America's Cup: Phase III coming right up

We believe we can win this, and we've got a wave of momentum now getting bigger every day

Mark my words.  When the mouthy Dingo gets to 7 races and Deano (hopefully) takes the mug off him, Phase III of America's Cup will ensue.

Yes, this regatta will be settled in a courtroom as Larry will not give it all away without a fight over the two penalty points.

Come on Deano - get the box ticked! [updated]

[updated]

 Someone tell me if they win that bloody mug!  I've turned the telly off.  If they do win, it will be replayed, every second of it over and over.

UPDATE: 1105 hours
Abundant sunshine has replaced the deluge of yesterday and the wind looks to be very favorable for two races, if necessary, on Race Day 12 (Day 16 overall) of the 34th America’s Cup.

“It’s going to be a building breeze all day,” said Regatta Director Iain Murray. “Right now we’re in a transition period between the northwest gradient to the southwest; there’s light wind on the course but it’s coming around to the west, which we need it to do.”

Yesterday’s scheduled Races 14 and 15 were postponed to today because of a southerly wind that was well off the desired axis around 230 degrees. That direction should come true early in the afternoon, although it might be light at the scheduled 1315 start or Race 14.

“We’re keen to see how much wind we’ll have at scheduled start time of 1315,” Murray said. “Hopefully it’ll be more than 10 knots; we could see upwards of 20 knots if we get through to the end of the day.”

The tide is flooding (coming into the Bay) all day, so the wind limits have been increased to 24.4 knots for Race 14 and 23.3 knots for Race 15. ORACLE TEAM USA will have port tack in prestart maneuvers for both races.

“The signs are positive for a great day,” said Murray.

Another day.  Day 12 in fact, they've sorted their days out.

Looking good.  Come on Deano, lets see that traitor and his boss off.  Get the job done first up today, tick the box 'Been there, Done that'.  Show them that money cannot buy the trophy and above all, cheats never prosper.

Hopefully for you there's a gong lurking in New Year's Honours.  And one for your geriatric grinder, he's done more for NZ sport than that other young pretender has ever done.

And it is high time the Labour MP rorting the taxpayer on his final junket to watch the race was brought home to face his peers in Parliament.

Day 12 or is it Day 11? [update III - TOMORROW]

[UPDATE III]

POSTPONED - Tomorrow's another day.


[UPDATE II ]

1430 local time attempt kickoff  - 0930 NZDST

The race committee has pushed the start time back to 1430 in the interest of letting the wind settle down. The committee would like to see a direction of 230 degrees across the racecourse. As regatta director Iain Murray intimated this morning, this is far too important a race to have a skewed racecourse.



[UPDATE I ]

1400 local time attempt kickoff  - 0900 NZDST

UPDATE: 1115 hours
It never rains in California, unless the America’s Cup is in town. San Francisco is awash this morning in the first significant rainfall since perhaps February. For ORACLE TEAM USA and Emirates Team New Zealand, this is problematic because of the southerly wind direction, which is skewed about 90 degrees from the racecourse for the 34th America’s Cup.
“Where we’re at is the front is on top of us, it’s raining, light and variable wind, and the little wind that we have is out of the south, which would provide a reaching course up and down our city front racecourse,” said Regatta Director Iain Murray.

“We have varying opinions of when it will pass, but our most optimistic is the front will pass and the breeze will return to southwest around 1330. So we’re likely to have a delay while we wait for the wind to switch. We may not get a race in today or we may get one race, but we probably won’t get two races in. It’s just something we have to wait out. When the breeze shifts we expect 15 knots,” Murray said.

More updates to come.

Is today the day?  Touch and go, nothing else to do - its precipitating solidly round these parts.  Got drenched @ 0600 putting the bovine mowers on the long acre.  Time to ferret around in the bottom of that wood shed and use some more carbon credits.

ps link says Day 12, text says Day 11...

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.

America's Cup Update

UPDATE: 1100 hours

Regatta Director Iain Murray expressed confidence at his morning briefing that the conditions would be suitable for racing today, despite another day of strong ebb (outgoing) tide.

“Our intel tells us around 15 knots for first race and 16-17, maybe 18 for the second race,” said Murray. “Once again, a strong ebb tide today increasing as day goes on: -2 for the first race so a 21-knot limit, and -3 for the second race, so a 20-knot limit. Once again we have a convergence of wind and current, but the forecast looks ok and we feel confident.”

Is this the day the traitor gets fired?

Granny once again proves the need for an editor worth his salt

Govt rolls out cheap whitewear scheme in South Island

Need I say more?

The ultimate cost of selling your soul to the highest bidder

Oracle boss Russell Coutts has admitted he faces being sacked by syndicate backer Larry Ellison unless he can oversee the greatest comeback in America's Cup history.

The American media have turned their attention to potential consequences if the cup sails away to Auckland.

And they haven't had to look far. 

A traitor is about to rue taking thirty pieces of silver.

Steeped in seafaring culture, the Kiwis would tell you: Time heals all wounds - but not that one.

Having long ago made your choice, Kiwis will never forget.

America's Cup Update

UPDATE: 1200 hours
The two crews want to go to the racecourse so Regatta Director Iain Murray will send them out. Wind reports from Regardless indicate the wind is blowing around the Race 11 limit of 20.1 knots. Race 11 is scheduled to start at 1315.

I don't think this will last long, but they might get one race in. 

If you have to measure it, throw it back

Snapper bag limits in the country's most popular fishery will be reduced from nine to seven, and the minimum legal size increased from 27cms to 30cms from October 1.

As always, if you have to measure it, throw it back, it's too small.  Might do the Snapper 1 fishery some good.

Unfortunately won't stop natives plundering undersized fish and exceeding allowances via their un-policed customary take. 

And as for the commercial pillagers of undersized fish, nothing will stop them.

Create some clean green cycleways

There are close to 160,000 toxic sites in Australia

at the very least they should keep away from old railway lines, which are poisoned with herbicides and pesticides that include arsenic

The main message for Australians is to be aware of the danger of toxic substances in the air and to be aware that contaminants are present where ever there are old railway tracks

They could always clean them up by doing what NZ did to all those miles of contaminated railway ballast. 

Turn them into "shovel ready" make work schemes cycleways that the nice Mr Key promoted heavily near the beginning of his 'evil' reign. 

I'd bet there was zero testing of the ballast for DDT residues and the like prior to its new 'clean green' usage.  I see a good job in testing for a DOC bludger to pursue something useful.  Hell, maybe even the most recently discarded lines like Gisborne-Napier and the union infested Hillside workshops could be tested.

[update II] Parbuckling extraordinaire!

Ancient technique for heavy loads.  Amazing!   10 degrees lift of 114,000 tonnes shown above.

Live footage shows it's lifted about 30 degrees now at 0800 NZDST.

[update 1215 NZDST]

Currently at about 40 degrees lift, still about 30 degrees till it's upright.


[update 1345 NZDST]

Currently at about 10 degrees till it's upright.

Buggered if you do and buggered if you don't

One minute:

Pumping ozone wreckers into the sky will apparently keep the hole open, so if you fail to fry in a wave of carcinogenic UV radiation, you'll drown as the tidal wave from melting Antarctic ice inundates your favourite Kiwi beach.

Nek Minnit:

Having removed the ozone f**kers, the hole will self repair and is forecast to close, apparently beause of heat trapping, you'll still drown as the tidal wave from melting Antarctic ice inundates your favourite Kiwi beach.


Come on you pricks in academia, let's have some settled science on these natural phenomena!

Today In America's Cup History

September 15 is notable for six instances in America’s Cup history:

• 1887: Volunteer is selected by the New York Yacht Club as the defender yacht to meet Scots challenger Thistle. Thistle was designed by Scotsman George Lennox Watson, whose reputation as a revolutionary and highly successful designer was well known in America where his yachts were winning regatta after regatta, putting considerable fear into the NYYC that the Cup was at risk. Thistle’s challenge resulted in the Deed of Gift to be re-written after the match and it remains the document governing racing for the America’s Cup today.
• 1930, Race 2, Shamrock V vs. Enterprise – Enterprise wins by 9:34. Shamrock V was Sir Thomas Lipton’s last challenge for the Americas Cup and the first match between yachts built to a class rule, removing a long standing complaint of injustice from the challenger, which had to build a yacht capable of withstanding an oceanic voyage to the venue, while the defender could build a lightweight defender yacht.
• 1962, Race 1, Gretel vs. Weatherly – Weatherly wins by 3:43. The first non-British challenge for the America’s Cup and the first Australian challenge. It would take seven challenges over 21 years of effort for Australia to win the Cup.
• 1964, Race 1, Sovereign vs. Constellation – Constellation wins by 5:54. Affectionately known as “Connie,” Constellation holds the record for the greatest victory margin during the 12-Meter era, 20:24. It was the 16th and last British challenge in a match for the America’s Cup, which Sovereign lost 4-0 (there were two Canadian challenges in 1876 and 1881).
• 1970, Race 1, Gretel II vs. Intrepid – Intrepid wins by 5:52. Gretel II was Sir Frank Packer’s last challenge for the Cup before he passed the torch to Alan Bond. It was after a controversial protest during this series that Packer memorably announced, “An Australian skipper complaining to the New York Yacht Club Committee is like complaining to his mother-in-law about his wife”
• 1983, Race 2, Australia II vs. Liberty – Liberty wins by 1:33 after Australia II sails into a hole mid-way through the race, to go up 2-0 in the first-to-four series against the highly touted Australia II, and it looked as if the Defender would win again and the old order would continue.

from here

What a sicko!

No, not Silent T, but this one getting it on in public with his horseless carriage.

And another here, admitting to getting up close and personal with his goat.

Camp Robertson defeated

No, New Zealand is not ready for a homosexual at the helm.

Silent T is named as the new holder of the poisoned chalice that is the Labia Party leadership.


and...

The Stranded has crashed!