Louis Vuitton Cup - Round Robin 2 - Day 5: Storm cancels all races
Unfortunately, our unscientific and empirical weather forecast this morning was not far off reality. A typical spring storm wreaked havoc in both America's Cup racing areas, with heavy rain and lightning. When it was not raining, wind was everywhere, blowing from every possible direction and variable intensity, from 5 to 12 knots.
The only sailing action took place while boats were being towed behind the committee boat in its quest to find a suitable race area. Luna Rossa's second team was carrying out tests aboard ITA-86 and zoomed upwind crossing the rest of the fleet.
Today's cancelled flight 5 will be raced on Friday before the day's scheduled Flight 6.
The north race area during the storm. These are certainly not the best conditions to hold a race. Valencia, 04 May 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing
Luna Rossa's B-Team carrying out tests aboard ITA-86. Valencia, 04 May 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing
Luna Rossa's B-Team carrying out tests aboard ITA-86. Valencia, 04 May 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing
When 50 journalists spend 3 hours aboard a boat waiting for races to start, they get bored and start asking questions. What is the use of the white stripe approximately in the middle of BMW Oracle's USA-98 mast? Valencia, 04 May 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia SailingLabels: Louis Vuitton Cup
7 Comments:
That's the Luna Rossa D-team, not the B-team.
I could be VERY wrong, but the white stripe i believe is a horizontal reinforcement between the two jumpers where they connect to the mast. i am guessing that when a puff hits, there is significant outward force on that point where the two jumper sets connect. i think it's some sort of white, hardenned carbon/fibreglass tape.
Can the person who made the first comment please explain? I am not a fan of the Luna Rossa B team myself, there being such a big difference between them and the A team and all, but I am just wondering why the comment?
the larger question about that white band is: what is the line connecting it to the shroud? I can't find any other pictures with the band in-sight- if it was, i would assume it was used to better gage mast bend while trimming. but because I don't see a shot of them sailing with the band there, and there seems to be something connecting the shroud and the band... i don't know.
it appears the white band with a multiple purchase tackle is used to "tune" the rig diagonals prior to sailing
The white band around the mast on Oracle is a strap with a purchase connected to the cap shroud which is tensioned to pull the mast to one side thus snuging the diagonals and constraining the middle of the spar from flopping side to side while towing around with no mainsail up. It is removed before hositing the mainsail.
LR does not have a 'B-team', it has one very strong team of 34 sailors who can rotate in and out at any time. The crew on 86 in the photos includes a number of shore and design team members, thus the D-team comment ... it was a joke.
The last comment is correct the correct term in AC is a "diaper or nappy". because all the diagonals are loose when not sailing the rig can flop around quite violently with out such a device.
Bear in mind the mast moves a this point about 200mm lateraly at this point tack to tack.
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