Bermuda Soundings - We'll know tomorrow

by Richard Gladwell on 27 May 2017 The 35th America's Cup is expected to get underway tomorrow, May 27 at 1408hrs local time.

The start of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers was delayed by a day due to strong winds - which did eventuate but not at the level expected.

While disappointing the loss of just one day was a major improvement over the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia when the first six days were lost due to inclement weather.

The six teams were initially programmed to race on May 25, as a curtain-raiser for the main event - however with the wind strength at close to the upper limit that participation was made voluntary and four of the six teams ventured out in the 15-25kts breeze which blew from the Hamilton side of the Great Sound.

Land Rover BAR was the first to venture out, followed by Oracle Team USA and Softbank Team Japan. Artemis Racing followed much later in the day.

Groupama Team France raised their wingsail. It was not clear if they intended to go sailing, or if they were just testing and tuning ashore. They dropped their wingsail about the same time the first AC50's returned and packed their boat back into the shed.

Emirates Team New Zealand didn't venture out at all - possibly not seeing the point of sailing in the conditions when much lighter airs are forecast for the rest of the week.

The Practice Session was the Session you have when you don't have a Session.

America's Cup Regatta Management didn't have any formal racing organised, but instead laid a set of marks so that teams could go through their routines, whether it be starting, doing a leg or mark/gate rounding.

That made for a slightly disjointed session with AC50's haring off down the track and then stopping making an adjustment and continuing. Or they would do a full leg.

There were no real hook-ups, no way of evaluating the performance of one against the other, and the main point of interest was just how the AC50's handled the fresh conditions.

The surprising feature of the session was the extended periods when the AC50's would submarine at high speed downwind.

This made for some spectacular sailing the leeward hull would bury for extended periods, unable to be lifted on their foils initially - and with the bows picking up a shower of water and spraying that back over the boat at the height of several metres - giving the appearance almost of hydroplane's rooster tails. It is spectacular if inefficient.

As there was no racing as such, it was impossible to compare performance during this spectacle - and whether it had affected boat speed.

It is assumed that would be the case, but that will be one question that will be answered in the racing proper.

We will also know if the boat which spends the least time with hulls immersed wins the race.

Also able to be measured will the loss of speed/distance caused by a splashdown - both in a straight line situation and in a foiling tack or gybe.

Yesterday's Opening Media Conference was much as expected.

Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill took the opportunity to revive trans-Tasman rivalries, aided and abetted by some of the Kiwi media contingent, who were quite prepared to play along in the search of a headline or clickbait.

Emirates Team New Zealand's helmsman, Peter Burling sat Blake-like throughout the proceedings, with a slightly aloof air and studiously avoiding the mosh-pit before him.

Often at media conferences, the specialist sailing journalists hang back with their questions - preferring to hold their fire for the one-on-ones or the media scrums at the back of the room which were a feature of the last America's Cup.

However, a decision to allow only broadcast journalists to participate at the back of the room means this dynamic may change as the sailing specialists may elect to test their points in the live forum. Time will tell. All will be revealed on YouTube,

One of the features of this America's Cup will be the Village and entertainment.

Heading home at the end of a long day the sailing media were once again treated to a superb performance from a reggae band and lead vocalist.

We are informed that he was the winner of the Bermuda's Got Talent contest - a claim that is very easy to believe, and if that was just the warm-up band practice what is in store for the Main Event?

Spectacular as the AC50's may be on the water, this band is more than their equal ashore - and if the racing gets canned on the water, all the organisers have to do is to give the nod to this fantastic vocalist and band and the capacity crowd will more than have their money's worth.