America's Cup World Series San Diego: Sunday - Day 2

Cats on the move in San Diego.
Photo:©2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget

Fleet Racing Today Nov 13: Three Races
First Race start scheduled for 1:05 pm PT.

One 40-minute race followed by two 18-minute races. If time permits, the postponed Race 3 from Saturday will also be sailed.

Race 1: Underway! ETNZ leading handily takes first. Oracle4 (Spithill) 2nd, Energy 3rd, Korea 4th, Aleph 5th, Artemis 6th, China 7th, Oracle5 8th, GreenComm 9th.

Race 2: Start at 2:10 pm PT. Wind has picked up a bit. Energy in the lead at the first mark, ETNZ got the shut out at the line, blocked by the RC boat and had to circle behind the line before starting.  Two penalties on Korea.  Oracle5 into the lead, edges past Energy, but gets a penalty in the process and has to slow, letting Energy and Aleph pass. 

Aleph wins! This is Aleph's first Fleet Race win, their best previous finishes being two 4th places in Plymouth. Korea 2nd, Oracle5 3rd, Energy 4th, Oracle4 5th, GreenComm 6th, ETNZ 7th, China 8th, Artemis 9th.

Race 3: Start at 2:50 pm PT. Artemis Wins!

Race 4 (Re-try for postponed race from Saturday):  Start at 3:30 pm PT.  Energy Wins!

Read Day 2 Team Statements

ETNZ wins the Port Cities Challenge overall. Oracle4 (Spithill) is second, Artemis is third.

Click to see Port Cities fleet race results

Day 2 Outlook:

Weather:
 Winds W 3-8 mph, veering northerly late (Official). Winds WNW 8-10 mph (Windfinder). Wind W 5 mph (Weather Underground).  Calm wind becoming W at 5 mph (NOAA). Light showers this morning should clear up by race time.

Upper Deck: Beautiful weather brought out the crowds on Sunday.  Photo:©2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget
 

  Update: Live coverage is now streaming today on the America's Cup YouTube Channel, despite earlier word that the first two days of fleet racing would not be carried on TV or the internet.  This is a "light" coverage" package without onboard cameras or all four video feeds, but perfectly workable for following the racing.

Day 2 Preview:
Light winds will again put a premium on finesse in boat handling, and even more so on wind-spotting.  Representatives from local towns will be sailing aboard the AC45's today as part of the Port Cities Challenge.  Even small differences in weight can have a performance impact on days like this, as weight distribution and wetted surface influence drag, so as required by the rules, a system of added weights will be used to make sure that the boats carry a nearly equal load even though onboard guests might vary in size.
 

Energy was one of two boats to bring home their first ACWS fleet race win on Sunday.  Photo:©2011 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget