Cup Spy – Day 21: Louis Vuitton Cup – Finals Day 7 – Comeback or “Farewell”?
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 4 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 presents a Preview of Day 21 of the Louis Vuitton Cup – Finals Race Day 7 – October 4, 2024. We’ll transition to a new story once the racing starts, covering all day’s action, reports, commentary, and photos.
While you wait, listen to our podcast at the bottom of the page featuring North Sails’ Ken Read, a former America’s Cup skipper, who poses deep questions to Emirates Team NZ co-helmsman Nathan Outteridge, Tom Whidden, and Bruno Dubois.
Course Location:
Weather Forecast:
America’s Cup Weather Partner PredictWind has set up a dedicated Race Weather Center that grants fans access to detailed daily weather reports, live camera feeds, and historical weather data curated by meteorologists.
Current Outlook for Race Day 21:
Friday, Oct 4, 2024:
In the morning, winds from the North-West are expected. By midday, the wind will decrease and struggle to shift from the South as usual. Light and variable winds around 5 knots are anticipated in the afternoon.
It will be a sunny day with cooler temperatures reaching 21°C, which is less favorable for thermal wind development.
Saturday 5th:
Winds from the South-West around 6 to 8 knots are predicted in the afternoon, slightly stronger than the previous day. Clear skies with 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’re waiting…
While you await the coverage, you can check for updates:
When INEOS Britannia’s Dock Walk becomes available from Barcelona, we’ll share it here with Georgie Ainslie conversing with various INEOS Britannia team members. You can gather the Brits’ perspectives on the current weather conditions on the course and how they foresee the developments.
Inside Tack
The finest show from the 2024 America’s Cup – the INEOS Britannia inner circle of Freddie Carr, Giles Scott, and Iain Jensen discuss current issues, including racing, how the day unfolded, observations on and off the water, and there’s always plenty of light-hearted banter when discussions get serious, alongside other vital issues facing the British team.
North Sails Loft 57 Podcast
Ken Read of North Sails interviews Emirates Team NZ co-helmsman Nathan Outteridge, veteran Cup sailor and tactician Tom Whidden, and Orient Express Racing Team’s super-manager Bruno Dubois.
Virtual Eye
After the races, you can replay the highlights or the entire event using Virtual Eye from ARL. This is the tool used by Inside Tack to illustrate various points, showcasing the actual tracks of the AC75s.
You can directly access the Virtual Eye America’s Cup coverage by clicking here, selecting “Watch Previous,” and then picking the race you wish to view. Virtual Eye is a 3D viewer, allowing you to zoom in, out, and navigate in all directions as if you were in a helicopter.
Crew Lists
These will be posted when available, so check back. Here are the lists from Wednesday – we do not anticipate changes, except regarding their cyclors.
Format and Scoring:
The Finals follow the America’s Cup format – 13 races are scheduled, with the first to score 7 points being declared the winner. Generally, this means the first to win seven races, although the International Jury may impose points penalties for violations, on or off the water, not governed by the Racing Rules evaluated by the Umpiring team.
Two races are planned daily. The same wind limits apply as in the earlier rounds of the Louis Vuitton Cup – a lower limit of 6.5 knots and an upper limit of 21 knots, measured at the top and bottom of the course (start line) using recording devices at each gate. A total of four devices will be used, with readings averaged over 30-second intervals during a five-minute window from the 9th down to the 4th minute before the start. If the wind falls within the acceptable limits, the Course Director will make a radio call (noted in the TV commentary) to inform crews that racing will proceed.
If given the green light, the race will continue regardless of wind conditions. Once approved, the sole requirement is that teams must meet a 12-minute time limit for the first leg and a 45-minute race time limit. The length of legs, compass direction of the next leg, and number of legs may be adjusted by the race committee during the event.
The course may consist of six or eight legs.
The race director has the authority to delay racing (even if winds are within limits) if he determines the sea state is unsafe. He also holds the power to cancel a race for safety reasons – a power he nearly utilized during lightning storms on Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Nevertheless, Emirates Team NZ’s choice to drop out of their race and sail beyond the 100-meter boundary line, which triggered their disqualification and resulted in the immediate awarding of the race to Luna Rossa, meant that the Chief Umpire’s decisions precluded any safety actions by the Race Director.
