Cup Spy – Day 21: Louis Vuitton Cup – Finals Day 7 – Comeback or ‘Farewell’?
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 02 Oct 00:48 PDT
2 October 2024
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Britannia – Louis Vuitton Cup – Final – Race Day 6 – October 2, 2024 © Ian Roman / America’s Cup
Sail-World’s Preview for Day 21 of the Louis Vuitton Cup – Finals Race Day 7 – October 4, 2024. A new story will be posted once racing begins, covering every aspect of the day’s events, including reports, commentary, and images.
Live race coverage – Louis Vuitton Cup Finals – Day 7 or Day 21 of the Challenger Selection Series for the Louis Vuitton Cup.
While you wait, check out the podcast at the bottom of the page with North Sails’ Ken Read, a former America’s Cup skipper, as he poses insightful questions to Emirates Team NZ co-helmsman Nathan Outteridge. Additionally, Tom Whidden shares his wealth of stories from past Cups, and Bruno Dubois of the Orient Express Racing team discusses the reasons behind their design partnership with Emirates Team NZ, detailing the challenges faced by a startup team, including losing a key backer.
Course Location:
Weather Forecast:
America’s Cup Weather Partner PredictWind offers a specialized Race Weather Center that gives fans access to in-depth daily weather analyses, live webcams, and historical weather data, as well as daily breakdowns prepared by meteorologists.
Current Race Day 21 Forecast:
Friday, October 4, 2024
In the morning, offshore winds will come from the North-West. By midday, the winds will subside, struggling to build from the South as is customary. In the afternoon, we anticipate light and variable winds around 5 knots.
It will be a sunny day, albeit cooler, with temperatures reaching up to 21°C; this is not ideal for thermal wind development.
Saturday the 5th
Expect winds from the South-West in the afternoon, around 6 to 8 knots, a bit stronger than the previous day, along with clear skies and rising temperatures.
By Arnaud Monges, Former America’s Cup Team Meteorologist
Friday, October 4, 2024: Race Schedule – Finals Matches 11 and 12:
Final – Match 11: INEOS Britannia (GBR) (Port Startbox entry) vs. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) (Starboard Startbox Entry) Start: 1215hrs UTC
Final – Match 12: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) (Port Startbox Entry) vs. INEOS Britannia (GBR) (Starboard Startbox entry) Start: 1315hrs UTC
While you wait…
While anticipation builds for the coverage, keep updated with the following:
When INEOS Britannia’s Dock Walk becomes available from Barcelona, we will host it here with Georgie Ainslie chatting with various members of the INEOS Britannia team. You can hear the team’s thoughts on the current weather conditions on the course and their expectations.
Inside Tack
The best team-produced show of the 2024 America’s Cup – the INEOS Britannia inner circle of Freddie Carr, Giles Scott, and Iain Jensen discuss current issues, including the racing, how the day unfolded, observations both on and off the water, and plenty of lighthearted banter when things get too serious, addressing other crucial matters for the British team.
North Sails Loft 57 Podcast
Ken Read from North Sails interviews Emirates Team NZ co-helm Nathan Outteridge, veteran Cup sailor Tom Whidden, and Orient Express Racing Team’s super-manager Bruno Dubois.
Virtual Eye
Post-racing, replay key moments or the entire race using Virtual Eye from ARL. Inside Tack uses this tool to illustrate various points by tracking the actual movements of the AC75s.
Access Virtual Eye’s America’s Cup coverage by clicking here and selecting “Watch Previous” to choose a race to view. Virtual Eye acts as a 3D viewer, allowing you to zoom in, out, and around like you’re in a helicopter.
Crew Lists
These are now available.
Format and Points:
The Finals follow a format based on the America’s Cup – 13 races are scheduled, with the first to score 7 points declared the winner. Typically, this means winning seven races, though the International Jury may enforce points penalties for violations both on and off the water not covered by the Racing Rules adjudicated by the Umpiring team.
Two races are planned each day, with the same wind limits as previous Louis Vuitton Cup rounds – a minimum of 6.5 knots and an upper limit of 21 knots, measured at both the start line and each gate using recording devices. Four devices are in use, with readings averaged over 30-second intervals for five minutes prior to the start, from the 9th to the 4th minute. If the wind conditions are acceptable, the Course Director will announce via radio (heard on TV commentary) that racing will commence.
If approved, the race will go ahead regardless of subsequent wind changes. Once permission is granted, the only constraint is that teams must complete the first leg within 12 minutes, followed by a total race limit of 45 minutes. The length of legs, compass headings for subsequent segments, and the number of legs can be altered by the race committee during the race.
The course may consist of six or eight legs. The race director has the authority not to start a race (even if wind conditions are acceptable) if they deem the sea state to be unsafe. They can also cancel a race for safety reasons—a power utilized during the lightning strikes on Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. However, the decision of Emirates Team NZ to withdraw from their race and sail beyond the 100-meter boundary line triggered their disqualification, automatically awarding the race to Luna Rossa and preventing the Chief Umpire from having to intervene on safety grounds.
