Louis Vuitton Cup - Semifinals - Day 8: Preview - Match Point 2 (again..)

Good morning from cloudy and rainy Valencia. It isn't as windy as yesterday but rough seas could once again hinder the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals. You can always check our real-time meteorological station by clicking on the banner at the right-hand column of the website. It's located on the rooftop of the Desafío Español base and certainly doesn't reflect weather patterns at the race course but it serves as a useful guide.

Still, looking at the Alinghi base, it seems that both SUI-91 and SUI-100 are being lowered into the sea and it looks as if the Defender will train off Valencia's coast. This is also used as an indication of whether there will be racing or no by the media troops.

Desafío Español will once again try to win a race against Emirates Team NZ in the semifinals. According to Alinghi's managing director Grant Simmer, the Spanish team can easily be considered as the success story of the 32nd America's Cup. As we have repeatedly stated it will be a very difficult task for the Spanish but any victory will come as an incredible bonus to the young team.

Weather forecast
According to the official weather forecast, a low pressure system in southern Spain continues to drive northeasterly gradient breeze. Winds are expected to be in the range of 16 to 18 knots, decreasing to 14-16 knots and veering slightly to east northeast. Most importantly, the sea state will be characterized by a 1-metre swell once breeze decreases. It is overcast and there is a risk of rain. It's slightly warmer that yesterday with maximum temperature reaching 22 degrees.

Here is the forecast by Chris Bedford, BMW Oracle meteorologist, as always, courtesy of the BMW Oracle Blog.