DAY 3 LOUIS VUITTON SERIES

I am going to make some statements.

6 races were scheduled to take place as of this afternoon.

not one race has been completed by both boats.

3 points total have been awarded all because a second boat could not complete the course.

As I stated, a war of attrition.

TODAY’S RACE:

CLEANING THE RACECOURSE
CLEANING THE RACECOURSE
THE START (SMOKE)
THE START (SMOKE)
APPROACHING THE FIRST MARK
APPROACHING THE FIRST MARK
LEEWARD OVERLAP
LEEWARD OVERLAP
PUSHED WIDE
PUSHED WIDE
FOILING BEFORE THE START
FOILING BEFORE THE START
LUNA ROSSA KICKING UP THEIR HEELS BEFORE THE START
LUNA ROSSA KICKING UP THEIR HEELS BEFORE THE START

Today I watched from the Golden Gate Bridge. A perspective I had not seen or used before. I will confess that I still have trouble without a watch and the precise start time seeing the whole picture.

While Chris Draper was credited with winning the start. I wonder. I watched Russell Coutts sailing the AC45’s always start to leeward. the “first leg” is so short if you maintain a leeward overlap you can keep the windward from bearing away downwind. Russell won almost every race this way. It is not always about winning the start, it’s about winning the race.

I thought the above images illustrate very well this maneuver.