The show must go on: director
AUCKLAND: A capsize, such as American Magic suffered on Sunday in the Prada Cup challenger selection series, is ‘‘unfortunate’’ but racing must go on, regatta director Iain Murray says.
Changing the schedule for the Prada Cup Series took days to finalise after prolonged negotiations between the teams and race organisers.
Murray said arriving at the revised schedule ‘‘had some complications’’.
Today’s racing was cancelled and the weekend’s racing reduced to one race a day after American Magic withdrew from racing while it repairs its boat before the series’ semifinals next weekend.
The remaining challengers, Team UK and Luna Rossa, will take part in ‘‘ghost’’ races to pick up points alongside some actual racing. As part of the regatta protocol the Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa, could make changes to the racing dates but needed agreement from the other challengers and the defenders Team New Zealand.
Murray said the delay in the decision making was because they wanted to make sure the reasons for making the changes had been fully explored.
‘‘We just want to do this properly and thoroughly and make sure [the changes] work for everyone in the best possible way that they can.’’
Despite the toing and froing, Murray expected the teams would work together to do whatever necessary to make sure the racing went ahead and was competitive should any further changes be needed.
In the revised schedule, the unbeaten Team UK needs to only win once over Luna Rossa to secure its place in the Prada Cup final.
But, weather permitting, spectators have been guaranteed two days of racing — even if Sunday is a dead rubber followed by a ‘‘ghost’’ race.
‘‘We sought to get confirmation that both teams would race both days, which they’ve agreed to do,’’ Murray said.
Murray acknowledged American Magic faced a ‘‘significant setback’’ and would miss four races this weekend ‘‘which I’m sure they dearly wanted to be involved in’’.
But race organisers were looking at the bigger picture.
‘‘The boats and the teams are responsible for their outcomes,’’ Murray said of American Magic’s capsize and any potential future mishaps.
‘‘We don’t really have the ability to delay a race because someone’s not ready or their boat’s broken or anything like that. Our delays are really things that are within our control, whether the electronic system or the weather or sea state or some other force majeure type event was put upon us.
‘‘We have schedules, we have a lot of contingency built in with the reserve days but of course we want the competition to be the proper competition that the America’s Cup deserves and the race is the one on the water.’’
Racing in the Prada Cup and the America’s Cup in March can take place on five different race courses around the harbour.
Which course is used each day is decided by Murray, who makes the call on the morning of the race, although wind conditions can lead to late changes. — RNZ