Organisers correct scheduling error
A glaring scheduling mistake for the America’s Cup match has apparently been quietly resolved by event organisers.
The first-to-seven Cup match got under way yesterday, with Emirates Team New Zealand getting an early leap on defender Oracle Team USA, taking out the first two races.
A further two races were on today before a five-day break until race five.
From there, racing will be held on successive days, with two races each day until one team reaches the magical seven wins.
The problem was that just 13 races had been originally scheduled for the Cup match, but given Team NZ went into the series on negative one, there is the potential it could last 14 races.
The final day of the regatta was originally slated as June 28, for which three races had been scheduled if required. The schedule has now been updated to include an extra day, June 29, if a 14th race is required.
It’s not the first time extra races have had to be added to the Cup match. At the last event in San Francisco, the first-to-nine win series stretched to a marathon 19 races after Oracle went into the event down two points as part of a penalty they copped on the eve of the regatta after being found to have cheated during the World Series events.
But having one team go into the Cup match in Bermuda down one point was a foreseen event, given it is the result of a controversial rule change for the challenger series. As Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill said by way of defence of the one-point headstart rule, “we’ve known all along this was the case”.
If race officials are unable to get through all the racing due to weather delays, they have a reserve day on A poor day on the water for Jimmy Spithill resulted in a tame performance in the post-racing press conference shortly after.
Spithill seized on his rival Peter Burling’s errors with the same ruthlessness on land as he did on the racecourse when he fronted media after Oracle’s round robin victories over the Kiwi team.
This time, with Spithill’s team the one making “basic fouls”, and errors on the water, the two-time America’s Cup winning skipper was a lot more circumspect.
The US team made an uncharacteristic error in the startbox, copping a penalty for crossing the startline as the Kiwi boat pressured them from behind.
But Spithill was careful not to give Burling any credit for his improved efforts in the startbox.
“We basically handed them that one,” Spithill said, to a scoff from the young Team NZ helmsman. June 30. Under the Protocol that governs this year’s event, only three races can be held each day.