Dramatic capsize of US yacht while leading America's Cup Qual. race

There are question marks over the viability of the wind for any racing today. Apparently there are low winds at present and not really anything forecast to indicate any increase. That'd suit American Magic well to allow for sorting out issues exposed yesterday.

Racing is scheduled for today and tomorrow and again on Tuesday but Wednesday and Thursday are also set aside as contingency if needed. There have been issues with trying to race in light winds in past races and so they may try to start them or may simply abandon the day and wait to another day. Race Director has discretion right up to the scheduled time of race start. He can also reduce the number of legs to four, even after a race has started.

If they start a race, the first leg has to be completed in 12 minutes and the race has to be finished in 45 minutes. One race before Christmas got to within seconds of finishing but was called off due to the 45 minute limit coming up first.

After your post yesterday I switched on to Fox, and the race was on , between the Italians and the Brits., not much in it. The Italians tried to pull a false Starboard on the Brits, and it looked like a collision was likely at one stage. Exciting stuff, but is it sailing ? I'd rather the 12 metres, TBH.

That'd be the replay from last weekend. It was the best race of the series with the lead changing nine times I think. Then that cross that you mention. Few of the races have been like that. Seems easy to defend a lead in these boats until a mistake happens. I watched a few races where wind shifts played a huge role if the boats are separated but if on the same patch of course, the lead doesn't change. If the boats are equal speed then tactics and wind play a role in leads but at the moment the races between Luna Rossa and American Magic seem dictated by tech/control issues on the American boat.

I am enjoying seeing the tech advances that the foiling of the last few cups have generated. AC 75 mono hull foiling is the next iteration and the boats would have been far more advanced and sailing in more definitive final configurations now if the two world series regattas (Italy and California I think) leading up to the current situation had gone ahead but C-19 ended those plans before the pre-Christmas one in Auckland. It is a shame that the fine tuning that is being done now wasn't done last year but it is what it is.

Looks like racing is set to get underway at 3.15 pm NZDT. Wind is 5 to 15 knots. [biggrin]

Too many technical issues to overcome. American Magic knocked out and Luna Rossa take on Ineos Team UK in the Prada cup final next weekend in the first to seven wins. Winner of that will race Team NZ.

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Originally Posted by Tins

https://youtu.be/XJknPeW_JWg

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A piece of cake that. Just have the crew stand on the Keel & up she comes. In theory of course, but it can be done with a V-Jay quite easily but that one, maybe not so easy but better if they have a 30 man crew.

It will help if they get all the gear in. Possibly.[bigrolf]

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Originally Posted by RANDLOVER

In related sailing news for the 1st time in history the 1st person to cross the finish line of the Vendee Globe is not the winner.



''Yannick Bestaven won the Vendée Globe solo round the world sailing race after he was handed a time bonus of more than 10 hours for his role in rescuing a fellow competitor, more than 80 days alone at sea and an unusually close final few hours to determine the winner on Thursday.

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Damned shame that spirit doesn't apply to motor racing. Ken Miles would have got the honour he justly deserved at Le Mans.

BTW, the film is very good, but it ain't accurate.

https://youtu.be/fhiWRTDZ7-E

There I was in Balmoral in W Vic on a Saturday morning about 8.30 on a Saturday morning fuelling the ute up at the general store (whilst doing a fish survey) and I hear a burble.

Blue burble with white stripes goes past and heads west going through the gears up the hill outa town. WTF was that?

I know now that it was a repro GT40 going to a show and shine just outa town that I drove past 10 mins later and the memory won't ever go.

DL

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Originally Posted by 350RRC

There I was in Balmoral in W Vic on a Saturday morning about 8.30 on a Saturday morning fuelling the ute up at the general store (whilst doing a fish survey) and I hear a burble.

Blue burble with white stripes goes past and heads west going through the gears up the hill outa town. WTF was that?

I know now that it was a repro GT40 going to a show and shine just outa town that I drove past 10 mins later and the memory won't ever go.

DL

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There were three of them in Emerald ( Vic ) one day. All in appropriate livery. Don't care that they were replicas. I was driving and missed the photo opp.

Got this though.
Attachment 168149

Clearly also a replica, of a car arguably more famous. And yes, I was driving this time too.
https://youtu.be/5E06xnu8O10

Err, i'll try and fix that.. Here.

https://youtu.be/5E06xnu8O10

Sorry about the appalling video. iPhone while driving a bus is not recommended, both for video quality and safety reasons. But i HAD to capture it. Stratos. One of the most iconic cars ever.