Match Racing Championship:
Regatta Day 6 - Second Day of Qualifying

Black and white and red all over.  ETNZ is getting used to winning in the AC45. Photo:©2011 Gilles Martin-Raget/americascup.com

Outlook Thursday, Aug 11:
First start expected 2:10 pm local time in Cascais.  Weather Conditions: Wind N 8-10 knots becoming NNW 13-14 knots (WeatherUnderground).  12-15 knots becoming 15-18 knots late (ACEA).  NNW/NW Atlantic sea breeze building 15-20 knots with gusts to 25 knots late (Oracle Racing).

Race Program: 3 Fleet Races to seed 3 Match Races.  This is the second of three qualifying days, with the top six teams after Friday advancing to Saturday's QF/SF/Finals. Read more about Format

Based on Fleet Race results, Match Races will be Energy/Korea; Oracle Coutts/Oracle Spithill; and ETNZ/Artemis, in that order.

Match Race 3:
ETNZ vs. Artemis
(1 Seed vs. 2 Seed)
Start at 5 minutes after the hour.

ETNZ luffs Artemis away from the line just before the gun.  Artemis carrying penalty for late entry.  Kiwis start strong.

A second penalty for Artemis, and then a third for going over the boundary.  Artemis cleared second penalty in time to avoid DSQ.  Then takes two remaining penalties, but lags ETNZ by a couple hundred meters.  ETNZ looks solid unless something goes wrong.  ETNZ wins by 54 seconds over Artemis to end Day 2 of the Match Racing Qualifiers.
 

Match Race 2:
Oracle4 (Spithill) vs. Oracle (Coutts)
(4 Seed vs. 3 Seed)
Start at 40 minutes past the hour.

At the gun, Coutts is OCS, has to turn back.  Spithill hit it perfectly, both at the pin end.  200m lead and getting bigger to Spithill as they get to the first downwind leg.  Both on port gybe, Coutts gains a bit as he gets to the right first.  Wind has dropped at the bottom, and Coutts cuts lead down to 150m, then 100m.  Both round the mark to port, head up the right, lead is down to 70m. Spithill gets his feet, though, and continues to extend his lead, back up to 150m or more.  Spithill will win it easily.
 

Match Race 1:
Energy Team vs. Team Korea
(6 Seed vs. 5 Seed)
Start at 10 minutes past the hour, delayed to 15 minutes past to allow re-setting the course for wind shift.

Korea leading on leg 3, foresail problems for Energy, unable to fully raise the sail or furl it, but hanging close for while.  Eventually Energy finds a fix, but Korea opens a 300m lead.  Energy reels in Team Korea a bit upwind, but this looks settled.  Korea Wins!
 

Fleet Race 3:
Match Race Pairs would be Oracle5 and 4, ETNZ and Artemis, China and Korea, based on Race 1 and 2 results, with Race 3 still to come. Race 3 start at the bottom of the hour.

Pre-start underway. China to windward, ETNZ to leeward, ETNZ luffs Oracle, penalties on both Oracle boats and Energy, which could bounce them from the top seed match race final.  China bears off into the lead, using clean air at the gun to accelerate.

China's Mitch Booth pulled a great start out of his hat in Thursday's last fleet race, jumping to an early lead.
Photo:©2011 Chris Cameron/ETNZ

China holds their lead into leg 3, with ETNZ and Artemis behind. 8 second delta for China at the bottom gate, but gennaker problems let the Kiwis past, and then Artemis.  Energy in 4th.

Up the final windward, ETNZ, Artemis, China, and Energy are 1-2-3-4, but a penalty on China drops them back.  Spithill into 3rd, a beautiful recovery.

ETNZ will win.  Artemis close behind in second.  China's penalty unfortunately killed their chances for match racing today.
 

Fleet Race 2:
Start coming at 5 minutes before the hour.  Top six teams move on to match racing today.  See today's results and standings Wind is 13 knots NW and building, with the left side (looking upwind) featuring much better pressure. 

Gun goes off, all are clear.  Leeward group near the pin gets the best jump. China, OR's, ETNZ.

After the first downwind, ETNZ has jumped into the lead, Korea went to the right-hand side and lost in the lighter wind, slipping to 6th.  Spithill, Energy, and China 2-3-4. On the first upwind leg, ETNZ leading and tacks on Oracle5, giving them some gas in the middle of the course while China works the left edge in third.

ETNZ consolidates and extends, still leading at the final bottom gate only Spithill and China look within striking distance as the boats go upwind for the last time.  Spithill gaining a bit halfway up the leg, OR5 (Coutts) challenging China for 3rd.

ETNZ still ahead at the top mark, and turn to reach for the finish, this one locked up.  ETNZ wins Race 2. Spithill second.  Coutts third, China fourth. Artemis 5th, Korea 6th, GreenComm 7th, Energy 8th, Aleph 9th.
 

Fleet Race 1 Restart:
The RC is moving to the offshore race area, which should be better wind conditions, especially with a seabreeze expected to roll in.  Course Area B has an ocean swell, unlike the very flat water on Area A used for the previous racing in Cascais.  See Race Area Map Area B also has much more wind.  Start is expected at 15 minutes past the hour.  There was a question of whether the electronic system for race boundaries will be used offshore, and turns out it will work.

Start coming in 7 minutes (3:15 pm Cascais time).  At two minutes, Artemis close to being outside the boundaries.  Boats clustering further back from the line this time, with more wind to accelerate. 1 minute to go.
 At 30 seconds everyone makes for the RC end.  Clean start for all boats.  Oracel4 and Korea first to the mark, to leeward of the fleet, Artemis in third.

Both Oracle boats sailed well, but not fast enough to catch Artemis, which found success in Race 1.
Photo:©2011 Gilles Martin-Raget/americascup.com

ETNZ picks up a penalty for a boundary violation.  Wind is shaky at the bottom of the first downwind.  Korea, Oracle4 and Artemis have come to the front.  Upwind, ETNZ in 7th gets another boundary violation.  Artemis pulls up on Korea, battling for the lead at the top gate.  OR4 in third.

Artemis edges past Korea, round first, Korea right behind, both turning left and heading down the left side of the course.  Oracle5 (Coutts) turns right. At the bottom of the final leeward leg, Coutts has gained, into 2nd ahead of Korea, Artemis still leads.

Artemis and Korea takes the right gate and go back up the left side of the course, Coutts splits with them again.  Upwind, the Swedes still lead, but OR4 and OR5 are now tight for second place.  Most boats staying to the left half of the course, where wind is solid.  Korea about 150m back of Artemis, and ETNZ has moved up to within 150m of Korea.

At the top mark, it's still Artemis, about to notch their first win of the day.  Oracle4 and 5 next.  Artemis wins Fleet Race 1, Oracle (Coutts) 2nd, Oracle (Spithill) 3rd, Korea 4th, ETNZ 5th, Energy 6th, Aleph 7th, China 8th, GreenComm 9th.
 

Fleet Race 1: Abandoned
Start at ten minutes past the hour.  Warning signal at minus 5 minutes, pre-start begins at minus 2 minutes.  At the gun China and Artemis are over early and return.  In very light wind, Oracle4 leads the fleet in slow motion.   This looks like a drifter unless something changes.  The boats creep around the first mark and head downwind.  Oracle4 followed by ETNZ, and then Oracle5, going into the bottom gate, while Artemis and China are still rounding the first mark at the top of the leg.  Spithill leads ETNZ by 20 seconds at the gate, and 1:31 to Oracle5, the others still way back.  The race is called, abandoned by the Race Committee.  The boats will return, and wait for better wind.