Sailing is cancelled again

by Bert Willborg/Victory Challenge on 24 Apr 2007
Sailing is cancelled today as well. It is the seventh day of eight that this has happened at the beginning of the challengers’ series, the Louis Vuitton Cup.

It is two o’clock. There is a 4.7-knot wind on the north course, 3.7 on the south. Yet again, the race organisers postpone the starts. But there is a chance that there’ll be more wind.

At 14:30 the wind is 5.0 knots on both courses.

There is some optimism.

For a while at least it looks as if the optimism is justified. The race organisers begin the countdown on the north course. First start at 15:50.

Then the countdown is interrupted again.

It is just after half past three. The winds on the courses are 6.5 and 6.4 knots.

However, just after 16:00 the decision is announced, no sailing today either.

It is news that the teams, the visitors in Valencia and the TV viewers around the world are beginning to get used to. They heard it last Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The only day that an entire day’s sailing programme could be completed was on Friday. Yesterday it was possible to carry out half of the sailing programme.

Round robin one should have been completed yesterday, now it will take at least until Friday until the remaining 40 races are over.

Round robin two will follow after that.

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