America's Cup

**mashman** · 19th September 2013, 12:34

Originally Posted by Swoop

Damn fooken right!
(all going well...)

Hopefully they'll get a similar flying start (given new meaning give the sail) and you'll be off and running noice and early

.

Originally Posted by wysper

I believe the can change the wings, but it is a case of going back to the docks, organising cranes and the like and changing them over.
I am not sure how long it takes or how many different wings they have. Proper term might be wing sail but I am not sure.
Not really a sailing person but this racing has been fantastic and the boats look awesome.

Originally Posted by Paul in NZ

Other than replacing it - no.... Its a rigid structure in two or more parts. They can adjust it like an aircraft wing for more/less lift to reduce the effect within limits but not reduce the size of it...

Cheers. Sounds like a helluva job. Kinda takes some of the skill out of sailing to the conditions for me. Still stunning to see them rise out of the water and turn out another 20 knots though.

**awa355** · 19th September 2013, 13:39

I could never get hyped up in any previous Americas cup regatta, but these boats have bought a lot of people out of the woodwork.

It is pleasing to see another sports event involving a NZ team that seems to unite a lot of people. If this had've been a political thread, the knives would have been flying thick and fast from page 1.

The cup isn't won yet, but surely they wont let it slip away from this lead.

**Edbear** · 19th September 2013, 15:00

Originally Posted by awa355

I could never get hyped up in any previous Americas cup regatta, but these boats have bought a lot of people out of the woodwork.

It is pleasing to see another sports event involving a NZ team that seems to unite a lot of people. If this had've been a political thread, the knives would have been flying thick and fast from page 1.

The cup isn't won yet, but surely they wont let it slip away from this lead.

They aren't the Warriors. .

**ckai** · 19th September 2013, 16:12

Originally Posted by awa355

The cup isn't won yet, but surely they wont let it slip away from this lead.

You can't bet on anything with sailing really unless one boat/crew is a lot better than the other. There's a certain amount of luck that comes into in (no matter what the pro's say). It only takes one small wind shift and the tables and be turned when they're this close. Also because they're racing on the edge, some crazy shit could happen like, oh I don't know, someone could flip

Oracle have proven you can never say die.

Interesting thing I saw I telly this morning. These buggers can't go under the Auckland Harbour Bridge. That puts it in perspective a little more. Those are some big bitches! And they're not even as big as those two fat buggers that raced to get us to this cup.

**george formby** · 19th September 2013, 16:17

Originally Posted by wysper

I believe the can change the wings, but it is a case of going back to the docks, organising cranes and the like and changing them over.
I am not sure how long it takes or how many different wings they have. Proper term might be wing sail but I am not sure.
Not really a sailing person but this racing has been fantastic and the boats look awesome.

First Amerckan cup that has got me out of the chair. Had a breakfast & racing thing happening at the restaurant this mornin. Not a scurvy sea dog among them. Not a lot of breathing either.
What was up with the start of the 2nd race, 42knts v 17knts at the line & the ref blew the whistle? We still have toast stuck on the ceiling. Could be Larry having a spazz by the wind measuring thingie caused it.
I shall be out the scratcher & poised in the mornin waving me wee flag.

**300weatherby** · 19th September 2013, 17:09

Originally Posted by Edbear

Nothing much seems to be made of the nationality of the crew and shore crew being mostly non-American. Only one American on the boat and they called up NZ boat builders to fix it.

It is more like TNZ racing TNZ/Aus/UK using USD.

There WAS a yank on board, Ellison saw fit to sack him, cause it was all his fault they were losing, funnily enough, they are still losing

Oddly, around here we are kinda viewing it as NZ vs AUS, and we wanna see the Spitty boy skipper cry!.

Gotta wonder if they would call it for wind if the Aussie boat won the start and turn one first..............

**ckai** · 19th September 2013, 17:30

Originally Posted by george formby

What was up with the start of the 2nd race, 42knts v 17knts at the line & the ref blew the whistle? We still have toast stuck on the ceiling. Could be Larry having a spazz by the wind measuring thingie caused it.

Yip she was a doozy. But ya can't argue with a computer. The only thing the umpires do now is call the penalties and whether is not worth postponing any longer. The computer does all the weather calls now. It does make it fair (can't blame an Aussie umpire for the dodgy weather calls) but it's bloody annoying they can call a race when they're racing. Never mind. Every race pushed back is a race closer to the changing tide which TNZ are more favoured (that's if things don't go exactly our way).

**george formby** · 19th September 2013, 17:52

Originally Posted by ckai

Yip she was a doozy. But ya can't argue with a computer. The only thing the umpires do now is call the penalties and whether is not worth postponing any longer. The computer does all the weather calls now. It does make it fair (can't blame an Aussie umpire for the dodgy weather calls) but it's bloody annoying they can call a race when they're racing. Never mind. Every race pushed back is a race closer to the changing tide which TNZ are more favoured (that's if things don't go exactly our way).

Give us a chance to scrape off the egg yolk I guess.

**Swoop** · 20th September 2013, 07:59

This was in a portaloo in San Fran...

Click image for larger version.

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**nallac** · 20th September 2013, 08:45

An arse kicking there...

**wysper** · 20th September 2013, 08:55

Yep, quicker than us in all stages too by the looks.
There will be some nervous bods on ETNZ now.
And Oracle have port entry in the 2nd race again if it goes.

**oldrider** · 20th September 2013, 09:21

It's getting fucking boring now ... like watching grass grow!

**Mental Trousers** · 20th September 2013, 10:20

More often than not the leading boat will pull away on most legs unless the trailing boat finds a bit of extra wind. That's happened in the last few races - Oracle caught right up in race 11, ETNZ pulled back a big chunk in race 12 etc.

It's because the leading boat gets to do what it wants to make best speed while the trailing boat has many options cut off.

The fact that ETNZ won 6 in a row, most of which were coming from behind was because the boats weren't even so our lot could just sail past Oracle. Now the boats are even it isn't that easy and generally the lead boat makes better speed.

**leathel** · 20th September 2013, 10:23

Originally Posted by wysper

Yep, quicker than us in all stages too by the looks.
There will be some nervous bods on ETNZ now.
And Oracle have port entry in the 2nd race again if it goes.

Naah we fluffed the start, but then they did have start advantage, they did get on the foils a few times upwind but overall we took 1 sec out of them.... bad move rounding to the shore side at the top mark as thats were they almost stopped in a tack going up only seconds before .... and trailing through the top mark the gap always blows out but it blew out more due to us heading in to the heavier current and in lighter winds.....

Unfortunately our next Port entry is in the afternoon when the breeze could be up favoring them ...

Time will tell