America's Cup Update

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Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
What a difference a week makes! Oracle Team USA has finally coalesced and is consistently sailing faster than Emirates Team New Zealand. Yesterday Oracle took it's winning streak to 5 straight and now has 8 wins to New Zealand's 8. The sailing has become exceptionally competitive and close. Oracle is even able to foil upwind!

Race 17 begins at 1310 today in San Francisco (1610 EDT). Broadcast live on NBC Sports Network (the NFL channel).

If you are local, all bleacher seats are free today! :dance:
 
shemandr

shemandr

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Jan 1, 2006
7,650
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
No matter your opinion of the format, this would be one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. The drama is there.
 
JK_Boston_Catalina310

JK_Boston_Catalina310

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Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
Definitely has been exciting. But it also makes me really pissed the Oracle team had to cheat. If it was 8-8 now, that would be even more exciting.
 
Scotty C-M

Scotty C-M

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Apr 11, 2012
324
Cataina 400 MK II Santa Cruz
I sure hope it's 8-8. Go Oracle! It's great to watch on the water, but TV really is the way to understand what's going on. Best scenario: Watch TV on the boat while watching live!!
 
Don S/V ILLusion

Don S/V ILLusion

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Sep 25, 2008
7,496
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
From watching the TV interviews, it sounds like the Oracle crew all have a pronounced NZ accent. Maybe just the afterguard?


If that is any indication, this is more a race between logos than countries.
 
capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,952
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
I can't help having a sneaking suspicion that the "powers that be", be they the TV people or advertisers, have demanded Barker rein in his team to prolong the races.
It was pretty much like having a much hyped heavyweight prize fight (THE fight of the century!) end half way through the first round.
 
thinwater

thinwater

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Mar 26, 2011
3,751
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
capta said:
I can't help having a sneaking suspicion that the "powers that be", be they the TV people or advertisers, have demanded Barker rein in his team to prolong the races.
It was pretty much like having a much hyped heavyweight prize fight (THE fight of the century!) end half way through the first round.
Click to expand
I wonder what he had to pay them to fake the near capsize.

But joking aside, I'm sure ESPN is thrilled. This is better than they should have expected.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
There will be plenty of wind today, and the wind limit will be raised with a flood tide, so we should get a second race if OTA stays in the hunt.

Grant Dalton returns to ETNZ - he's like their lucky kiwi charm.

I love an underdog race, but either way, this is spectacular sail racing.
 
Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,224
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Don S/V ILLusion said:
From watching the TV interviews, it sounds like the Oracle crew all have a pronounced NZ accent. Maybe just the afterguard?


If that is any indication, this is more a race between logos than countries.
Click to expand
It's been that way for 30+ years, probably longer than that. These are professional sailors hired by competing yacht clubs , not countries, to acquire possession of the Americas Cup. Who do you think funds the NZ team? Are there any Arab sailors on that crew?

Since the NY Yacht club lost the cup, it's been corporate syndicates funding the team, but they are always attached to a yacht club.... not a national organization. The Kiwi's are dominant in professional sailing. Along with rugby, sailing is their national sport. However, they don't have the kind of corporate resources it takes to field multiple teams..... But the kiwis have the talent.... so you see them all over the globe competing for wherever they can.... like Brazilian soccer players or Dominican baseball players.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Wednesday, 25 September 2013: Will the longest America's Cup competition in history be decided? Winner of the next race wins the cup.
 
capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,952
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Oh come on now, there's one American on the Oracle boat. Too bad that out of 300 million Americans Ellison couldn't find 11 who can sail. Shame on him.
 
JK_Boston_Catalina310

JK_Boston_Catalina310

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Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
capta said:
Oh come on now, there's one American on the Oracle boat. Too bad that out of 300 million Americans Ellison couldn't find 11 who can sail. Shame on him.
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How about shame on us American sailing fans that we let the sport we love decline to that point.

Ellison simply hired the best. Rewarding merit is the most American thing you can do. Putting Americans on the team that are less skilled than other sailors is just plain wrong
 
Don S/V ILLusion

Don S/V ILLusion

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Sep 25, 2008
7,496
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
JK_Boston_Catalina310 said:
How about shame on us American sailing fans that we let the sport we love decline to that point.

Ellison simply hired the best. Rewarding merit is the most American thing you can do. Putting Americans on the team that are less skilled than other sailors is just plain wrong
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One thing seems clear. NZ has the best sailors regardless of the logo on the boat.
 
shemandr

shemandr

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Jan 1, 2006
7,650
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
If you can't get on board with TOUS because there aren't enough, or any, United States citizens manning the boat, how about the venue? Wouldn't you like to see the cup stay in SF and build and improve on what has been done there so far? I think a bit of stability would do the event a lot of good. Good on the US sailors and I am rooting for the cup to stay.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Who knows, maybe this +50 mph sail racing taking place within 0.5 klics of the shoreline will encourage more American youngsters that sail racing can be more exciting than other sports, or sitting in front of a blinking screen? FYI, St. Mary's College (Maryland) produced the core of the AC US youth racing team last month.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Don S/V ILLusion said:
One thing seems clear. NZ has the best sailors regardless of the logo on the boat.
Click to expand
OTA rearguard Aussies Jimmy Spithill, Tom Slingsby; and English Olympic gold medalist Sir Ben Ainslie would beg to differ.
 
Tim R.

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
Just finished watching race 17 and 18. 18 was the most excited AC race I have ever seen. Awesome sailing skills by the US and some mistakes by NZ. The pass on the upwind leg was unbelievable. To see a boat pass another going 4-5 kts faster is so cool. Race 19 winner take all. You gotta root for the come-back kids at this point.
 
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