another odd thing I noticed today is that AC.com doesn’t have something on the Home page about Artemis being eliminated.
Jim: yes.
It should have been the first thing on the home page, or is it too embarrassing?
http://www.americascup.com/en/
on the front page, there are a scroll of images, they are the 4th one over. I imagine that on the 11th, it was one of the top stories, right up there with Luna rossa winning.
not trying to bail them out or anything, as the press has been horrible but then again so has the racing…
I was busy during race time, so I checked the main page when I got back, about 9pm, and there was nothing, so I had to watch the replay to see what happened, which is another story…
Ditto …truly an amazing performance of the shore & sailing teams and I feel their disappointment in what appears to be a badly managed team from the beginning, they deserved better !
So we (as 'melicans) switch our loyalty to the “home team” and start rooting for Oracle?
What do you guys think of OTUSA? Are they shaping up as the defenders? Is anyone out there in SF watching them? Does anyone have any inside scoops to share? 
turn coat here… keeping with the Kiwi’s…
I don’t think Oracle has a Snowballs chance in hell of even making the race close…
At least you know the Kiwis will treat the Cup with respect and they can provide a venue that is just as good as SF.
After all of this so far, I am embarrassed by the promotion of multihulls via this venue. I had expectations of a great series with the hopes that “lead-bottom” sailors would finally see and give respect to multihulls as another form of sailing craft. Even the 45’s were a much better show than this. So regardless of who wins, for me, the “A” Class multihulls, and then the “C” Class (Little America’s Cup) are the sport’s best forms of pure competition, with little or no politics involved.
I simply am tired of being a cheerleader any longer for this event, and the sooner they are done, the better. I will, however, continue to support and promote multihulls - but certainly not on a stage such as this one.
Dick
I agree with that.
In addition to the foiling cats, which are indeed exciting to watch, I was expecting a MUCH longer course to keep the time-on-water about the same (about an hour at the least) with more tacks required and more marks, like the standard Olympic course some of us sail. This short course doesn’t really make for fair sailing, with the ability to make mistakes and then make up for it with better sailing.
In essence, the America’s Cup has now become a Sprint Cup or a drag race. They ought to move the AC sailing to one of the Great Lakes, so you can really do some sailing, like on a 30+ mile course.
Even the irst races around the Isle of Wight were some 50 - 60 miles.
This cup has a really big series of problem, but the curse length and shape is an unfortunate consequence of the venue, there is not much space in SF Bay if you want to have the spectators on the piers (not to mention the “environmental” limitations i.e. current and wind), and the boat choice, if you want speed (multihulls) you cannot have a curse with a lot of marks, especially with 72 foot behemoths racing at 50 mph … It could have been done better, much better but somethings where really forced on the organizers by bad decision taken at the beginning for reasons not really associated with sailing …
Yeah, they may as well be sailing on a round course with banked turns! :lol:
The only reason I’ve been keeping up with the AC races is to see the tacking duels and the crews grinding WINCHES (not hydraulic pumps) and the occasional mast or chute failure. This event is a “politically-influenced” one, although I can appreciate the environmental displays.
Unfortunately, they made the decision to make the entire race available to the spectators. The current course is just great for AC45s- even foiling ones. They could’ve made the course longer for the 72s so that “certain people” (on private boats, or the usual party-liner) could see the parts that are too far from the AC Village, which would’ve been better, and would’ve made for better, fair AC72 racing. I’m still even wondering why they needed the multihulls. Monohulls can sail too!
But the organizers wanted to be submissive to the dollar, instead of the intent of the sport. they ought to send everyone who watches it on YouTube a nice souvenir gift from the profits they’re making 
just feeling a little bit sad:
one out of four AC72’s is gone and I can’t imagine ‘Big Blue’ will touch water again. A 100 Mill. $ campaign for four races! Wow!
(and their CEO P.C. must have gone earlier, that guy hasn’t been seen at their last press conference 
)
Only six weeks left and then all AC72s are gone and will never been seen again!
But until then there are two 30 min. races per day with increasing windspeed during the day.
So we should expect 100% more prestart action at a race day and 33% less (flying-) gybes per race. With a more experienced LR there should be closer race action. I hope.
And when the judges mix up their buttons again…:what:
Watching OTUSA and ETNZ practicing code-zero jibes (on JNavas2 vids at YT), it’s a bit disappointing. No fly-gybes seen yet.
Well, if the wind dies in September…
http://www.americascup.com/en/news/3/news/17297/foiling-upwind-say-its-so
bet we see ETNZ foiling up wing in their next race against LR…
Check out the Cup site video’s, NZ and USA on foils side by side, USA may have a slight advantage more stable on foils.
The nose dive looked pretty similar to Oracle’s capsize in last October.
yesterday L.E. was close to the successful defense.
not as long as we see further more one-boat races :mad:
(how did LR transform their ‘Ferrari’ into a ‘FIAT’ )
the key will be . Is low and fast going to win the race, or sailing higher and slower to cover less distance and fewer tacks…
So far LR is the only boat to not Stuff her nose…under water…
As fast and hard as ETNZ stuffer her bow, all the stresses involved and nothing broke that day, it seems like they built a freeking tank…