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Gary Jobson summed up Race 5 perfectly: “total confusion” on board Oracle Team USA’s AC72 catamaran. Let’s look at the race to see what happened to allow Emirates Team New Zealand to grab the lead and run away to win. There is a link to the race replay video in one of the photos below.
Images: ACTV
America’s Cup Race 5: ETNZ has made up most of the distance they were behind. Both boats sailing in the “cone” east of Alcatraz, out of the adverse flood tide.
Emirates Team New Zealand won the first three races of the 2013 America’s Cup Match. Oracle Team USA won the fourth, erasing one of their two penalty points, bringing the score to 3 to -1. The first to reach 9 points wins the America’s Cup.
The boats are about equal in speed, so racing has been surprisingly close, with lead changes in three out of the four races. OTUSA skipper Jimmy Spithill has been very aggressive, engaging ETNZ’s Dean Barker whenever the boats have been close. Spithill managed to give Barker a penalty at the first mark in Race 3. For the most part crew work, especially on the the upwind legs, has determined the outcome.
Course: 5 Legs/9.94 nautical miles
Elapsed Time: ETNZ – 25:00, OTUSA – 25:28
Delta: ETNZ +:28
Total distance sailed: ETNZ – 11.8 NM, OTUSA – 12.1 NM
Average Speed: ETNZ – 28.57 knots (33 mph), OTUSA – 28.62 knots (33 mph)
Top Speed: ETNZ – 42.25 knots (49 mph), OTUSA – 41.37 knots (48 mph)
Windspeed: Average – 16.8 knots, Peak – 19.3 knots
Course: 5 Legs/9.94 nautical miles
Elapsed Time: OTUSA – 22:42, ETNZ – 22:50
Delta: OTUSA +:08
Total distance sailed: OTUSA – 11.7 NM, ETNZ – 11.7 NM
Average Speed: OTUSA – 30.99 knots (36 mph), ETNZ – 30.92 knots (36 mph)
Top Speed: OTUSA – 45.97 knots (53 mph), ETNZ – 44.98 knots (52 mph)
Windspeed: Average – 19.5 knots, Peak – 23.3 knots
All times Pacific Time
Tuesday, Sept. 10: Race 5 13:15, Race 6 14:15
Thursday, Sept. 12: Race 7 13:15, Race 8 14:15
Saturday, Sept. 14: Race 9 13:15, Race 10 14:15
Sunday, Sept. 15: Race 11* 13:15, Race 12* 14:15
(*If necessary)
Now you can rent America’s Cup movies that show why the oldest trophy in international sport is also the most difficult to win. Maritime Productions has assembled a stunning collection of America’s Cup films that trace the history and show the glamor of this iconic event.
Meet the personalities who fought for the trophy and who add the color and intrigue.
Watch the history of the original race and the yact “America,” who gave her name to the trophy. You won’t find a better quality recording: we found a never-opened copy of this historic docu-drama, still in the plastic wrapper from Kodak. This film never passed through the gate of a projector before we digitized it. No scratches, no defects!
Click image to view video from NBC.
America’s Cup winning factor – AC72 crew work or boat speed?
Will OTUSA’s aerodynamic slipperiness trump ETNZ’s stability? Will ETNZ’s hours of drilling on crew work for maneuvers beat OTUSA’s search for straightline speed? Be there on September 7 for the first race of the America’s Cup Match. My money says this will not be a 9-0 sweep but a battle of the titans that goes at least a dozen rounds. I can’t wait!
Oracle Team USA will lose the first two points they score in the America’s Cup Match. This means they would need to win 11 races to score the nine points needed to win the America’s Cup Match. Emirates Team New Zealand still needs to win nine races to score nine points and to win the Match.
OTUSA’s key sailor, wing trimmer Dirk de Ridder, is forbidden to sail and is excluded from all activities for the remainder of this America’s Cup. This may be even more significant than losing two points. The team work between the helmsman and the wing trimmer is crucial – the helmsman has the steering wheel and the wing trimmer controls the accelerator.
But wait, there’s more… Sailor Matt Mitchell must sit out the first four races. Two members of the shore crew – Andrew Walker and Bryce Ruthenberg are excluded from all activities. The team must pay a $250,000 fine.
An international jury found that Oracle Team USA illegally modified their AC45 catamarans for the America’s Cup World Series. The “kingposts” of OTUSA’s AC45 catamarans were lengthened, reinforced and had weight added, all illegal under the strict “one design” rule for the AC45. (Note that the AC72 catamarans used in the America’s Cup are not one design and different rules apply to determine if an AC72 complies with the AC72 Class Rule.)
By putting weight in the kingposts instead of in the “permitted zone” shown in the diagram above, OTUSA may have improved their performance since the weight forward would lift the stern – an advantage in lighter winds.
Evidence presented to the Jury showed that lengthening the kingpost would improve performance by increasing headstay tension and allowing better sail shapes, especially upwind. Lengthening the kingpost “spigot” as shown in the photo below would increase reliability and add weight.
