggressive in the pre-start. China Team, with nothing to lose, defends its self on equal terms. The battle between the 'big' and 'small' gets off to roaring start. Oracle sailed the Chinese up to the committee boat, and Longtze was just able to squeeze through, with Oracle crossing the line one-boat length ahead...
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33196&ntid=58
Luna Rossa defeats Victory Challenge
Luna Rossa just wins the start. The boats are on a parallel course towards the right layline, with Jarv to the right of the course, just in the lead according to Virtual Eye. Luna Rossa Challenge will be in the lead at the windward mark. They round 12 seconds ahead of Victory Challenge. Luna Rossa Challenge and Victory Challenge are on the way down the first run. The Prada boat is leading by 65 metres...
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33194&ntid=58
German Team hoists donator's spinnaker
The United Internet Team Germany, the first German team ever to participate in this world's famous sailing regatta, is hoisting a spinnaker-sail with all names on it who have participated in the fund-raising-campaign 'Deutschland segelt' in aid of 'Bild hilft - ein Herz fur Kinder'....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=33191&ntid=58
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