Update
For some readers – especially Auld Mug aficionados – this will bring back memories of all the 12 Metres hanging next to each other in the hoists at Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. That 12 Metre Worlds was blessed with some good breeze (though not enough to stop DC’s mighty Cup winner Stars&Stripes coming last). Had the wind gods been kinder to the first AC40 regatta in September it too would have been spectacular. The creation of the AC40 was a masterstroke for which Team NZ’s designers deserve considerable plaudits; with enough breeze fleet racing in these mini-Cup foilers could put the spectacle of the America’s Cup itself in the shade!
FOILING IS FASTER THAN FLOATING – Jack Griffin The first Preliminary Regatta for the 37th America’s Cup demon- strated just how hard it is to make sailing a television sport. Day 1 of the regatta in Vilanova i la Geltrú was washed out by drenching rain, a risk of lightning strikes and a rough sea state. Day 2 was surreal and provided more evidence of the challenge. In Race 1, instead of foiling around at speeds over 30kt, all of
the AC40s were in displacement mode when France’s Orient Express Racing Team ghosted across the finish line to win on a course short- ened to two legs. It was only their 14th day sailing the AC40. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and New York Yacht Club American Magic were the only teams to finish within five minutes of the French. Emirates Team New Zealand, Ineos Britannia and Alinghi Red Bull Racing did not beat the five-minute time limit and were all DNF. The Protocol sets wind limits of 6.5-21kt during a five-minute
window four minutes before the start. Regatta Director Iain Murray has discretion based on sea state – waves of 1.5m create challenges for these boats, depending on the period. Once the start sequence was launched the races started despite
the wind dropping. The race committee shortened both the first two races. Race 1 started as six legs, but with all the boats off their foils, it was shortened first to four legs and then to two. Maybe that lower wind limit for starting a race should be raised to 8 or 9kt? In light wind the strategy is to stay above the starting line in clean
air until the start. It’s better to be OCS and dip below the line after the gun. Race 2 was started with four legs but finished with three. Alinghi was the only boat foiling before the start, well above the line. They were one of three boats OCS, but with their speed they were able to offload their penalty by dipping the line, and then foiled the entire first leg, hundreds of metres ahead of the others when they passed the windward gate. On Leg 2 disaster struck the Swiss boat when they gybed in a soft
spot and fell off their foils. Meanwhile, the Kiwis, still on leg 1, managed to get airborne and passed the now bobbing Swiss just before the leeward gate of leg 2. With none of the other boats foiling and still struggling to pass the first windward gate, the race was finished at
12 SEAHORSE
the end of leg 3. The Kiwis stayed on their foils to win. None of the other boats finished in the next five minutes so were all DNF. Glenn Ashby, doing broadcast commentary rather than sailing, stated the obvious: ‘These boats are not designed to be displacement boats.’ The length of course legs and the number of legs are chosen so
the winner will finish in 20 minutes. Anyone finishing more than five minutes after the winner is DNF. The time limit is 30 minutes. If the leader does not complete the first leg in 10 minutes, the race is abandoned. Of note is that if a boat completes a windward leg without tacking the race is also abandoned. Even with short races that get shortened while underway the wind
gods make it difficult to package the America’s Cup for a broadcast window. The single match race to decide the regatta winner in Villanova i la Geltrú provided brutal evidence. American Magic and Team NZ had the top scores after five fleet
races. With the wind above 6.5kt in the five-minute window, the warning signal was given. Less than a minute later the New Zealand yacht was in displacement mode, ignoring the starting line and course boundaries, reaching above the line in a vain attempt to get on the foils. The Kiwis were penalised for going out of bounds. Next they received a second penalty for late entry into the start
box, and a third penalty for being OCS at the starting signal… American Magic managed to start properly but dropped off their foils in their final tack to head towards the line. Without enough wind to take off both boats wallowed upwind in
the residual waves. The 10-minute time limit for the first leg expired with the boats about halfway up the 0.9nm leg and the race was abandoned. With no hope of more wind American Magic found them- selves regatta winner, having finished the fleet racing one point ahead of Team NZ. Not quite the exciting result that had been anticipated. Shortly before the regatta the Racing Rules of Sailing – America’s
Cup edition were finally published. Although there had been some consideration of replacing the ‘slow and go’ penalties with turns, discussions resulted in sticking with slow and go. Being OCS requires dropping behind all boats that start properly. Going outside the course boundary incurs a ‘lose distance’ penalty. Boat-on-boat penalties are ‘get behind’ the boat that was fouled. The penalty
GILLES MARTIN-RAGET
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