Wow still buzzing from yesterday. The weather this morning is starting to look similar to yesterday, with overcast skies and moderate (22 degree temperatures), hopefully racing to proceed on time today- although the breeze is due to decrease over the afternoon while going right, and the sea state is likely to still be up.
11.45am – looking left from the Media Centre towards the TNZ base
11.45am – looking right from the Media Centre
For all interested in some ‘behind the scenes’ pictures of the America’s Cup TV studio, see here…
Forecast: Low pressure over southern Spain, light northeasterly gradient breeze. Winds start in morning at northeast 10-12 knots but decrease as skies begin to clear. By mid afternoon wind decreases to 8-10 knots and veers east southeast. Cloudy skies – Temperature 22 degrees
June 27, 2007 at 9:35 pm |
If we believe the weather forecast today,.,,,
which i 100% hope it will turn out…
then i can smell a 3-1 coming.
June 27, 2007 at 9:56 pm |
We didn’t do too well last time there was a gradient breeze, though. Although it sounds much lighter this time.
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Also, any seen the old Holmes vs. Dennis Conner interview on TVNZ’s on demand thing?
http://tvnzondemand.co.nz/content/holmes/ondemand_video_skin?tab=CLASSICS&sb=date-descending&e=holmes_conner#ep_holmes_conner
At the time I would have thought he got what was coming to him, but now I felt quite sorry for the guy.
June 27, 2007 at 10:03 pm |
from valencia saling… great!!!
Ernesto Bertarelli, head of Alinghi, stated that Tuesday’s conditions were similar to a casino in Las Vegas. The luckiest team won the races according to Bertarelli just like the luckiest person wins the jackpot in Las Vegas. If that were true, then Terry Hutchinson, tactician on Emirates Team NZ, and the whole weather team of the New Zealand challenger should immediately abandon all races and book the first flight from Valencia to Las Vegas. If they are able to correctly spot all the wind shifts in Valencia with such precision then they wouldn’t have any problems gambling their way to fortune in Vegas!!
June 27, 2007 at 10:04 pm |
It’s funny reading Ernies comments about yesterdays race, would he have said the same if they had won the race? Sour grapes, and poor tactics
June 27, 2007 at 10:07 pm |
Also, apparently competitors are contracted by ACM to have someone from the afterguard present for the post race press conference, poor form from Alinghi for not sticking to this!
June 27, 2007 at 10:18 pm |
Yes, I’m surprised they got away with that. It was funny when the reporter from I think Sailing World (corrent me if I’m wrong) directed a question towards Ed Baird and the whole room burst into laughter.
June 27, 2007 at 10:24 pm |
Epic Epic Epic time in sporting history
The fight has become a symbol – TNZ is taken to represent NZ consciousness and the fight against Ernesto Bertarelli and Alinghi’s arrogance
June 27, 2007 at 10:32 pm |
Ernesto Bertarelli and Alinghi are cupholders for all the wrong reasons and I think this will work against them.
June 27, 2007 at 11:12 pm |
Alinghi’s reaction after yesterdays race speaks volume’s.
Every body is talking about what a great race, prehaps even the greatest AC race ever, and Alinghi are moaning that it should never have happened!!!!
Just when the world media gets excited about the event, they couldn’t even send any one from the aftergaurd to the press conferance!!!!
All Ernesto’s talk about making it a better spectator sport and bla bla bla is a load of crap, the guy just wants to keep his “precious” and to hell with the event.
The sooner we win this thing back the better.
June 28, 2007 at 12:03 am |
Ernesto Bertarelli is quite arrogant….he is not able to admit that ETNZ is better than Alinghi..especially the crew! Yesterday I was upset, ’cause I heard that
ACM wanted to help Alinghi to win, waiting for a stronger wind….
and the reason why our team won the race is just because they have better skills, and not because they are lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 28, 2007 at 12:56 am |
Okie, the race is on time today.
Even if its delayed, there is no way I am off to bed early tonite!
The only way I’ll miss this race is if my wife lures me to bed for a threesome with Jessica Alba!
June 28, 2007 at 1:33 am |
hm…… i thought tnz is suppose to be faster in this wind.
June 28, 2007 at 1:36 am |
just cross ur fingers mossy!
June 28, 2007 at 1:55 am |
damn! my heart is pounding!!!
June 28, 2007 at 2:44 am |
oh well, i guess they just hit the reset button on this AC!
June 28, 2007 at 2:47 am |
We just didn’t get the weather call today. If that left shift came through we would have forced Alinghi off, but it never eventuated.
June 28, 2007 at 3:07 am |
guys….it has been a bad race today….
Alinghi put the big sail down with the help of a man, against peter reggio’s order….I hope that the jury decide to play the race again…. It seems to me that Alinghi doesn’t like rules..eeemmmmhhhhhhh.
June 28, 2007 at 3:08 am |
It all came down to those few meters at the start.
Good that we can keep it close and are gybing really well. Fantastic to hear Butterworth lose it and tell some one to “shut up and listen” obviously alot of tension on Smeegols boat.
Love Grant Loretz’s comment for next race “we’ll see if we can rattle the cage and see what falls out of it”.
Hope we can get some normal weather for a change and see some agro in the start box.
June 28, 2007 at 3:10 am |
Yeah Vale, there was something dodgy going on there.
June 28, 2007 at 3:16 am |
Daniel, i cross my fingers…i want to hear good news for us as soon as possible……I can’t stand this behaviour.
June 28, 2007 at 3:18 am |
The American websites are making a lot of it. McAlpine seems to have spotted something amiss with the way Alinghi was rigged up and asked them both to prove they could drop without a guy up the mast. They ended up needing to attach a halyard to do it, so it might be an issue for them. Watch this space, I guess.
June 28, 2007 at 3:22 am |
“31.6 Mainsails shall be able to be lowered to the deck without the necessity of a crew member going aloft.”
June 28, 2007 at 3:23 am |
I saw on tv images about that. A man climbing the mast and putting something on the top. Then, the man kicked the sail, and finally he put his arms up and legs far from the mast….I think that he had something to hide.
June 28, 2007 at 3:24 am |
exactly Carl, the same words have been transmitted by italian tv!!!!
June 28, 2007 at 3:26 am |
I would assume he lifted his hands up to show he wasn’t assisting the sail drop. That said, he did attach a halyard…
June 28, 2007 at 3:33 am |
yes, he attached something on the top. I think that this behaviour is stupid and not honest, taking in count that the AC area is full of cameras!!!!!
June 28, 2007 at 3:38 am |
They would appear to be in violation of rule 31.6 then.
June 28, 2007 at 3:40 am |
that’s what I meant!!!! so, it would be right to repeat the race.
June 28, 2007 at 3:42 am |
Docking them a victory would probably be a little severe for breaking rule 31.6 (it’s more about safety than speed), but in this tight a series one takes what one can get.
June 28, 2007 at 3:48 am |
probably it could be quite severe, but we are talking about a rule which everybody has to respect. I wonder if it can hide something different from safety, ’cause the fact seems to me too strange
June 28, 2007 at 4:05 am |
I still ain’t able to understand how we lost tonight.
But their gybes got better and our ones got a little sloppy.
Also, Traitor Russell is right,
their boat is faster
June 28, 2007 at 4:09 am |
Not especially. They hit a righty just as they crossed the line and had a great VMG for a bit, there was a fairly even drag towards what we thought was a big lefty, but it turned out to be a fizzer and we ended up being carted out to layline.
Are Alinghi faster? Sure, a fraction. But you find way bigger boat speed differences in one-design classes. We just need to pick those first shifts and today we did not.
June 28, 2007 at 4:14 am |
Okay, news from the press conference folks.
Alinghi asked the measurement comittee if they could attach a halyard to prevent the sail dropping suddenly and damaging something, and received permission to do so.
No rules broken.
June 28, 2007 at 4:15 am |
Hi there,
I was just watching the press conference where they asked BRad about the mainsail thing.
He passed the question to Murray Jones as he deals with the rig, and he answered that they had requested (i guess to the measuresrs or the race comittee) to attach a halyard because of the waves, so the mainsail idn’t fall all over the place and damged stuff/hurt people. He said they did that and then released it from below (that may explain why Murray spread his arms showing he was not doing anything to lower it down).
Hope it helps…
June 28, 2007 at 4:18 am |
Good to see some actual Alinghi afterguard at the press conference today.
June 28, 2007 at 4:22 am |
Thank you for explications…I hope that’s true, but I have still doubts….
About the speed I agree with Carl, I don’t think Alinghi is faster than ETNZ…we have to consider a huge amount of things, not just the speed and boat design.
June 28, 2007 at 5:57 am |
Vale, we can accept a loss without trying to find hidden reasons.
This is sport.
Hope next race will be better for us.
It’s hard, but NZ can beat Alinghi, and without the help of any lawyer!!
June 28, 2007 at 8:02 am |
U know, it REALLY sux that we lost this race.
But…once behind, we didn’t simply keep slipping behind ad infinitum, so it means that even tho their boat is probably a little faster, its not so much that we can’t defend a lead once in front.
Last night, I didn’t have a dream but I watched a boat race!
June 28, 2007 at 8:04 am |
Okie, so apparently ETNZ have protested the way Adinghy attaches their mainsail.
The case will be heard at 11pm tonight (NZT).
I am assuming that ETNZ doesn’t actually expect Adinghy to be penalised, so I can only assume they are just wanting to rattle their cage.
Wot you guys reckon?
June 28, 2007 at 8:39 am |
I agree wiht you Jays.
Sorry you’ve chosen the wrong night to stay awake..
Given all that was said before the the finals, the present score is still very promising and everything tells that, even if Alinghi’s boat is a bit faster, it’s not a rocket ship compared to TNZ’s. But we have to make every thing more than perfect, starting from the weather calls to the prestart and then tatics and manoeuvres. As in Mel Brooks Frankestein Jr… IT COULD WORK!!!
June 28, 2007 at 10:52 am |
Cage rattling, definately. Will it work, will it be open and shut? No idea. I can’t see it being a bowsprit whatever the case.