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Friday, September 20, 2013

Bugger! [update]

But hey there is a silver lining.  At them requiring 7 6 straight wins to uplift the mug vs our 1, the odds may be slightly stacked in our favour.

Never one to count chickens, I await the fat lady's song.
Posted by at

6 comments:

the conservative said...

6 staight wins required now. What a sham this morning--a time limit to finish a race? It's in the rules but really absurd if you ask me. How that became a rule is beyond me.It wasn't as if the Kiwi boat was crawling along.

21 September 2013 at 1:52 pm
PM of NZ said...

Race time limits have been around for ever in yachting. I've seen longer races abandoned for light airs after many hours.

Previously agreed regatta rules are for everyone. Might look silly to the uninitiated, but there is very good reason for closing off each race with a time limit.

You could get some prick, like Spithill for instance, who would hang around for a race win whilst all other crews had retired to the clubhouse because of the frustation of going nowhere / backward with tide in light airs.

Most yacht regattas do have race time limits for abandonment.

21 September 2013 at 4:27 pm
PM of NZ said...

Core racing rules are available at

http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/ISAFRRS20132016Final-%5B13376%5D.pdf

21 September 2013 at 4:46 pm
PM of NZ said...

And rules for AC:

http://noticeboard.americascup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ISAF-Racing-Rules-of-Sailing-AC-Edition-v-1.15-.pdf

available at bottom of this page

http://www.sailingworld.com/racing/americas-cup/rules-of-engagement

21 September 2013 at 5:01 pm
the conservative said...

Thanks for that, PM. I am wondering if the Kiwis were sucked in at the first mark; was that a ploy by Spithill to use up time?

21 September 2013 at 6:13 pm
PM of NZ said...

Dunno about that TC, he was within his rights (having the overlap) to luff NZ as much he likes. The trick is stall the windward boat (NZ), but not yourself and to veer away putting some distance between you and the other (now stalled or tacked away) competitor.

One rule I've seen 'flouted' to the limit is that luffing is illegal in the hours of darkness. I remember crewing on a Auckland-Bay of Islands overnight race where a sodding boat came from over 2 miles away purely to luff our boat (tight reaching with a kite in a 41 foot keeler) completing the luff about 3 minutes before sunset, then buggering off into the gathering gloom. Very legal, done just because he could do it.

But some armchair sailors might say not cricket. Them's the rules.

21 September 2013 at 7:18 pm

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