The Big Five? May 13, 07:46
Today it gets a bit more interesting. We race NZL while Luna Rossa (ITA/LR) and Alinghi (SUI) go at it. The other match to keep an eye on will be Desafio Espanol (ESP) vs. Mascalzone Latino (ITA/ML). The Regatta Director's pairing list for Day Three is here.
More of the same weather-wise. Yesterday at times we had a knot or two more breeze than the 7-11 predicted. If the clouds clear away and it gets a bit warmer this afternoon, maybe the seabreeze will surprise us and assert more than expected.
Desafio Espanol (ESP) and the locals were rejoicing last night. Their day began with the christening of the new yacht ESP 88 in the presence of their majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. Then Juan Carlos, a keen racing sailor in his own right (as are the royal kids), sailed with ESP as 18th man in their first race -- followed around by a gaggle of media. Is there a Spanish word for paparazzi?
But it was Desafio's second race against Luna Rossa (ITA/LR) that, as we had predicted here on the BOB yesterday morning, turned out to be the "match of the day". ESP managed to beat Luna Rossa even after copping a pre-start penalty. ¡Viva España!
This morning the media are in a lather about the "Big Four" now being the Big Five. Apparently Luna Rossa have been struggling a bit with their new ITA 86. In pre-Act informal racing with various teams the media have reported that 86 appeared a bit off the pace, as she looked again yesterday. So, at least for the moment, maybe it's actually the Big Three?
But don't count Luna Rossa out just yet. They are a sharp, highly-motivated team with heaps of experience. And so far we only have seen racing in the lightish 7-11 range. Let's see how everyone goes in 11-16, let alone the bumpier 17-23, yet to come (one hopes -- although Chris Bedford is saying this morning it could be light for the rest of Act 10).
All but lost in yesterday's ESP hoopla was Alinghi's narrow win over Mascalzone. The "Macaroni's" (we have a more or less endearing moniker for each of our opponents) led a good bit of that match. Apparently Alinghi pooched the start, but more importantly ITA 77 (Dennis Conner's boat from the 2003 campaign) was going like a bat out of hell downwind. Alinghi held them off at the finish by less than a boat length.
So maybe it's really the Big Six? Or are the Spanish and Mascalzone just light air pretenders, Luna Rossa seriously off the pace with their new boat, and Alinghi now starting to show signs of weakness with their multiple-skipper merry-go-round and an aging SUI 75? (Recall that 75 was none too swift in the light going at Trapani last autumn.)
If so, that would make the Kiwis and ourselves the standard bearers. The new Big Two??
Somehow I doubt it. Regardless, it's much too early to tell.
As we have been saying for many months, the "modernizations" that the Defender and Challenger of Record wrote into the rules for this 32nd edition of the Cup -- especially with the hope of providing, closer, more intense racing -- seem to be working. The "Big Four" are going to lose races to lower-ranked teams, especially in light air.
After a particularly heavy-air period a couple weeks back, we are now going through a light patch. And things will heat up -- literally and figuratively. As the temperatures rise with the approach of the Valencian summer, more new yachts will come on line (including, one suspects, Alinghi's new SUI-91), the seabreeze will ramp up, and the seas will get rougher. Only then will we begin to get a true feel for who's who in AC 32.
In the meantime, enjoy the early skirmishes. Especially in the light air, there's still a lot of damn to come over the water.
Modernizing the Cup, and
leveling the playing field?
More of the same weather-wise. Yesterday at times we had a knot or two more breeze than the 7-11 predicted. If the clouds clear away and it gets a bit warmer this afternoon, maybe the seabreeze will surprise us and assert more than expected.
Desafio Espanol (ESP) and the locals were rejoicing last night. Their day began with the christening of the new yacht ESP 88 in the presence of their majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. Then Juan Carlos, a keen racing sailor in his own right (as are the royal kids), sailed with ESP as 18th man in their first race -- followed around by a gaggle of media. Is there a Spanish word for paparazzi?
But it was Desafio's second race against Luna Rossa (ITA/LR) that, as we had predicted here on the BOB yesterday morning, turned out to be the "match of the day". ESP managed to beat Luna Rossa even after copping a pre-start penalty. ¡Viva España!
This morning the media are in a lather about the "Big Four" now being the Big Five. Apparently Luna Rossa have been struggling a bit with their new ITA 86. In pre-Act informal racing with various teams the media have reported that 86 appeared a bit off the pace, as she looked again yesterday. So, at least for the moment, maybe it's actually the Big Three?
But don't count Luna Rossa out just yet. They are a sharp, highly-motivated team with heaps of experience. And so far we only have seen racing in the lightish 7-11 range. Let's see how everyone goes in 11-16, let alone the bumpier 17-23, yet to come (one hopes -- although Chris Bedford is saying this morning it could be light for the rest of Act 10).
All but lost in yesterday's ESP hoopla was Alinghi's narrow win over Mascalzone. The "Macaroni's" (we have a more or less endearing moniker for each of our opponents) led a good bit of that match. Apparently Alinghi pooched the start, but more importantly ITA 77 (Dennis Conner's boat from the 2003 campaign) was going like a bat out of hell downwind. Alinghi held them off at the finish by less than a boat length.
So maybe it's really the Big Six? Or are the Spanish and Mascalzone just light air pretenders, Luna Rossa seriously off the pace with their new boat, and Alinghi now starting to show signs of weakness with their multiple-skipper merry-go-round and an aging SUI 75? (Recall that 75 was none too swift in the light going at Trapani last autumn.)
If so, that would make the Kiwis and ourselves the standard bearers. The new Big Two??
Somehow I doubt it. Regardless, it's much too early to tell.
As we have been saying for many months, the "modernizations" that the Defender and Challenger of Record wrote into the rules for this 32nd edition of the Cup -- especially with the hope of providing, closer, more intense racing -- seem to be working. The "Big Four" are going to lose races to lower-ranked teams, especially in light air.
After a particularly heavy-air period a couple weeks back, we are now going through a light patch. And things will heat up -- literally and figuratively. As the temperatures rise with the approach of the Valencian summer, more new yachts will come on line (including, one suspects, Alinghi's new SUI-91), the seabreeze will ramp up, and the seas will get rougher. Only then will we begin to get a true feel for who's who in AC 32.
In the meantime, enjoy the early skirmishes. Especially in the light air, there's still a lot of damn to come over the water.
)
Modernizing the Cup, andleveling the playing field?
Commentary | by TFE
