Americas' Cup chances or hopes?

[Big Dan]

What are how chances in this

[yod]

pretty bloody good

[yod]

we've beaten everybody but luna rossa and oracle in the first round robin so i'd say we'll easily make the finals of the louis vuitton....from there, who knows

[Hitcher]

One of the great things about the Internet is that nobody can see you yawn...

[Blackbird]

One of the great things about the Internet is that nobody can see you yawn...

Philistine :innocent:

For anyone who has never raced, it would be pretty boring though.

[kiwisfly]

One of the great things about the Internet is that nobody can see you yawn...

I think I'll post a sound byte of one my farts.
The inventors in another thread can work out a way to scratch n sniff it!

As for the boating, we've lost three in our pool haven't we & can't even blame a dodgy rig collapse. Dosnt feel good.

[Big Dan]

Philistine :innocent:

For anyone who has never raced, it would be pretty boring though.

I've never raced but have loved watching the americas cup since the KZ7 days

[Colapop]

I like the footage of the virtual racing... when they speed it up so that the races take 5 minutes....

[pyrocam]

I tried to watch some last night I think, too fuzzy. cant wait to win it again this year!

[RantyDave]

Philistine
Exactly. Yacht racing is a great and, in case anybody is wondering, really difficult sport.

But hard to get into. And I think "our" chances are looking pretty minimal to be honest, the new Oracle boat is apparently going like a rocket. Best of luck to them though.

Dave

[jrandom]

'We'? What is this 'we'?

If a bunch of chaps want to go race in an expensive, useless toy against other bunches of chaps in expensive, useless toys, then I only GAF if it's exciting to watch. Given that I ride my pushbike every day at higher speeds than those boats get through the water, I'm afraid that yacht racing fails to get anywhere near the requisite excitement bar.

[Grub]

Your Grub was an offshore helmsman, navigator & tactician so the Americas Cup is compelling stuff to grubs. Even to the extent of downloading the live streaming proggy and replaying and re-analising for months after

See ... there *is* a life outside of bikes and 'puters :)

[Blackbird]

Your Grub was an offshore helmsman, navigator & tactician so the Americas Cup is compelling stuff to grubs. Even to the extent of downloading the live streaming proggy and replaying and re-analising for months after

See ... there *is* a life outside of bikes and 'puters :)

Good man. Lasers, Paper Tigers and Noelex 30's for me. I guess it's like chess - when you've done it, you see stuff which doesn't even register with non-yachties.

[yod]

...expensive, useless toys....


you mean, kinda like bikes??

[Grub]

Noelex 30's for me.

Nice boats, good class racing. Grub is a jafa so did all his watersports :innocent: on the Waitemata - great sailing

[jrandom]

you mean, kinda like bikes??

Exactly. Except that bike racing, both motor and pedal, is fun to watch.

[Skyryder]

Philistine :innocent:

For anyone who has never raced, it would be pretty boring though.

I'll say one thing about the America's Cup; they get the commentary right. At least they make it 'sound' exciting. I watched the Crusaders and the Brumby's last night. A great game ruined by poor commentary.

Skyryder

[Colapop]

A class cats are the way to go I reckon. Had a couple of goes years ago on one and Oooooeee those puppies get up and go!

[yod]

Exactly. Except that bike racing, both motor and pedal, is fun to watch.

well thats ever so slightly completely subjective, but each to their own of course....

e.g. motorbikes are fun to watch, pedal are boring as f*ck, but thats just my opinion....obviously

[Swoop]

It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings.


The Swoop has done a bit of sailing in the past, mainly dinghy stuff though. Family lineage goes quite a long way back to Sir Thomas Lipton's challenges.

[Babelfish]

well thats ever so slightly completely subjective, but each to their own of course....

e.g. motorbikes are fun to watch, pedal are boring as f*ck, but thats just my opinion....obviously

Yeah, all comes down to how much you know about it...I never really looked twice at a pedal race a few years ago, until I read all of the Lance Armstrong books where te sport is explained somewhat. Now I find it pretty interesting understanding the strategy a little more. Same goes for sailing. They've done a fantastic job using technology to explain whats going on out there, and given enough interest to learn, the races can be bloody exciting.

I like our chances this year. Sure, we've had the loss to the other two big hitters, but its early days and knowing yachting, could all be part of the strategy. No point showing your cards too early (hopefully)

[Skyryder]

It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings.

Correction, in yachting circles it's the 'fat lady swims.'


I saw Chris Dickson on about something. If we get done sooner by him than others.

Skyryder

[Swoop]

If we get done sooner by him than others.
Oracle is NZ "B-team"...
Run and crewed mainly by kiwis...

[Hitcher]

Yyyawn....

[Blackbird]

Oracle is NZ "B-team"...
Run and crewed mainly by kiwis...

Kiwi representation is high in every team bar the Chinese!

[terbang]

One of the great things about the Internet is that nobody can see you yawn...

Too right, just the mention of FJR 1300s.:zzzz:

[Drunken Monkey]

Just to buck the trend and break the rules, I used to do yacht racing as well, mostly on classic yachts, but also on a Ross 930. Would be keen to try out a Young 88 sometime.

However, I find the America's Cup racing a bit of a yawn as well.

[vifferman]

What are how chances in this
Who gives a rodent's rectum?
Maybe if they made that pansy-arse rich-person's ego-masturbation a full contact sport, with giant can-openers on the bowsprit, cannons down each side, no holds barred, then it might be mildly interesting. Sort of rugby on the water, or summat.
As it is, it's very hard to relate to it, as it's all about budgets, computer models, massive egos and even more massive sums of money.

"Team New Zealand"? That's a joke.
They don't represent NZ at all - just themselves. For a start, the team tactician's a Murkn, and there's probably as many Kiwis on most of the other teams. And after years of AirNZ loyally sponsoring them, they sell out to Emirates.

Yawn.

[Drunken Monkey]

...Maybe if they made that pansy-arse rich-person's ego-masturbation a full contact sport,
...
Yawn.

Why? Are you particularly fond of sports where blokes touch other blokes and stick their heads between each other's legs? Got anything better to contribute than your load of utter twaddle?

[xwhatsit]

I've never raced (apart from some larking around in the secondary school's Lasers), but I actually find the racing quite interesting. Somebody else mentioned the commentators -- they're really integral to it, they help explain so many things that I would understand if it were football, but have no clue because it's yachting. The computer-generated stuff also adds a lot, quite a lot more than would be necessary in another sport. It makes the strategies of the teams much more transparent.

That said, even just the spectacle of those huge yachts slicing through the waves is very impressive.

[Skyryder]

"Team New Zealand"? That's a joke.
They don't represent NZ at all - just themselves. For a start, the team tactician's a Murkn, and there's probably as many Kiwis on most of the other teams. And after years of AirNZ loyally sponsoring them, they sell out to Emirates.Yawn.

The cynic in me agrees totaly. The only thing that America's cup has to do with sport is that there is a winner. All other similarities to sport end there.

Skyryder

[Hitcher]

"Team New Zealand"? That's a joke.

Apart from the squillions of taxpayer dollars that are keeping them afloat, I'd agree. America's Cup racing has traditionally been the preserve of filthy-rich playboys who already own a Porsche Cayenne, an Aston Martin DB9, a stable of blonde bimbos with impossibly augmented tits, a Gulfstream III, a Premier League Soccer club, and who are looking for other ways of conspicuously flaunting their wealth. Why would the Gummint of a socialist banana republic at the arse-end of the world want to play with them?

[Finn]

America's Cup racing has traditionally been the preserve of filthy-rich playboys who already own a Porsche Cayenne, an Aston Martin DB9, a stable of blonde bimbos with impossibly augmented tits, a Gulfstream III, a Premier League Soccer club...

Oh, that's so 90's man. Those boys are considered poor in the millennium.

[terbang]

, a Gulfstream III?

We are shaving with those old girls now. Since then its been GIV, GIV-SP, GV and now G550.

[Big Dan]

Why? Are you particularly fond of sports where blokes touch other blokes and stick their heads between each other's legs? Got anything better to contribute than your load of utter twaddle?

couldn't have said it better myself

[Grub]

Why would the Gummint of a socialist banana republic at the arse-end of the world want to play with them?

Because if we win, they spend their filthy luca down here :first:

[Hitcher]

That may well be, but at what cost? And who benefits?

[kro]

I get frustrated watching sailing, I spend more time watching the tender boats, thinking "man I bet that thing hauls arse with those twin mercs".

[Biff]

Can I just say, for a split second I was found myself getting mildly excited this morning when I watched Team NZ V China. Then I realized they were just jostling for position at the start, and that my I'd mistaken my excitement for the fact I'd just woken up and in need of my morning piss.

Sorry...die thread die.....

[oldrider]

The best skipper in the world is not allowed to be there? Competition? I still like it but only casually interested. :yes: John.

[slowpoke]

Not aimed particularly at the America's Cup but you've got to ask yourself how exciting something really is if the highlight is the commentary. If something requires commentary to make it exciting then obviously the actual event can't have too much going for it.

If I stumbled into Lords and watched the first ball of a Test match being bowled I'd be looking for the beer tent thinking to myself this is going to be a looooooooong day, commentary or no commentary.

If I found myself in a chopper overlooking the start of an America's Cup race I'd have the binoculars trained on the babes in the pleasure craft (was there ever a more apt name?) rather than the race boats, commentary or no commentary.

But if I found myself at the first corner as a field of Superbikes come howling into it then Liz Hurley couldn't drag me away, and bugger the commentary.

Yup, it's all subjective but to say something is exciting then certain criteria has to be met. To be exciting there has to be an obvious sense of speed, of danger, of pushing ones self to the limit, of physical endeavour, of mental fortitude etc etc.

Yep, yachting at this level has a huge amount of behind the scenes endeavour but it doesn't translate on the screen. Watching a tactitian doing the digital equivalent of putting a wet finger in the air (geddit?) and pointing in a certain direction doesn't make for fantastic viewing no matter how many millions of pacific pesos and man hours have been spent on that "wet finger".

Ask yourself if you would still be watching it if NZ wasn't involved. If the answer is no then how exciting is it really?

[xwhatsit]

Not aimed particularly at the America's Cup but you've got to ask yourself how exciting something really is if the highlight is the commentary. If something requires commentary to make it exciting then obviously the actual event can't have too much going for it.

If I stumbled into Lords and watched the first ball of a Test match being bowled I'd be looking for the beer tent thinking to myself this is going to be a looooooooong day, commentary or no commentary.

If I found myself in a chopper overlooking the start of an America's Cup race I'd have the binoculars trained on the babes in the pleasure craft (was there ever a more apt name?) rather than the race boats, commentary or no commentary.

But if I found myself at the first corner as a field of Superbikes come howling into it then Liz Hurley couldn't drag me away, and bugger the commentary.

Yup, it's all subjective but to say something is exciting then certain criteria has to be met. To be exciting there has to be an obvious sense of speed, of danger, of pushing ones self to the limit, of physical endeavour, of mental fortitude etc etc.

Yep, yachting at this level has a huge amount of behind the scenes endeavour but it doesn't translate on the screen. Watching a tactitian doing the digital equivalent of putting a wet finger in the air (geddit?) and pointing in a certain direction doesn't make for fantastic viewing no matter how many millions of pacific pesos and man hours have been spent on that "wet finger".

Ask yourself if you would still be watching it if NZ wasn't involved. If the answer is no then how exciting is it really?

I think you're missing the point. It's not really about visceral excitement, more about intellectual excitement, if you get what I mean (if you can still call that excitement). The same reason why people watch people play chess (sure as hell doesn't float my boat, but some people do). For people that understand it, then there's a hell of a lot of interest there in terms of the strategies going on -- I don't understand what's going on an awful lot, but that's where the commentary comes in, to educate me about it. Kind of like listening to the rugby on the radio, if you've ever done that. You don't have the raw exciting physical spectacle, but you have the bare bones of the actual game going on.

Don't know much about MotoGP, but in Formula 1 a large chunk of the sport is the team strategies; who will pit, who is carrying how much fuel, will they have to nurse it to the line to not pit, or are they running light with fresh tyres for a sprint to the finish? Also, much like Formula 1, the yacht racing has a large techie-factor, seeing who's running a new aero kit, who will have the advantage in the corners or be able to put down the power -- the boats themselves and how they handle compared to each other is something else.

Like I said, not for everybody. Some people are just interested in spectacle and fast thrills -- I've been to speedway nights before, and that's the major component in that, and it was pretty cool. But others see different things in sport.

[slowpoke]

I think you're missing the point. It's not really about visceral excitement, more about intellectual excitement, if you get what I mean (if you can still call that excitement). The same reason why people watch people play chess (sure as hell doesn't float my boat, but some people do). For people that understand it, then there's a hell of a lot of interest there in terms of the strategies going on -- I don't understand what's going on an awful lot, but that's where the commentary comes in, to educate me about it. Kind of like listening to the rugby on the radio, if you've ever done that. You don't have the raw exciting physical spectacle, but you have the bare bones of the actual game going on.

Don't know much about MotoGP, but in Formula 1 a large chunk of the sport is the team strategies; who will pit, who is carrying how much fuel, will they have to nurse it to the line to not pit, or are they running light with fresh tyres for a sprint to the finish? Also, much like Formula 1, the yacht racing has a large techie-factor, seeing who's running a new aero kit, who will have the advantage in the corners or be able to put down the power -- the boats themselves and how they handle compared to each other is something else.

Like I said, not for everybody. Some people are just interested in spectacle and fast thrills -- I've been to speedway nights before, and that's the major component in that, and it was pretty cool. But others see different things in sport.

Yep, fair comment....you can tell I'm bored on nightshift can't you?

I can see how people would appreciate the technological side of it, I'm just at a bit of a loss as to how they manage to get genuinely excited about this and a few other sports.

Then again, break all sports down to "fundamentals" (chasing a lil' ball into a hole in a paddock, using your bunch of blokes to get a ball past another bunch of blokes, racing a motorised bicycle around in circles) and they can all be viewed as ridiculous pastimes if you aren't "into it".

[skidMark]

A class cats are the way to go I reckon. Had a couple of goes years ago on one and Oooooeee those puppies get up and go!

please tell me it has an engine

silly question for you boatie types

why do they have boat speed in knots why can't it just be kph or mph?

something to do with nortical miles etc i assume?

and what exactly is a nortical mile, why can't they put it in km's or miles?

sorry just wondering.

cheers: Mark

[xwhatsit]

please tell me it has an engine

silly question for you boatie types

why do they have boat speed in knots why can't it just be kph or mph?

something to do with nortical miles etc i assume?

and what exactly is a nortical mile, why can't they put it in km's or miles?

sorry just wondering.

cheers: Mark

Knots are nautical miles per hour. It's mainly tradition, I think, but there's a convenience factor in using them for aviation and nautical stuff because one nautical mile is pretty much the same as one minute of latitude (in navigation). It means the captain with the beard and pipe in the map room can work out where he's going without a calculator.

I mean it seems a bit silly. But why do we keep measuring people in feet and inches, and talk about horsepower? They're not standard units for us any more, but it's momentum I suppose.

[Swoop]

The best skipper in the world is not allowed to be there? Competition? I still like it but only casually interested. :yes: John.
That wouldn't be the one who beat the current NZ driver... a bit...
1800 practice starts. Coutts wins 1795. Barker won 5...

[vifferman]

Why? Are you particularly fond of sports where blokes touch other blokes and stick their heads between each other's legs?
Not at all. Sorry for my lack of 'patriotism', but I have almost no interest in all in rugby.
The only sports I'm interested in are motorsports, especially of the two-wheeled variety.

Got anything better to contribute than your load of utter twaddle?
No. But I thought my, "Maybe if they it a full contact sport, with giant can-openers on the bowsprit, cannons down each side, no holds barred..."
comment was a goodun. It'd be a zillion times (approximately) more exciting for a start.
When the racing was on in D'Auckland, I got a chance to go out on the water for a day, as my employers sponsored the St John's boat. It was even more boring than on TV! Must be one of the few sports that's worse live! The most interesting thing was looking at the "super yachts" (and super-yachties) close up.

I don't think the average Joe and Josephine Average can relate to this as a 'sport' at all. For a start, even though we're supposedly a 'Nautical Nation', how many people in UnZud sail? Even though I used to sail in my yoof, I can't relate to something that is more about the esoteric, more about budgets/sponsorship, more about computer-aided design, than about yachting skills. I guess you could say the same (big money being an advantage) about premier level motorsports, but at least there's some decent action.

[Dilligaf]

Your Grub was an offshore helmsman, navigator & tactician so the Americas Cup is compelling stuff to grubs. Even to the extent of downloading the live streaming proggy and replaying and re-analising for months after

See ... there *is* a life outside of bikes and 'puters :)

seriously? 4 pages and not one of you has touched this one? I'm shocked.... and more than a little disappointed. :no:

:bleh:

[Toaster]

I've never raced but have loved watching the americas cup since the KZ7 days

Can't say I 'love' it but its interesting to see the highlights. I own KZ7 - rode her to work today.

[Toaster]

how did we go this morning? I didn't see the end of it.... had a bike to ride to work.

[Grub]

seriously? 4 pages and not one of you has touched this one? I'm shocked.... and more than a little disappointed. :no:

:bleh:

OMG, how embarrassing ... is Hitcher unwell, lost his glasses, got dementia, lost his dichionery or having a looong nap?

[mazz1972]

Team NZ beat Luna Rossa.

Unfortunately Oracle won also....they had a specular start with Mascalzone Latino who would have totally trumped Oracle had they not crossed the line about 2 secs early.

Bring on Team NZ vs Oracle.

I keep watching the start of the racing but it starts so late it's hard to keep awake...

[Hitcher]

OMG, how embarrassing ... is Hitcher unwell, lost his glasses, got dementia, lost his dichionery or having a looong nap?

Yacht "racing"? Yawn. I had trouble staying awake past the third post.

Have we won yet? And people moan about the time taken to play test cricket...

[Bass]

and what exactly is a nortical mile, why can't they put it in km's or miles?

sorry just wondering.

cheers: Mark

As I recall, a nautical mile is 6080 feet as compared to a standard mile which is 5280 feet.
I think you'll find that a nautical mile is 1 minute of arc of the earth's circumference. It's a navigation thing.

[Skyryder]

I'm finding the LV cup more exciting than Super IV. That's how bad 'that' has got. I mean to say what was that ridiculous score between the Bulls and the Reds. The Bulls needing a 72 point victory to secure a home semi final. 92-3. This is a school boy competition score not one by proffesionals. Who's kidding who here??

At least cheating in the America's Cup is part of the rules.


Skyryder

[Skyryder]

The best skipper in the world is not allowed to be there? Competition? I still like it but only casually interested. :yes: John.

Who's that OR Russel Coutts??

[Pixie]

I hope they continue to have them in Europe in the future.The 12 hour time difference is just perfect!:zzzz:

[Pixie]

I keep watching the start of the racing but it starts so late it's hard to keep awake...

It's hard to stay awake regardless of when they broadcast it:zzzz:

[Swoop]

Todays effort seems to say, that the weather forecasters do have a real job over there.