Another subtle but important innovation for this 32nd America's Cup, about which I have seen little if anything written, is "the gate."
In past Cups the end of the downwind legs was a buoy. If two yachts in a match were close -- within, say, four boat lengths -- after rounding the bottom mark the trailing yacht almost always got hosed by the "bad air" (vortex of disturbed wind of coming off the sails) of the yacht ahead, and lost another couple boat lengths. The rich got richer, and it further reduced the chances of the trailing yacht ever passing in a match.
In the months after the 2003 Cup, during one of the many meetings between the Defender (Alinghi) and Challenger of Record (BMWOR) to lay down the event plan, class rule, etc., we decided to replace the leeward mark with two buoys -- a gate -- through which the yachts must pass and then have the choice of rounding either end to begin the next windward leg.
A gate is now quite common in large fleets, such as the Farr 40 class, where a pile of boats often arrive at end of the downwind leg at nearly the same time. The gate helps minimize the traffic jam and resulting "pinwheel effect" at a single buoy as boats astern literally had to slow down and keep clear while the yachts ahead rounded the mark.
The adoption of a leeward gate for the Cup has, by all accounts, been well received by the sailors, both for fleet and match racing. And it presents a new set of tactical challenges, and conflicting choices.
It is a challenge for the navigators to know which end is further upwind, as the RC is not always able to set the gate square to the course axis, let alone square to the wind when the wind is not alinged with the course axis.
It is a challenge for the strategist as he is thinking about which side of the next windward leg is the goer, and accordingly he will normally want to round the corresponding end of the gate.
The tactician, if trailing close behind the other yacht, will normally want to round the opposite end of the gate as the leader for clear air.
In fleet racing, the leader(s) must consider which gate will provide the clearer "escape" from the bad air and wake of the fleet sailing downwind behind them.
Finally, all other things being equal (which, of course, they rarely are), the foredeck and helmsman prefer to round the end of the gate which permits the fastest approach and takedown, and cleanest exit from the gate -- which normally, but not always, means avoiding a jibe.
Add to all those considerations that the navigator probably can't tell which end of the gate, if either, is favored -- more upwind -- until the last 500m or so of the downwind leg (if ever); and if you are the trailing yacht, you sometimes can't tell which end the lead boat will round until the last few seconds.
Several times here in Trapani we have seen good and bad calls at the gate that have made a big difference in the outcome of the races. In yesterday's second race, for example, our guys chose the left* end of the gate even though it was further downwind and it meant jibing. Luna Rossa had chosen the right-hand end, so we would be rounding up in clear air on the left end; moreover, it would get us quicker to what the guys thought would be the favored left side of the course.
So they sailed a bit further to round the left end, but ended up passing Luna Rossa fairly early in the leg due to the big lefty that did indeed come down the track.
We could recount a number of other gate-related passes in the Act 8 match racing.
The gate, like umpiring, has been widely accepted with almost no comment, and appears here to stay -- a small but significant improvement in the AC game.
*looking downwind it was the right-hand end, but for the sake of consistent communication on the boat the guys always refer to the left or right end of the gate, or left or right side of the course, as if they are looking upwind -- even when they are running downwind.
At the end of Leg 2 (the first run) the yachts pass through
the gate and may round either end to begin Leg 3.
(With thanks to Peter Isler who fact-checked this post and added a tidbit or two.)
Photo courtesy of the excellent Valencia Sailing site, where there are)
Photo courtesy of the excellent Valencia Sailing site, where there are)
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