America’s Cup - ETNZ launches 1st AC75 (new)

[Wotname]

Great effort ETNZ!

Ah, Your Majesty, there is no second (apocryphally)

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Scotty Kiwi

Well what a Regatta that turned out to be.

Fantastic stuff Luna Rosa, Ineos and American Magic, it's one of those rare times for superlatives! Incredibly hard fought right to the end. So well done.

It's way to early to ask a question, but can't resist also saying "Looking forward to see what they come up with next, for four years time."

Yes, I am curious what the next AC format will be and someone mentioned that NZ might consider a different location for financial reasons.

Had not heard about that
Any rumors?

[jmh2002]

ETNZ, very well done, especially in not their optimium wind conditions

And Luna Rossa, well done too, for pushing ETNZ so hard

[fxykty]

Wow, what a race for the first lap. Awesome job by both boats. Congratulations LRPP and TNZ!

Will we see a deed of gift race next year in the UK with RYS being the challenger of record, back to the Isle of Wight?

[Compass790]

Check this out;
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/ame...4DBEZDAQITGQY/

[CassidyNZ]

So it’s over and the great thing is the last race was text-book stuff. No talk about “LRPP made a mistake” or “ETNZ got a lucky break”. Quite simply the faster boat sailed by the better crew got a good start and out-performed the other team.

Still in the last couple of legs it was still a procession with an ever-widening gap between the boats.

So it’s over for another four years. It’s been great discussing the details with you guys, hope we get to do this again next time. Maybe we’ll see the same quartet of teams with UK seemingly the COR, Prada already saying they’ll be back and the inconceivable, USA not being represented. Maybe the Aussies will find some courage to come back, maybe even the Swiss, oh, but wait, they don’t have any sailors anymore. All their NZ brains trust has retired. Bugger!

[MicHughV]

well, whatever happens, I hope we go back to more traditional sailing. A race that only lasts 20-30 minutes doesn't seem like much bang for your $100 million investment.

Not sure, if we've seen the end of the foils though....I guess once you've flown a Boeing 747, a prop plane seems antiquated, but, something more traditional, in my view, might attract more entries...

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

So it’s over and the great thing is the last race was text-book stuff. No talk about “LRPP made a mistake” or “ETNZ got a lucky break”. Quite simply the faster boat sailed by the better crew got a good start and out-performed the other team...

I think that there were some LRPP mistakes.

Of course they probably saw the handwriting on the wall by race 9. But in race 9 when LRPP tacked on TNZ and TNZ tacked away to the right, LRPP let them go. Yes, it would have been a down-speed tack but they should have seen that TNZ move coming and planned to cover better. Their only chance was to hold TNZ back they needed to try (AND, it was a mistake not realize that there was a right hand shift).

On Race 10 it was again LRPP's mistake not to see that the right hand side was favored and to have not prevented TNZ from getting it. On the final approach to the start LRPP was to the left of TNZ and closer to line. They could have held TNZ up longer then run down to the boat end, cut close to it, and tacked immediately themselves. Even if they didn't see that the right was favored they should have seen the extent that TNZ was prepared to go to get the right. On that basis alone they should have prevented them from getting it.

I wonder if they had lost the animal spirt by that time, knowing that holding TNZ off for 4 races was going to be pretty much impossible.

[Apollo19.5]

Well done to all teams and the Kiwis for the win. Personally, I liked the boats and believe if they stick to the concept, the performance will get faster and closer between the teams. I did recently go back and find some race footage of 12s, AC class and must admit it was like watching paint dry in comparison. Foils are here to stay I believe.

[jmh2002]

Fred, LRPP knew the right was favoured, we hear Jimmy say it during the pre-start.

They wanted it, but ETNZ managed to steal it from them.

As you know, that's yacht racing.

[Apollo19.5]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I think that there were some LRPP mistakes.

Of course they probably saw the handwriting on the wall by race 9. But in race 9 when LRPP tacked on TNZ and TNZ tacked away to the right, LRPP let them go. Yes, it would have been a down-speed tack but they should have seen that TNZ move coming and planned to cover better. Their only chance was to hold TNZ back they needed to try (AND, it was a mistake not realize that there was a right hand shift).

On Race 10 it was again LRPP's mistake not to see that the right hand side was favored and to have not prevented TNZ from getting it. On the final approach to the start LRPP was to the left of TNZ and closer to line. They could have held TNZ up longer then run down to the boat end, cut close to it, and tacked immediately themselves. Even if they didn't see that the right was favored they should have seen the extent that TNZ was prepared to go to get the right. On that basis alone they should have prevented them from getting it.

I wonder if they had lost the animal spirt by that time, knowing that holding TNZ off for 4 races was going to be pretty much impossible.

Agree. Ultimately, it was better tactics/sailing that decided it, which is the way it should have been decided. Great racing and mindblowing to watch close quarters tacking/maneuvering at 30-40knots. Each time I have sailed over 20knots, the last thing I would have wanted to do is to pull off a lee bow or similar tight to others doing they same thing. As the series progressed, the crew work and boat handling just got better and better as a rule.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I think that there were some LRPP mistakes.



Of course they probably saw the handwriting on the wall by race 9. But in race 9 when LRPP tacked on TNZ and TNZ tacked away to the right, LRPP let them go. Yes, it would have been a down-speed tack but they should have seen that TNZ move coming and planned to cover better. Their only chance was to hold TNZ back they needed to try (AND, it was a mistake not realize that there was a right hand shift).



On Race 10 it was again LRPP's mistake not to see that the right hand side was favored and to have not prevented TNZ from getting it. On the final approach to the start LRPP was to the left of TNZ and closer to line. They could have held TNZ up longer then run down to the boat end, cut close to it, and tacked immediately themselves. Even if they didn't see that the right was favored they should have seen the extent that TNZ was prepared to go to get the right. On that basis alone they should have prevented them from getting it.



I wonder if they had lost the animal spirt by that time, knowing that holding TNZ off for 4 races was going to be pretty much impossible.

The on board comms from LRPP before the race 10 start indicated that they knew the right hand end was favoured. Unfortunately for them, TNZ won the start and got the right hand end for themselves. Bummer.

Their only road to victory was a close cover and using their superior high mode. It’s how they won their 3 races. In the last two races they clearly failed to execute a close cover.

In race 8 they only needed to stay on their foils, which should have been easier for them with their larger jib and bigger foils. They didn’t manage just one tack, and lost. Ouch, that one must have hurt.

It goes on, LRPP sailed mostly very well, but when they made mistakes they were punished harshly. They did very well racing against a slightly faster boat, but just like in 2013, by mid-series it was inevitable. Once we saw the finish gaps after the first two days, then again the third, it was all over - very small gaps when TNZ lost and much larger gaps when LRPP won.

The Mossie Sails vlog has a series of analysis videos and they certainly point to a team that was relentless in figuring out how to make their boat faster - with a number of small improvements and techniques that individually gained 0.1 or 0.2 knots, that added up to a sum total of the 2 knots that we saw on the water.

The superior team defended the AC.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I think that there were some LRPP mistakes.

Of course they probably saw the handwriting on the wall by race 9. But in race 9 when LRPP tacked on TNZ and TNZ tacked away to the right, LRPP let them go. Yes, it would have been a down-speed tack but they should have seen that TNZ move coming and planned to cover better. Their only chance was to hold TNZ back they needed to try (AND, it was a mistake not realize that there was a right hand shift).

On Race 10 it was again LRPP's mistake not to see that the right hand side was favored and to have not prevented TNZ from getting it. On the final approach to the start LRPP was to the left of TNZ and closer to line. They could have held TNZ up longer then run down to the boat end, cut close to it, and tacked immediately themselves. Even if they didn't see that the right was favored they should have seen the extent that TNZ was prepared to go to get the right. On that basis alone they should have prevented them from getting it.

I wonder if they had lost the animal spirt by that time, knowing that holding TNZ off for 4 races was going to be pretty much impossible.

Those were not mistakes, they were conditions thrust upon them by a stronger team and/or poor judgement. I’m talking about “mistakes” like missing the foil button or gybing into the wash of the other boat.

[jmh2002]

For those who didn't see the live coverage (or can't watch long videos) here are two 1 minute videos summarising things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS4nevR7RcU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pstjOoyXrI

[jmh2002]

I would like to see more racing though. Best of 9, 11, or 13 maybe?

But I don't think it would have changed the result.

ETNZ were getting faster and more confident with each new day and in the end finished it in dominant style in what should have been conditions more advantageous to LRPP.