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30 Apr 2017 |
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  Sail-World NZ - April 30 - America's Cup latest ... World Masters
 | | Emirates Team New Zealand sailing on Bermuda's Great Sound for the second day of testing in the lead up to the 35th America's Cup Hamish Hooper/Emirates Team NZ |
Welcome to Sail-World.com's New Zealand e-magazine for April 30 2017
Firstly congratulations to two Sail-World advertisers for their Gold Medal at the World Masters Games.
Jon 'Predictwind' Bilger won the single handed Weta class and Dan 'The Water Shed' Slater won the Gold Medal in the Laser class.
We have full coverage of the racing in this edition.
 | | Dan Slater, Laser racing - Day 5, 2017 Masters Games, Torbay, Auckland Yachting New Zealand |
One of the truisms of the America's Cup is that it is largely a time management exercise. In other words it's a challenge to come up with the fastest boat, and best-performed team within a set amount of time.
With Practice Session 4 just concluded, there are some very clear trends emerging - particularly so when the results of the Practice Sessions 1,3 and 4 are combined and considered, against a win-loss record. The number of races sailed by each team is also relevant.
But any analysis must be tempered with the knowledge that the racing is rather informal; teams elect to do what they will according to their priorities, and what they want to get out of the day.
It is not in the same style as the every-point-counts Qualifier Racing. The win/loss analysis below is based on published results (of which we couldn't locate a full set for Practice Session 2).
 | | Predictwind's Jon Bilger sailing on Day 4 of the World Masters Games in the single handed Weta division Yachting New Zealand |
Artemis Racing has sailed 29 races for 24 wins and 5 losses across the three series. That give her an 83% win record. The Swedish team didn't have a good day on the first day of Practice Session 1, but after that started taking wins off Oracle Team USA, and looks to have the measure of the America's Cup Defender. The Swedish team have been sailing with a set of daggerboards which are believed to be optimised for the mid to upper wind limit - and with the exception of the final day of Practice Session 4, the sailing has mostly taken place in this wind range.
Oracle Team USA started with a hiss and roar, clocking up a nine win and two loss record in the first series. The wheels started to fall off in the second Practice session - and on the basis of the last two Practice Sessions, OTUSA has a 52% (9 win - 8 loss) record. Across the Series 1,3,4 Oracle Team USA's win percentage improves to 64% - still well down on Artemis Racing. Disturbingly the US team was forced to pull out of two races in Practice Series 4. OTUSA's win percentage is skewed by the outstanding results from Series 1. But it has been downhill all the way from there.
 | | Emirates Team New Zealand sailing on Bermuda's Great Sound for the second day of testing in the lead up to the 35th America's Cup Hamish Hooper/Emirates Team NZ |
Given the fact that the team representing Golden Gate YC has a very significant arsenal of test platform yachts (believed to be four), plus this is their third campaign using wingsailed multihull technology, it would be expected that they should have been able to maintain a win percentage at the level they achieved in the first Round. The current reality is that OTUSA is getting worse rather than better as the Practice Sessions have progressed, and in the latest, we are seeing reliability issues come into play.
Oracle Team USA have put in the time on the water, with 28 races, but aren't improving. Again it is not known whether they are using racing daggerboards and rudders, or if those are still in the shed.
Softbank Team Japan have sailed 22 races across the three substantive series for a 36% win record. That is a measure of how far they are behind the top two teams. The Japanese team lost seven races in the fourth round, but seem to have got their reliability issues somewhat sorted. Given their close working relationship with Oracle Team USA, it would be expected that they would have been better placed. For sure they are a new team, and a late starter, but they do have a very experienced sailing team and with some good people on the design side. Again it is not known what their situation is with daggerboards and whether those they are using the real deal or a substitute set.
 | | Oracle Team USA still has plenty of work ahead of them in the 2017 America's Cup Oracle Team USA media |
They will be encouraged by their win over Emirates Team New Zealand on the final day of Practice Session 4.
The alternative view is that the outcome of the 2017 America's Cup is near decided already and that there are at least two teams in the event who can expect to regularly beat Softbank Team Japan.
While all teams will claim that they have more speed developments to come, the fact is that no team is going to stop developing. The task of the Japanese is not just to close the gap, but actually get past teams and start beating Oracle Team USA and Artemis Racing. With just over three weeks remaining until the start of the Qualifiers, time is becoming far more important than dollars
Land Rover BAR have serious issues. With only a 23% win record. Skipper Ben Ainslie readily concedes that the British team have a lot of work ahead of them in the last month. Clearly, they are chasing speed improvement rather than picking up match race practice. While the Portsmouth-based team has sailed 17 races in the three series, they only contested two races in the fourth Practice session which lasted four days - a far cry from the ten races they contested in the first Practice Session - but they were able to only win two races in that opening series. Land Rover BAR finished top of the America's Cup World Series, taking two valuable points into the Qualifiers. Their strength has to be in match racing, if the boats are even or close to each other in speed. The ACWS overall win was put together by winning vital races at crucial times, and Land Rover BAR sail well under pressure.
 | | Emirates Team New Zealand America's Cup Class (ACC) boat first sail in Bermuda Austin Wong | ACEA |
Groupama Team France are lowest on a 17% win percentage out of 17 races sailed. The scoresheet shows they have three wins to their credit - but two of those came from the fourth Practice Session - and were the result of sail-overs when their opponents withdrew because after break-downs.
Again it is hard to see the French, for all their multihull expertise being able to close the gap in just over three weeks, unless they can pull a very big rabbit out of the hat.
Emirates Team New Zealand are still an unknown quantity, having been scheduled to sail four races, they pulled out of one race with gear failure and lost the other to Softbank Team Japan.
The fancied Kiwi team did win two races - one against the top of the table team, Artemis Racing and the other against the hapless French.
The win against Artemis Racing would normally have been cause for encouragement, except that Emirates Team NZ was given a 24-second head start by the Swedish who elected by design or default, not to contest the pre-start. At the finish of the race, the Kiwis were able to extend that margin several-fold, which can be explained by a number of factors. A come from behind win by the Swedes in those circumstances would have been cause for real concern for Camp Kiwi.
 | | Softbank Team Japan took an encouraging win odd Emirates Team New Zealand on the final day of Practice Session 4 in Bermuda Matt Knighton/Softbank Team Japan © |
Emirates Team New Zealand sailed just four races - well shy of the 17 sailed by Land Rover BAR and Groupama Team France, and 28 plus by the other two.
Having been sailing for just a week - most of it being spent on putting their AC50 through its paces after recommissioning. The team does have a 50% win record, which has them in third place on the points table for Sessions 1,3 and 4 on the basis of win percentages.
While it might still be early days in the 35th America's Cup, the fact is that one of the teams will be packing up to go home after Sunday, June 4, followed four days later by two others.
Time is already a very scarce commodity. Reliability is also becoming an issue which must be addressed by all the teams except Artemis Racing who in the fresh breeze conditions had no peers in boat speed and keeping their boat intact.
The next Practice Session is a four day bracket of races starting in two weeks time - then there are just seven days to the start of the Qualifiers.
 | | Team talk aboard Emirates Team New Zealand on Bermuda's Great Sound for the second day of testing in the lead up to the 35th America's Cup Hamish Hooper/Emirates Team NZ |
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Good sailing!
Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor
sailworldnzl@gmail.com
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 | | Artemis Racing's Iain Percy (GBR) gives some advice to his compatriots in the Land Rover BAR spy boat - Practice Session 4. Artemis Racing |
 | | Emirates Team New Zealand sailing on Bermuda's Great Sound for the second day of testing in the lead up to the 35th America's Cup Hamish Hooper/Emirates Team NZ |
 | | Close Racing in Gold Fleet NZ Secondary Schools Team Sailing Championships Gay Noyer |
 | | The O'pen Bic Cup will be sailed at Manly SC from July 7-9, 2017 |
 | | Mens Laser - 2017 Sailing World Cup Hyeres © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy |
 | | - Day 3, World Sailing Cup Hyeres, April 27, 2017 Sailing Energy / World Sailing |
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