America's Cup

No 115 on my FreeView box

same jambalaya.
I don’t have a box but i think its built in as relatively new tv. Just updating my software – last updated 2014. Ive done 2 channel scans but still no 115.

Irrespective of whether you class it as a boat (personally when I go kitesurfing I don’t say “I’m off sailing darling”) its still damm impressive and damm ballsy.

Well that was interesting drag race off the line.
With artemis touted as fast and bar slow after the practice races. BAR looked to have at least 1-2knots advantage!

Phew! Not much of a boat speed issue there was there.
Can BAR do it? Surely not. Spithill must be bricking it!
Shifty though and some BIG splits considering this.
Not much of a match race was it.

@pahoehoe so you have it now ?

What’s bizarre is coverage is on freeview but live video through the app is blocked 😐

Nope! Popped to my mates house.

This next matchup is BIG. USA v NZ

Good racing so far, one race left of this opening series and it’s Ben next again.

It’s clearly not just about boatspeed, lots of tactics being employed… if you know what you are looking for.

Loving Swedens first stint, can’t quite understand the SoftBank crew yet, but the French are out of contention sadly.

Just found it live on American TV! The course looks stunning in Bermuda – I’ve often cycled up there!!

I think it’s pathetic the BBC are not showing it. Can’t find 115 either.

Oooof !

And looks like damage to BAR Port hull… !

Bloody follow my leader.. grrrr.

At least Ben has 2point lead.

And… over.

Great day.

It was blooming close at the start, BAR hull took out the grinders on the SoftBank squad, silly mistake Ben..

Round 2 tomorrow, 3 on Monday, 4 Tuesday, 5 Wednesday.

Same time, same channel.

Don’t like the foils, I hope they all break.

Looks like they had to nurse the boat around the course, with essentially a hole in the bottom. When they stopped at the dockside they all had to bail like fury to prevent it sinking! Hope they manage to repair for today’s racing.

Without the foils, BAR would have definitely sunk and it would have been game over!

I would love to see more frequent sinkings.

You’re not American by any chance!

BAR sustainability – I hope they manage to pick up all that carbon fibre from the course for recycling!

So without TV I look to the trusty press for coverage..

“America’s Cup 2017: Sir David Ainslie and Great Britain endure mixed bag on first day” – Daily Express

Who followed it with “Sir David Ainslie’s crew made a strong statement in their pursuit of the America’s Cup today in their first race..”

You couldn’t write it never mind make it up, no doubt another product of meejia studies at Bognor University for the terminally retarded.

You should have heard all the Balcony One Design sailors at the Club this morning… 😆

It seems the BT freeview channel isn’t available everywhere

Get the Beers in, its on and Bens back for another rubbing..

Spoilers:

Even without putting a hole in the boat, Ainslie can’t round a mark without crashing.

“Handbrake Charlie” is his new name.

Didn’t watch it, but seen the result. Assume Ainslie dropped the boat rounding a mark again?

Awful, woeful boat handling.

Won the start, bailed it then seemed to wander around the course with blinkers on.

Best race was Sweden and NZ, tick tack all the way 9 crosses and the Swedes were in it to win until the last Mark where they picked up a P-S penalty… which was no where near a penalty, I’m hoping it’s gone to the jury because it was a blinkered decision.

The French did well R1, but thier R2 were slow and SoftBank just pealed away like the French were trawling for Groupers.

Missed first race, second was cracking- not sure on the penalty-at these speeds I have no idea what close means. We’ll take the point, but I’m not convinced it was correct. America’s Cup though, no such thing as a fair fight. 🙂
Can the penalty even be overturned?

Can the penalty even be overturned?

Not sure, the commentators didn’t explain what the process was.
GB just don’t seem to be working well. Leading at the start twice now only to loose.
(But I know nothing about racing sailing boats.)

I watched some of the races today. They’re quite good, and mercifully short, but it’s not match racing as I know it. I can’t see anyone throwing 42 tacks in the final beat, there not long enough for one thing.

I imagine the original syndicate members spinning in their graves.

Jury protests still in force, always will be because on water infringements are between two boats not jury and boat. However there are jury decisions made on infringements the jury considers falling foul of the rules. You see the blue flashing lights on the transom of the boat ? Means an infringement has taken place and instead of the rule breaker spinning around 720degrees it’s now a minimum 2 boat length distance between the infringer and the other boat..
NZ called the P-S and the jury following upheld the call..
Those speed boats following each competitor contain jury members, they are there to enforce the rules and make on water decisions instead of always taking it back onshore to the protest room, means decisions can be made quicker and easier in real time.

Not sure what Bens thinking now, but getting angry will definitely help him… he’s good when he’s angry.

How come BAR have gone from winning everything in the last series to being thrashed this week? Without the 2 points we carried in we’d be out of it now.

Boat handling, its simple.

Ben and the team are an amazing group of sailors, the boat is one of the best (although some detractors have highlighted it’s lacking speed) but the boat and crew are sailing it reasonably well, but that’s just not enough. Boat handling these things is a specialists game, BAR have been sailing this enough so they should be able to power on and deliver the speed.. but it’s not gelling, they’re stalling mid flight and slow out of 3/10 manoeuvres, these mistakes are punished severely by gains of 100’s of meters by the other team, and its tricky to make that up unless the other team makes a mistake.. and they’re not, it’s as simple as that. Tactics of old are out, luffing and pinning are things of the past, now it’s all big bear always and intimidation at speed where luff to wind matches don’t cut it anymore.
He’s got the start mentality dialled, he’s got the killer instincts required, he’s got the grit, what they lack are boat handling skills and I’m worried for them. Bens come from mid table before now to win outright, he’s a skilled helmsman and tactician but unless he can keep that thing flying fast he’s facing a tough task to stay where he is.

If you watch the vid feeds and gossip on FB (Americas Cup feeds, not the gossip mongers) tonight’s interview of the squad manager, by Bens wife (of all people) majored in the “if anyone can, Ben can” but it’s not just Ben, it’s the squad too.. keep the boat at full chat all of the time until it crosses that line.

But we’ve been in this situation before, Bens made of something deep within that he needs to get angry about, I’m hoping he’s off kicking a wall or crushing beer cans behind the tent rather than be interviewed by his Wife for the umpteenth time on TV.

Sory..being thick here, but I thought the boats used in the America’s Cup Series races weren’t the same as the ones being raced in the actual cup races now…or am I wrong on that?

I doubt anybody who can remember 4 years back (1-8) will write off Ben Ainslie’s team even if they’re well down. They have it all to do though.

The boats are now bigger, the last series was AC45’s (45 ft cats) these series boats are AC72’s (72 ft cats) and hydraulic rams for control lines. So much bigger, more powerful and much quicker.

Nope.They raced the world cup series in AC45F’s.These are for all intents and purposes one design.They had AC45S’s for development and training.They have the same hull shape as the F’s but in house designed control systems,wings and foils.They were never raced.
From these prototypes they built the ACC boats.Still same hull design but these are the final boats they race in the Americas Cup races proper
here