33rd America's Cup - Day 5 - Race 1: LIVE Blogging
5:21pm Alinghi loses more than 5 minutes while offloading their penalty. BMW Oracle wins by 15:28 minutes!!!
5:05pm BMW Oracle crosses the finish line!!
4:58pm Just 5 minutes left to the finish of the 1st race of the 33rd America's Cup in Valencia. BMW Oracle is thrashing Alinghi, leading by close to 3.5 kilometers.
4:50pm Two thirds of the way down the run, BMW Oracle leads by 3,300 meters
4:22pm Alinghi is first to gybe, closely followed by BMW Oracle that seeks to cover. USA is now 3,000 meters ahead of Alinghi 5.
4:15pm BMW Oracle are flying downwind at 25 knots !!! They are now 2,200 meters ahead of Alinghi.
4:05pm Alinghi rounds the top mark, 3:21 minutes behind BMW Oracle
4:02pm BMW Oracle rounds the top mark
3:58pm Alinghi reaches port layline and tacks as well.
3:55pm BMW Oracle reaches port layline and tacks.
3:40pm With 5 miles left to the top mark, BMW Oracle is leading by 1,250 meters.
3:28pm BMW Oracle tacks as well.
3:25pm Alinghi is first to tack.
3:15pm Still on the same tack, the two yachts are heading right, USA 550 meters ahead of Alinghi 5.
3:05pm Both boats are on the same tack with a lateral separation of just 400 meters. BMW Oracle is leading by 150 meters although Alinghi has made some gains, reducing their deficit down from 450 meters.
2:49pm BMW Oracle gets ahead, leading by 80 meters!!! USA is 3-4 knots faster than Alinghi 5.
2:45pm Both boats go right, Alinghi ahead by 125 meters. USA seems faster and closes in on Alinghi 5.
2:34pm Unbelievable !!! BMW Oracle gets stuck over the line!!! Spithill really blows it. Great start for Alinghi.
2:29pm Alinghi fails to keep clear and gets a penalty!!!
2:23pm Ten minutes to start!!!!
2:18pm We do have a race!!! The postponement flag will come down at 2:24pm
2:10pm The postponement flag is still up. Wind at the race committee has dropped to 2 knots and there is still a windless hole in the middle of the race course.
1:40pm We have a race!!! Harold Bennett just advised the starting gun will be fired at 2:10pm!! The final race course is shown in the map below:
Exact positions of the race committee and weather mark for today's race. Copyright Valencia Sailing1:30pm Still waiting for Harold Bennett to start the race. It now appears there is a big windless hole in the middle of the race course.
1:15pm Top mark at: 39°29°9789 N + 0°03´1591 W - 195° 5 knots | Race Committee Boat : 39°49´9992 N + 0°02´5676 W - 180° 6.5 knots
1:05pm We are still waiting for a race course to be set up. The Race Committee boat is moving 3 miles west to a new position, trailed by USA and Alinghi 5.
12:35pm Is it going to be an "Alinghi day"? The sea is flat all around the gulf of Valencia and it looks like we have a constant southerly breeze, 4-5 knots.
12:20pm It seems we might be getting something. There's 6 knots of wind at the committee boat and the weather mark, coming from 190-200º. As a result, our map with the approximate positions of the race course is still quite valid.
12:00pm The Race Committee raises the postponement flag.
11:50am The expected shift to south seems not to be materializing and the northwesterly breeze is still over the race course. It appears the Race Committee will raise the postponement flag.
Friday, 10:50am As we said earlier, Harold Bennett positioned the race committee boat close to the northernmost position allowed by the Notice of Race, in order to take advantage of the southerly winds that are expected to prevail during the early afternoon. According to the official 33rd America's Cup Twitter page, wind comes from 170º with an intensity of 10-12 knots at the weather mark. As a result, today's race course could approximately look like that:
Approximate positions of the race committee and weather mark for today's race. Copyright Valencia SailingFriday, 9:50am Good morning from sunny but cold Valencia. It seems there are chances today could be the day we finally see the two giant multihulls clash. The race committee boat docked out at 9am and according to Harold Bennett racing will be conducted in an area with the Race Committee Boat positioned at approx 39.50.000 N Latitude and 000.07.000 E Longitude.
This position is much further north than in the previous two attempts, in fact it is the northernmost boundary of the Race Area, as per the notice of race. Racing, if it takes place, shouldn't start before noon.
Thursday, 7:30pm As we mentioned earlier on Thursday afternoon, the weather forecast wasn't very promising for Friday. As a result, the race committee just advised that the warning signal tomorrow for the race will not be made before 11:54am. The two yachts will be kept onshore for 2 hours while the race committee will dock out at 9am in order to further assess the situation. Let's hope it won't be yet another long day.
Alinghi held a very interesting presentation in their base where the team's meteorologists Jon Bilger and Jack Katzfey went through the challenges of weather prediction in the 33rd America's Cup. We will have a full report together with the detailed wind maps for tomorrow, later on.
Labels: 33rd America's Cup, Alinghi, BMW Oracle, Harold Bennett
22 Comments:
God - Please make them stop. We have had enough already. Thanks.
just down the street a few blocks Several other "really rich" guys and companies are spending as much money. But you don't see F1 racing/testing stop for such KRAP.
Even DA NU YORC judge said Settle this "ON the WATER. Hello!!!!!!!!
Size doesn't matter, its what you do with your equipment. Alighi built a castle in the sand; Big, impressive but so temporary and condition (weather) dependent. Impressive to the eye as it may be, is it a technological achievement? More like a preview of the future, not the future itself. Good try!
with the olympics starting on friday and the weather delays, i wonder how many will actually be following the AC.
I for one, am losing interest fast. would like to see the boats on the water but with the litigations and now the weather delays... i'll wait for the video
We wait with baited breat for the possibility of the Alinghi V the Predator speed trials, since according to both helmsmen there'll be no time or need for clever tactics.
Love the two machines but they have absolutely nothing to do with America's Cup yacht racing.
So far the best drama has come from two petulant billionaires taking slaps at each other with their handbags.
If you guys cant just wait to see then go watch something else becasue if you guys are not watching it doesn't make any different!
Lets follow the TP52's and the Louis Vuitton boats that are there!
I am starting to question the common sense of some, not to say the intelligence of some self proclaimed "sailors".
- Since when men are so strong that they can defy the nature at will?
- Since when a race boat, made for speed and for a match race should be compared with a dingy?
- Since when technology is supposed to transform a boat into a 4x4 swiss knife?
Match racing is considered as sailing only by some, because for many "real sailing" is something else (open water races for example).
In that AC, what should matter for all "sailors" is the achievement of boat designers in pursuing one goal: the highest possible SPEED !
I think that no matter the outcome of the race, both USA17 and Alinghi 5 have achieved that goal, managed to make the world speak about sailing, and designed boats that are so beautiful that even "real sailors" can't keep their eyes away from them...
That doesn't mean that these boats should be able to sail around the world, crossing the 30th ! Or if so, what about asking a F1 to compete in the desert, or on a dirt track, to see if it is as quick as a 125cc dirt bike?
If someone is to be blamed, then we shall start by remembering that the DOG grants the defender the right to chose the venue. As such Alinghi build a boat for a given condition, the one they anticipated in RAK, not the awful weather that is so common in winter in Valencia.
Even USA 17 went that path, though to a less extend because they anticipated to argue in the court so as to gain some edge (typical from a team not able to win on the water in previous AC dont' you think).
Therefore, just blame the NY court for forcing that event in Valencia at this time of the year if you wish, but do not ask those sailors to go out "match racing" in conditions that do not allow a match race, or even put their lives at risk.
BTW, Einstein said time is relative... so let's wait, and comment in due time.
If they had sailed at the RAK, the Cup would be decided by now. Who wanted Valencia, when any other venue was proposed by Judge Kornreich without referring to the hemisphere? Who was referring to Valencia as the perfect venue? BOR !
Well said d'alba
7:39 AM please got read the court transcripts as the only reason we are in Valencia is.....wait for it......CNEV not Deed Qualified, then we will not appeal, then RAK not Deed Legal and finally SNG had a whole 6 months to choose a place in 1/2 of the world. You got to get your facts right before you make yourself look like the donkeys butt.
7:39
Why not forget the legal stuff like the teams have at least until the racing is over.
Enjoy the sailing and try not to get too stressed , lifes too short
This is not a regular AC guys, whether you like it or not, you should know it by this time... So stop speculating. This is... WAAAAAAAAR!!! Survival of the fittest! And it looks like they're racing! Is it not exciting?? Enjoy the race!
if usa17 is that faster and higher-pointing than alinghi in the light breeze we see today, can you imagine what would happen when some decent wind blows?
Bye bye Alinghi!!!! Thank God we are free from this person.
Oh happy day. The cup will soon be liberated from EB's tyranny and I will no longer have to listen to the Alinghi apologists whine about the courts enforcing the rules.
Go USA!!
At Last a race and what a race it was !!! Well done BMW Oracle.
i'm so happy!!!
So much for all of that "BOR wants to win in court, afraid to race on the water" bulljunk... What a relief! That was a proper spanking I have waited three years to see.
Hopefully this is over on Sunday and we can put this thing back in the hands of people who know something about tradition and history.
If today is what we can expect for the out come of this regatta, the AC will be in very good hands by Monday.
A Hearty Well Done to Harold and His Race Committee.
The On Water Coverage was Excellent. Virtual Eye is an added bonus. Congrats to USA(BMWORACLE Racing) on completing and winning Race 1. 3.5 kilometers, behind, penalty, and failure to effect the penalty turn correctly, has to make Alinghi's sail back to the dock a tough pill to swallow. The Side by Side racing with the boats not splitting made it a Viewer Friendly Exibition.
The Triangle on Sunday should be a great test of these boats, to utilize the different aspects of wind and angles. Would like to see the wind speed up a bit. Really Like the No Holds Bar Racing, and the Game of Chicken(who's going to bink first)
The best bit is, SOON, no more cow bells,
Cannot ever see a cow sailing somehow!
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