America's Cup - Light airs for Final day of Louis Vuitton Final

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/NZ on 12 Jun 2017 With three races scheduled for the third and final day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Regatta Director Iain Murray is optimistic that racing will take place - despite the light but steady breeze.

Racing is scheduled to start at 2.00pm local time, however the racing will get away when the wind is settled and moderately stable in direction.

The forecast used by America's Cup Regatta Management says that winds at the start will be 4-7kts from 160-180 degrees (SE to S). An hour later the breze is expected to lift above the minimum prescribed windstrength at 6-10kts and at 4.00pm is forecast to be 7-11kts (from 170 - 190 degrees).

Predictwind.com, the weather forecasting and routing application developed by twice America's Cup winning meteorologist, Jon Bilger, has a similar forecast to the local one.

As with yesterday, Oracle Team USA have been training with the eliminated Challenger - Softbank Team Japan - who is playing the role of the second AC50 that the Defender is allowed but doesn't have.

Oracle Team USA are notorious for screwing the Rules scrum in the America's Cup, and it didn't take them too long to work out there was more to be gained by having a 'partnership' with a Challenger - for the first time in America's Cup history, than it was for them to have a second AC50, that could only be launched a month before the Qualifiers, and could not sail its second AC50 against the first until after the Qualifiers had completed.

With the Challenger Partnership, they got a second AC50 with a much earlier launch date,



The Defender, unlike the Challenger is allowed to race its second AC50 in the Match - if its first AC50 is serious damaged. If the Challengers damage a boat beyond repair - then there is no other option other than to try and repair - hoping that shore teams, who play as big a role as the sailors in this Cup, can perform miracles, once again.

While Oracle Team USA don't currently have a second AC50, should they need one the logical move to to by the Japanese boat, fit a new set of bows 'Made in the USA' - and they are in compliance with the constructed in country requirements of the Protocol for the 35th America's Cup.

For a time on the Great Sound Cup fans and media were greeted with the sight of two Challengers - Artemis Racing and Softbank Team Japan training together before the party broke up and the two Defence AC50's split from the Challenger, and resumed their workup ahead of the America's Cup Match which begins in six days, on June 17, local time.

As she left the base at Royal Dockyard, and got into her work, Oracle Team USA appeared to be foiling easily albeit sailing to windward, and the other two were also able to foil - so despite having a very flat look the to Great Sound it would seem that racing will proceed in the window of 2.00pm to 5.00pm.

The first race start is scheduled for 2.12pm with the others (if needed) at 2.51pm and 3.30pm local time).

If there are delays, the time interval between races will remain to allow crews time to recover.