Cup Spy – Day 19: Louis Vuitton Cup – Finals Day 6 – Preview
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 2 Oct 01:45 PDT
2 October 2024
Sail-World presents a preview for Day 19 of the Louis Vuitton Cup – Finals Race Day 6 – on October 2, 2024. Once racing begins, we will transition to a new story that will include comprehensive coverage, reports, commentary, and images from the day.
Weather Update:
America’s Cup Weather Partner PredictWind has launched a dedicated Race Weather Center providing fans with access to in-depth daily weather analyses, live camera feeds, and historical data compiled from expert meteorologists.
Provisional Forecast for Race Day 19:
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
The wind pattern will shift on Wednesday. A light North-Easterly wind will prevail in the morning, linked to a strong Northerly wind gradient offshore. Throughout the day, the wind will generally veer right and increase in intensity, though some forecast uncertainties remain.
In the afternoon, the wind is predicted to come from around 90-120° (East/East-South-East). Expect wind speeds to vary significantly, ranging from 10 to 17 knots, potentially gusting to 23 knots.
Sea conditions will worsen as the day progresses, with an anticipated wave height of 1.2 meters coming from the East at a 4-second interval, creating challenging foiling conditions. The sky will become overcast during the day, with rain likely in the evening/night.
Course Location:
Race Schedule – Finals Matches 9 and 10:
Final – Match 9: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) (Port Startbox Entry) vs INEOS Britannia (GBR) (Starboard Startbox entry) Start: 1210hrs UTC
Final – Match 10: INEOS Britannia (GBR) (Port Startbox entry) vs Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) (Starboard Startbox Entry) Start: 1315hrs UTC
Format and Points:
The Finals format mirrors that of the America’s Cup – 13 races are planned, with the champion being the first to accumulate 7 points. Generally, this means winning seven races, but points penalties could be applied for rule violations, both on and off the water, as determined by the Umpiring team.
Two races are scheduled each day. The wind limits applied in earlier rounds of the Louis Vuitton Cup will continue – a lower limit of 6.5 knots and an upper limit of 21 knots, measured at both the top and bottom of the course (start line) with recording devices at each gate. Four devices take readings, averaged over 30-second intervals during a five-minute period leading up to the start. If wind conditions are acceptable, the Course Director will announce (via radio, heard in TV commentary) that racing will proceed.
If racing is authorized, the race will occur regardless of subsequent changes in wind conditions. After approval is granted, the only remaining requirement is that teams must complete the first leg within a 12-minute limit and finish the race within 45 minutes. The lengths of the legs, their compass directions, and the number of legs may be adjusted by the race committee during the event.
So far, no race has exceeded 25 minutes in duration.
The race director reserves the power to postpone the start (even within approved limits) if he deems the sea state unsafe. He can also cancel a race for safety reasons – a discretion he nearly utilized during the lightning incidents on Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Nevertheless, Emirates Team NZ’s choice to exit their race and sail beyond the 100-meter boundary, leading to their disqualification and an automatic race win for Luna Rossa, meant that the Chief Umpire’s decisions eliminated the need for any safety intervention from the Race Director.
While you await live coverage, you can stay updated with:
Virtual Eye
Following the races, you can revisit the key moments or the entire race using Virtual Eye from ARL.
Click here for direct access to Virtual Eye’s America’s Cup coverage, select “Watch Previous,” and choose the race you wish to view. Virtual Eye allows for a 3D view, enabling zooming, rotating, and navigating just like being in a helicopter.
Crew Lists
