LVT: ETNZ Protest Against BMW ORACLE Racing Dismissed

by Warren Douglas

The Louis Vuitton Trophy jury has dismissed an Emirates Team New Zealand protest against a decision that cost the team a race against BNW Oracle.

Emirates Team New Zealand was well placed to win the round robin match in the Louis La Maddalena regatta when the umpires awarded a penalty against the team on the final run.

Having forced a penalty on BMW Oracle early in the pre-start, to win Dean Barker had only to stay close and out of trouble throughout the race.

The umpires claimed Emirates Team New Zealand had contravened an amendment to the sailing instructions which stipulated a minimum two-tonne pressure must be kept on the forestay at all times.

This effectively nullified the pre-start penalty incurred by BMW Oracle when they failed to keep clear. To discharge a penalty a yacht must do a 270deg turn giving a trailing yacht, if close enough, an opportunity to pass.

The penalty on Oracle influenced New Zealand’s tactics throughout the race. The aim was to stay close and stay clear to avoid having Oracle force a penalty on them. If both yachts are carrying a penalty, neither has to do the turn.

In today’s race, Oracle had a lead at the finish of about 50-60m and could not have completed a penalty turn before Emirates Team New Zealand crossed the line to win the race. Emirates Team New Zealand trailed by 8s at the finish.

Grant Dalton said: “The rule regarding forestay tension downwind did not stipulate that it was to be measured from the forestay load cell gauge situated at the back of the boat.

“Any keel-boat yachtsman will tell you that a forestay load cell’s purpose is for upwind tension. Downwind yachtsmen use predetermined numbers on the gunnel, which are set by the shore crew and which represent tonnes of load, to make sure that the forestay is tight and the rig is safe.

“In this case, to make sure that we complied with any rule, we exceeded those safety marks by a considerable margin. One needs to question the practical yachting knowledge of the people who are considering such a rule and whether they have total comprehension of this fact.“

Emirates Team New Zealand
Louis Vuitton Trophy