28.06.2007
Hi Dr.Krumnacker,
Sail-World.com America's Cup 2007Newsletter....
Welcome to Sail-World.Com's America's Cup newsletter for Race 4 of the 32nd America's Cup
This was a breakpoint in the 32nd Match, with Emirates Team New Zealand having the opportunity to go 3-1 in the series, to gain the psychological advantage of having three unanswered wins. It would have been a big step, bothin mind and matter, towards winning the America's Cup.
In itself the race was straight forward enough. Alinghi led from start to finish in a race where there was only one tack on the first beat.
The tale of the race is that Emirates Team New Zealand clearly were looking for a shift or header out on the left, which never eventuated. This is the first time in the Match that we have seen Emirates Team NZ go for the leeward starting position, and also not head off onto the usually favoured starboard side of the course.
Ed Baird aboard Alinghi was able to get nice acceleration in the final seconds of the start, shooting to windward and going in a 'bow forward' position meaning she had a nice jump ahead of NZL-92's line. She was also sufficiently to windward to be unaffected by Emirates Team New Zealand's air, and with the aid of a couple of squirts of wind from the right was able to rotate up and hold her advantage of around 80 metres.
It was a little surprising that Emirates Team New Zealand did not start closer to Alinghi, and forcing her to go to the starboard side early in the beat.
From there it was textbook covering job from Alinghi with better communication aboard the boat, and no loss of contact with NZL-92, except for one snafu by Alinghi in the closing stages of Leg 2. SUI-100 appeared to have to dead run at the starboard buoy to just get around. Emirates Team NZ was nicely positioned for the port gate mark and hit their approach to the buoy with good pressure, before splitting away from Alinghi on the next beat. For a while it seemed as though we were back in yesterday's tactical book, and clearly if a shift had gone Emirates Team New Zealand's way on the left, then they surely would have been able to cross, given the 800 metres separation at the time.
But the luck was not with the Kiwis today, and Alinghi was able to get across, close the game down again and were at pains to maintain their cover all the way to the finish.
In the Media Conference at the end of the race Brad Butterworth, skipper of Alinghi, claimed their tactics had not changed today from previous races. He said that all that had happened was that the wind shifts were smaller, and the changes in pressure less significant and that allowed the lead boat to sail a closer game. There was none of yesterday's wider game of chasing pressure and shifts, trying to stay in phase and covering - a rather difficult four ball juggling act. Today's two ball effort of covering and staying in phase was more manageable, and less stressful, for the Alinghi afterguard.
As soon as the race had finished, Race Officer Peter Reggio advised competitors that there would be a check on both boats by the Measurement Committee to ensure that their mainsails could be lowered without the assistance of a man aloft.
A measurer boarded each boat. Emirates Team New Zealand complied, but then aboard Alinghi we saw a man go up to the top of the mast the mast, and then do some no-hands gestures, before the mainsail was lowered. It transpired that he had gone up to the top of the mast to attach a halyard, not to facilitate the lowering of the mainsail but give the crew some control over the sail while it was being lowered to prevent damage to the sail.
The Measurement Committee did not file a report, indicating they felt that there was no infringements. However Emirates Team New Zealand did not see it that way and protested issuing the following statement:
'Emirates Team New Zealand today lodged a protest with the America's Cup Jury. ETNZ contends that Alinghi's mainsail locking system on SUI 100 is in breach of the America's Cup Class Rule. The rule is:
36.1 Mainsails shall be able to be lowered to the deck without the necessity of a crew member going aloft.
We have been advised that protest will be heard at 11.00 hours on Thursday 28 June.
The rule is primarily a safety one, designed to prevent a man being sent aloft, particularly in heavy seas to prevent incidents which have previously occurred when the crewman has lost contact with the mast, and been severely injured as he swung like a pendulum hitting the mast and stays.
Which way the International Jury goes on this one will be interesting. One school of thought has it that Alinghi could, in an emergency situation have lowered the main, even though it was going to damage the sail. And that the attachment of the halyard is a 'nice to have'. In that view, they are probably in compliance.
The other school is that this is a safety rule, and while Alinghi may be entitled to remove their halyard after hoisting, they have to stay in compliance with the rule while lowering, and need to have a line (albeit it lighter than the halyard) to give the required upward control and fix a jammed sail if lowering in a seaway. The key argument will hinge around the word 'necessity'.
As we saw in the backstay 'discussion', the Measurement Committee tended to look at the meaning of words in the rule and interpreting those, rather than looking at the intent of the rule, and trying to interpret what was in the rulewriters' minds when the rule was drafted.
In the backstay Interpretations, the Measurement Committee were directed by the International Jury, at one point in the convoluted process, to look at Intent of the Rule. And to be consistent, they have to follow this path.
Measurement checks are not unusual in international racing, in fact they are standard practice at World Championship level and above - and on a daily basis. A fundamental principle of sailing is that it is a self-policing sport and that the competitors are both trusted and required to comply within the rules. The penalties for non-compliance when a rule is broken usually severe, and will far outweigh the material gain of an infringement.
(For the benefit of the office arguments about the meaning of 'shall', in the Sailing Rules, 'shall' is a mandatory term; and the optional term is 'may'. Unless specifically defined in the Rules, words shall take their Oxford Dictionary meaning.)
Tomorrow is a layday. The major point of interest will be Jury Hearing which will no doubt be led By Emirates Team New Zealand's Jim Farmer QC. It is understood that Alinghi is being protested directly by Emirates Team NZ, and not the Measurement Committee, or some other body.
We will keep updating this story on Sail-World.Com/NZ and other Sail-World.Com websites.
Good sailing!
Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor
Fisher's View: All this and a protest, too
Just when you thought it was safe to go outside . . . the whole world opens up beneath you - that's if you are a crewman on Alinghi. You have won the race and you are on your way home when you are asked to demonstrate that you can conform to ACC Rule 31.6: 'Mainsails shall be able to be lowered to the deck without the necessity of a crew member going aloft.'...
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35158&ntid=58
The America's Cup becomes an Even Game
Emirates Team NZ enters from the port end at the start of Race 4 and is the give way boat. Wind conditions are a light to moderate easterly seabreeze of 9 kts with a sloppy, over-sized sea, and an overcast colder day. Course is set for 75 degrees. Alinghi sails a very controlled race from start to finish to go 2-2 in the 32nd America's Cup....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35145&ntid=58
America's Cup Day Four - Quotes of the Day
Post Race Press Conference with Ernesto Bertarelli, President of Alinghi, Brad Butterworth, Ed Baird, Helmsman, Murray Jones, Strategist and Dean Barker, Skipper and Helmsman of Emirates Team New Zealand and Terry Hutchinson, Tactician....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35153&ntid=58
America's Cup - 2-2 MarkChisnell.com
Alinghi squared the series at 2-2 in the fourth race of the America's Cup, with the kind of shut-out performance that they had hinted at in race one. While the delta was actually five seconds smaller - at 30 seconds - this was an all round stronger race from the Swiss....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35152&ntid=58
Letter from Valencia: A drive down the coast
Monday is a lay day and we are going to get out of the city and away from sailing for the day. Our route takes us down the coast and we are able to get a good idea of the countryside. It's very dry and dusty and the buildings echo the colour of the parched ground. We drive through the orange groves that we have seen from the air - the deep green of the foliage relieves the bland colours of the surrounding hills...
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35163&ntid=58
Alinghi relaunch the Match - ValenciaSailing
Finally Alinghi did it in the 4th race of the America's Cup Match and won it. They followed the basic match racing rules and scored an important victory, tying the series to 2 wins for each team and relaunching the game. Finally Alinghi did it in the 4th race of the America's Cup Match and won it. They followed the basic match racing rules and scored an important victory, tying the series to 2 wins for each team and relaunching the game....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35159&ntid=58
America's Cup - Baird and Bilger back on form
Ed Baird answered his many critics with a peach of a start today, defending the right and winding SUI 100 up to speed, bang on the line and pointing high as the gun fired. Dean Barker and the Kiwis were happy to take the left, based on the weather call from 'Clouds' Badham that a shift was coming from that side. However NZL 92 was just a touch off the line at start time, and Baird did a good job of living on the hip of the Kiwis....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35157&ntid=58
Alinghi wins Race Four to tie America's Cup Match
Alinghi took Emirates Team New Zealand into an early dial-up, and then both boats made their way over to the right of the start box. For the first time Ed Baird took the right-hand side of the start, making an excellent full-speed exit from the line while Dean Barker was a little slower getting up to pace....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35156&ntid=58
Ian Ainslie's Turning Point - America's Cup Race 4
Alinghi bore off to feign a 'hook' and then wound up again in a 'fishtail' maneuver. New Zealand responded, but Alinghi had managed to bear up slightly out of phase to them and so had good lateral separation as both boats sailed high back to the line, killing time and keeping height. The critical moment would be the 'launch' off the line....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35155&ntid=58
America's Cup series square - Alinghi defeats ETNZ
The start was even with SUI 100 to windward, NZL 92 to leeward in a drag race on starboard. The advantage line flicked both ways many times, until SUI 100 got a little more pressure in the right and extended, building a patient lead. NZL 92 closed up but SUI 100 rounded ahead by 20 seconds. Downwind NZL 92 attacked from the moment the spinnaker filled, forcing SUI 100 to match gybe for gybe to cover....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35150&ntid=58
Alinghi evens score at 2-2 in America's Cup match
'We got a last minute call from Jon Bilger, our weather man, to take the right and Ed did a fantastic job in the pre-start so we got a beautiful start to the right of Emirates Team New Zealand. We eventually managed to get better boat speed and that was really the race won as we managed to hold all the way out to the layline and capitalise on that, it was great,' describes Murray Jones....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35149&ntid=58
Letter from Valencia; Race 3: Thoughts, impressions
Spectators viewing the America's Cup are silent as the two boats glide slowly to the finish. This has been a thrilling race with so many lead changes especially on the last run. The wonderful technology of the Virtual Spectator on boat screens, laptops and ashore on big screens captivates everyone. But this viewing is not for the faint hearted....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35162&ntid=58
NZL-92 crew signed Buzzy Bee for Optimist auction
The 2007 NZ Optimist Representative Team has listed a 'keel mounted' Emirates Team NZ signed Buzzy Bee on Trade Me for auction. It is the second of two only, and was signed by the Emirates Team New Zealand sailing team, last month. The first unmounted bee sold at the Gala auction at Royal NZ Yacht Squadron for $600.00....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=35017&ntid=58
Enter Line 7/NZL-92 Signed Shirt Sweepstakes NOW!!
Right now you can enter the new competition to win a signed Emirates Team New Zealand shirt from Line 7....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=34851&ntid=58
Win America's Cup History - 2 volume set
Enter the Sail-World online competition to win a copy of Bob Fisher's An Absorbing Interest. The definitive history of the America's Cup. Its two volumes covers the drama, boat design, personalities and sheer fascination of the America's Cup....
http://www.sail-world.com/newstext/pda.cfm?Nid=34307&ntid=58
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