Saturday 6 March 2010

Omega Auckland Match Racing: Update #3 on Day 4



by SailRaceWin (including both our own information and material from LiveSPORT)

Grant Dalton has confirmed that if there is a two-boat campaign for the 34th America's Cup, Adam Minoprio, from BlackMatch Racing, will be offered the helm of the B boat for Emirates Team New Zealand. Minoprio and Barker have trained against each other for the Omega Auckland Match Racing.

The Emirates Team NZ TP52 has been modified recently and will be shipped to Europe at the beginning of next week. TeamOrigin's TP52 (designed by Juan K) is currently being finished off at Cookson's in Auckland. Prada are the third America's Cup team taking part in the TP52 circuit in Europe this year.

It's been raining a bit, but conditions seem to be improving now. Bill Edgerton is Chief Umpire. Bill grew up in Sydney, but then almost swapped coaching jobs with a coach in Britain to move to the UK. However, after the Sydney Olympics, when the Soling, that Bill had been coaching, went out of the Games, he moved to France, and a farm...

Bill Edgerton will be Chief Umpire for the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland next week, and was the Chief Umpire in the 33rd America's Cup held in Valencia last month. He commented to Peter Lester on LiveSPORT today that everyone was surprised about the penalties in Valencia, as the boats had not been expected to engage to the extent of a dial-up in Race One, a hook in the pre-start in Race 2 and a major cross near the windward mark. The fact that a penalty occurred in the first coming together in the 33rd America's Cup was even more unexpected, let alone that in the second pre-start when Alinghi 5 was not outside her end (the starboard side) of the startline in time prior to the lead-up to the pre-start entry, Edgerton told Lester.

Dalton also confirmed earlier that there was no news as to the new America's Cup boat, but said that he would probably be equally happy with either a monohull or multihull, although he pointed out that Emirates Team NZ was more set up for a monohull event, being the leading team in that size and type of boat recently. Dalton also said that he hoped the B boat would return, which would help with testing and training, and indicated that this seemed to be something that Coutts would likely agree with.

At 11.10am the wind has still not settled. The forecast is for the wind to pick up, probably at lunchtime, and maybe reaching 20 knots by the evening.

Harold Bennett reports that the race committee seem to be setting a course up now. The cloud is going and more and more blue sky is appearing, it's warming up, and the indications for racing are altogether more positive.

RR2 Flight 7 (First race was held on Friday; the remainder on Saturday)
Minoprio beat Col by 1s
Mirsky beat Jablonski by 40s
Barker beat Dickson - not yet held
Ainslie beat Bruni - not yet held
Pacé beat Holmberg - not yet held

Points after RR2 Flight 6 and two races of Flight 7

Ben Ainslie 13 wins
Karol Jablonski 9 (Flight 7 completed)
Adam Minoprio 9 (Flight 7 completed)
Torvar Mirsky 9 (Flight 7 completed)
Bertrand Pacé 8
Dean Barker 8
Magnus Holmberg 6
Francesco Bruni 6
Sébastien Col 5 (Flight 7 completed)
Chris Dickson 4

Try the LIVESPORT link or 103FM in New Zealand for listening to commentary by Peter Lester and Harold Bennett on the racing, from 10am NZDT (10pm CET).

The same LiveSPORT web-radio channel also has occasional updates on the LIVESPORT TELECOM Women's Match Racing from Sara Roberts at the RNZYS.

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

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