America's Cup - Anybody Watching?

[IrishIvan]

Its an elitists sport that only the mega wealthy can afford to participate in. At least with sports like soccer any one in the world can be good at it.

[canman]

Its an elitists sport that only the mega wealthy can afford to participate in. At least with sports like soccer any one in the world can be good at it.

Anyone can be as good as Rooney or Beckham and make millions per year? Athletes such as this are just as much in the elite catagory as these super cats. Anyone can play football as a young kid on the local pitch, just as any kid can go and sail a cheap little lazer or hobby cat.

There are the elite and the average in most sports.

[IrishIvan]

Its an elitists sport that only the mega wealthy can afford to participate in. At least with sports like soccer any one in the world can be good at it.

Anyone can be as good as Rooney or Beckham and make millions per year? Athletes such as this are just as much in the elite catagory as these super cats. Anyone can play football as a young kid on the local pitch, just as any kid can go and sail a cheap little lazer or hobby cat.

 

There are the elite and the average in most sports.

My point is: its safe to say most kids have access to a soccer ball. Most kids dont have access to a sailing boat.

I wasnt privileged enough to go sailing in my youth as my parents didnt have much money. Hence its a sport for the rich

[Jasun]

I enjoy watching it, but sad it has turned into a sailing version of the F1, with technology completely dictating the ability to compete.

[grumpyoldman]

ah yea missed it buddy, yawning festival finals underway.....

[stevenl]

Watching sailing, marginally less boring than watching cricket or afl.

I tend to agree actually watching Sours 2-0 up at the moment good game and thats live on Rawai Basic Cable . Americas Cup do NZ not win that every year?

Well, they're not the defending champions.

[KarenBravo]

The International Americas Cup Class was a class of racing yacht that was developed for the America's Cup between 1992 and 2007. These yachts, while not identical, were all designed to the same formula to offer designers the freedom to experiment whilst keeping the boats sufficiently comparable to race in real time. The class was established for the 1992 America's Cup because of perceived shortcomings of the 12-metre class, which had been used in the America's Cup since 1958.

If your statement is true, how come, in 1988, a catamaran ended up racing a giant of a sloop?

The sloop got predictably slaughtered.

[harrry]

The International Americas Cup Class was a class of racing yacht that was developed for the America's Cup between 1992 and 2007. These yachts, while not identical, were all designed to the same formula to offer designers the freedom to experiment whilst keeping the boats sufficiently comparable to race in real time. The class was established for the 1992 America's Cup because of perceived shortcomings of the 12-metre class, which had been used in the America's Cup since 1958.

If your statement is true, how come, in 1988, a catamaran ended up racing a giant of a sloop?

The sloop got predictably slaughtered.

Just put it down to kiwi sneaki clever ness

[KarenBravo]

The International Americas Cup Class was a class of racing yacht that was developed for the America's Cup between 1992 and 2007. These yachts, while not identical, were all designed to the same formula to offer designers the freedom to experiment whilst keeping the boats sufficiently comparable to race in real time. The class was established for the 1992 America's Cup because of perceived shortcomings of the 12-metre class, which had been used in the America's Cup since 1958.

If your statement is true, how come, in 1988, a catamaran ended up racing a giant of a sloop?

The sloop got predictably slaughtered.

Just put it down to kiwi sneaki clever ness

Errrm....the Kiwis had the sloop.

It was the Merkins that did the slaughtering.

Edited September 20, 2013 by KarenBravo

[harrry]

The International Americas Cup Class was a class of racing yacht that was developed for the America's Cup between 1992 and 2007. These yachts, while not identical, were all designed to the same formula to offer designers the freedom to experiment whilst keeping the boats sufficiently comparable to race in real time. The class was established for the 1992 America's Cup because of perceived shortcomings of the 12-metre class, which had been used in the America's Cup since 1958.

If your statement is true, how come, in 1988, a catamaran ended up racing a giant of a sloop?

The sloop got predictably slaughtered.

Just put it down to kiwi sneaki clever ness

Errrm....the Kiwis had the sloop.

It was the Merkins that did the slaughtering.

Exactly....the kiwis got sick of polishing the damn thing.

[xylophone]

The International Americas Cup Class was a class of racing yacht that was developed for the America's Cup between 1992 and 2007. These yachts, while not identical, were all designed to the same formula to offer designers the freedom to experiment whilst keeping the boats sufficiently comparable to race in real time. The class was established for the 1992 America's Cup because of perceived shortcomings of the 12-metre class, which had been used in the America's Cup since 1958.

If your statement is true, how come, in 1988, a catamaran ended up racing a giant of a sloop?

The sloop got predictably slaughtered.

I don't know the technical terms for this, however there was a clause in the "Deed of Gift" rules which allowed a challenge to be made to the holders of the America's Cup and a New Zealand merchant banker and his company, Fay Richwhite, issued a challenge to race for the cup.

Whilst the New Zealand team built a huge fibreglass yacht, specifically designed for the San Francisco breezes and made it so light that it was only designed to be used for about three races because of the stresses involved, Dennis Connor and his team built a catamaran. Of course this never entered the heads of the Kiwi team because it was seen as "unsporting" to do this, however the race went ahead with the expected result.

I had the pleasure of sailing that huge fibreglass yacht around the Hauraki Gulf (offshore Auckland) obviously helped by a team of real sailors, because I am certainly far removed from that, and it was absolutely awesome, with this huge yacht effortlessly and silently cutting through the water with such power and elegance. It is now displayed for all to see in the Viaduct Harbour, downtown Auckland.

Personally I liked the monohull racing and cannot really come to terms with the current catamarans. In New Zealand the viewing experience was heightened by the fact that there were some excellent computer graphics on-screen and this really did add to the excitement.

And of course, finally, GO YOU KIWIS!

[mikebike]

The International Americas Cup Class was a class of racing yacht that was developed for the America's Cup between 1992 and 2007. These yachts, while not identical, were all designed to the same formula to offer designers the freedom to experiment whilst keeping the boats sufficiently comparable to race in real time. The class was established for the 1992 America's Cup because of perceived shortcomings of the 12-metre class, which had been used in the America's Cup since 1958.

If your statement is true, how come, in 1988, a catamaran ended up racing a giant of a sloop?

The sloop got predictably slaughtered.

The '92-'07 era came about because of the issues surrounding the '88 AC.

[Old Croc]

America won both races overnight, tally now 8 all.

The Kiwis heading for one of sports biggest chokes?

(must have found out the yanks have an aussie captain for their boat. )

[xylophone]

America won both races overnight, tally now 8 all.

The Kiwis heading for one of sports biggest chokes?

(must have found out the yanks have an aussie captain for their boat. )

As a Kiwi I am gutted that ETNZ hasn't been able to close this out before now.

The Oracle boat has found more speed and is now the faster boat, so barring an accident it seems that the Cup could stay with in the USA (Larry Ellison et al) but I sincerely hope not as winning the Americas Cup would be a boost to the NZ economy as well as add to the already long list of sporting achievements by a small country "punching well above its weight".

Never mind that the OTUSA skipper is an Aussie, as he has sailed the boat extremely well, helped of course by the many Kiwis on that boat.

Come tomorrow (weather permitting) the winner will be decided, and if ETNZ lose then so be it, and life here for me will go on as per usual...........looking forward to the next game of Union played by the best Rugby team in the world. And so on...

[steelepulse]

I haven't been following too closely, so what is the big turnaround due to?

[Valentine]

I haven't been following too closely, so what is the big turnaround due to?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/americas-cup/9203760/Kiwi-expertise-behind-Oracles-Cup-resurgence

I understand these guys will be facing treason charges back in NZ.

[steelepulse]

Ouch, Kiwis helping the Kiwis opponent and not happy about it. "They want for nothing - they have had absolutely everything they needed all the way through. So that resource has made them a very strong team and able to react like they have been able to.

"We obviously come at it from the other side, having to watch everything we spend. We have obviously had to make a lot of tough decisions along the way, though that's not the reason why we aren't winning this last race."

[xylophone]

Ouch, Kiwis helping the Kiwis opponent and not happy about it. "They want for nothing - they have had absolutely everything they needed all the way through. So that resource has made them a very strong team and able to react like they have been able to.

"We obviously come at it from the other side, having to watch everything we spend. We have obviously had to make a lot of tough decisions along the way, though that's not the reason why we aren't winning this last race."

NZ has produced some fine sailors and still continues to do so, so it's no surprise that they are sought after the world over, as is the NZ boat building expertise, so these things have to be expected because money talks.

Interesting to note that both catamarans were built in NZ and I just hope that somewhere, somehow ETNZ can find that extra bit of "tweaking" or speed that is needed to win just one more race. PLEASE!

[cloudhopper]

Absolutely spectacular!

[patongphil]

Could this be the worlds biggest Choke coming up?

[xylophone]

OTUSA were always the favourites to win because the defending champion can call the shots and having a backer like Larry Ellison with very deep pockets makes a huge difference – – figures show that OTUSA were able to spend five times more on their campaign than ETNZ.

So if the Oracle team win, then it was expected, however if the NZ team win then it would be a case of "David slaying Goliath". The boats have not been evenly matched since Oracle made some design modifications to their boat, giving them a speed advantage, so in reality they could go out and win another 20 or 100 races against the NZ team so it's purely a question of the fastest boat winning unless an upset happens out on the water.

Either way, to see a nation of 4.4 million people producing a team which won the Louis Vuitton cup and challenged for the America's Cup, one has to be proud because in the end it was USA versus New Zealand.

[Old Croc]

The Oracle team won.

[harrry]

The Oracle team won.

Or was that Kiwi technology won.

[xylophone]

The Oracle team won.

No probs with that.................still proud to have been the challenger for the world's greatest sailing competition!

[animatic]

It still was an amazing finish to an amazing series including the LV Cup.

AC racing has always been about deep pockets financing the latest boat technology.

There has always been some national pride on the line, but also the need to back it up fully.

Elison has only done what the likes of J.P Morgan and syndicate, Sopwith and Tom Lipton

did over the last century. It is a designers race, and in 'same rule match racing', a boat tuners contest too.

Here was the whole nation of New Zealand vs essentially one rich guy,

so I don't see that as intrinsically uneven. Yes he out spent them, but they could have gotten more

I think they didn't because they were ahead for a lot of the LV and AC series.

Remember NZ are the ones who got foiling going, and everyone else was doing catchup.

So maybe they thought they had it figured out, only to realise Oracle was really woodshedding

big time behind the scenes. Just as Oracle found more speed, NZ should have been able to do the same,

but I think a long winning streak lead to complacency and they got caught flat footed by Oracle's gains.

But that also happens in AC racing historically.

Still an fantastic nail biter much of the time, and just watching these boats fly and dip and dive,

and nearly 'crash and burn' at critical times was exciting. Lets hope in 3 years there is basically

the same boat spec and same race series happening, so that more teams have the time to join in,

and get up to speed, and make it a truly large scale pre-series and an even tighter final series.

Edited September 27, 2013 by animatic

[KarenBravo]

As both boats were built in NZ, I consider them the winner.

[xylophone]

I personally liked the old style of Americas Cup racing where the yachts had to tack and jibe and seamanship really became an art, and just about every country could afford to put a team in if they wanted to, whereas the latest AC only attracted three challengers.

Designing the America's Cup campaign to be a race that only the very rich could afford to compete in ensured that Larry Ellison had achieved his desire..........those with the deepest pockets will likely win.

I sincerely hope that the next AC doesn't continue with the catamaran theme so that many more countries will be able to compete in it, but then as is well known, Larry Ellison doesn't like to lose, so I won't keep my fingers crossed.

[NamKangMan]

There was only one American in "Team USA" and on the Oracle boat and the skipper was Australian. <deleted>?

Edited September 27, 2013 by NamKangMan

[harrry]

As both boats were built in NZ, I consider them the winner.

As the main part of the crew were ausies I consider it an ANZAC win.

[phuketjock]

As both boats were built in NZ, I consider them the winner.

As the main part of the crew were ausies I consider it an ANZAC win.

Actually Harry there were 8 New zealanders, 6 Australians, 2 Dutch, 1 brit, 1 American, 1 Antiguan,

1 Canadian, 1 Italian, and 3 coaches, 1 each from Australia, Usa, and France.

All in all it is a complete joke to call this a win of any kind for "Team America", The whole thing is IMHO

ridiculous.