Semi finals. Italy 5 USA 1 / NZ 4 Spain 2

[usscouse]

Seems there will be no American team in the America's Cup this time around.
Larry Ellison's team BMW ORACLE just didn't have the boat speed to take on the Italian team Luna Rossa.

New Zealand needed just one win today to meet in the finals with the Italians but Spain pulled out an unexpected second win to make it 4-2.
Best of 9 will win the semi final and meet the italians.

Winner of the Louis Vuiton Cup will sail against Swiss America's Cup champions Alinghi




http://www3.turkishpress.com/i-s/SGE.EOS62.180507115913.photo00.quicklook.default-204x245.jpg
Swiss America's Cup champions Alinghi, seen here April 2007, have been keeping a low profile here as pressure builds in the Louis Vuitton Cup that will decide its competitor in next month's head-to-head sail-off.

[usscouse]

The finals of the Challenger series and winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup will start in Valencia June 1 (I believe)
Dish channel 151 will carry it in full a couple of times a day. It might not be everyones 'cup of tea' if it's not yours then keep your ********ing comments to yourself.

I some ways it's a lot like modern football. Mulinational teams trying to get the best team members for the 17 positions on the boat. (I used to be Bow man.) Sometimes the race can be won right at the start, sometimes you don't know the winner until they cross the finish line. Lot's of media bullshit, rumours and outright lies. Lots of secrecy and some cheating. It'll be fun, I'll be recording and watching it all.

Both my daughters are Kiwis, My legacy to NZ from when I lived there..:) so I have a vested interest.
I believe the Ities are favorites but when has that ever stopped them being beaten?

Should NZ win the series and the LV Cup they will race the Swiss Alinghi team for the America's Cup.

Should they win that Cup then they will be the host country for the next Americas Cup. That would be a nice time for me to go and visit my Grandkids again.

[CCSC_STRIKER20]

The finals of the Challenger series and winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup will start in Valencia June 1 (I believe)
Dish channel 151 will carry it in full a couple of times a day. It might not be everyones 'cup of tea' if it's not yours then keep your ********ing comments to yourself.

I some ways it's a lot like modern football. Mulinational teams trying to get the best team members for the 17 positions on the boat. (I used to be Bow man.) Sometimes the race can be won right at the start, sometimes you don't know the winner until they cross the finish line. Lot's of media bullshit, rumours and outright lies. Lots of secrecy and some cheating. It'll be fun, I'll be recording and watching it all.

Both my daughters are Kiwis, My legacy to NZ from when I lived there..:) so I have a vested interest.
I believe the Ities are favorites but when has that ever stopped them being beaten?

Should NZ win the series and the LV Cup they will race the Swiss Alinghi team for the America's Cup.

Should they win that Cup then they will be the host country for the next Americas Cup. That would be a nice time for me to go and visit my Grandkids again.
It's only on the dish? The way you talk about it, I kind of want to check it out. Must be somewhat good.

[usscouse]

It's only on the dish? The way you talk about it, I kind of want to check it out. Must be somewhat good.

I'm not sure who else is carrying it, have to check. ESPN used to carry it all, maybe just the AC races this time.

[usscouse]

Round up of the semi's and schedule of the Italy / Team NZ LV finals
Best of nine races.

Schedule of the AC races also best of nine.

http://valenciasailing.blogspot.com/2007/05/louis-vuitton-cup-semifinals-day-5-luna.html

A hot young Ausie James Spithill helms team Italy, his aggresive style was too much for Larry Ellison's "Oracle." The Kiwi Dean Barker helms the TNZ boat and is more laid back in style. The starts will be interesting because James Spithill will take it to Barker.

Much like soccer here, the comms "Over explain" everything. Nice if you're just tuning in for some interest.
Summer days, gin tonics and sailing.

[usscouse]

http://www.versus.com/americascup

These are the guys with the TV coverage. Lots of info.
On the left is a link to the chanel that covers your area, just feed in your zip code.

There's a link to video of the day, that'll give you some idea of the race coverage.

[quentinc]

I'm pretty sure it starts July 1.

EDIT: I realized you were talking about the Louis Vuitton, not the final race. I'll shut up now.

I'll be tuning in. I plan to try my hand at sailing this fall, so I might as well start acquainting myself with the sport now (although I don't plan on sailing in boats like these anytime soon).

[usscouse]

It's fun sport, if you can get into a college program with some light racing, you'll learn a lot more.

I hear the Gulf is a wonderful place place to sail. Summer is great here as well and the water warms up from 55 degrees to 58...no shit! The warm winds and beaches of the South Texas Gulf Coast have rep. You get anywhere near there?

[quentinc]

It's fun sport, if you can get into a college program with some light racing, you'll learn a lot more.

I hear the Gulf is a wonderful place place to sail. Summer is great here as well and the water warms up from 55 degrees to 58...no shit! The warm winds and beaches of the South Texas Gulf Coast have rep. You get anywhere near there?
Actually I'll be starting when I head to school in Maryland.

[usscouse]

Actually I'll be starting when I head to school in Maryland.........................I knew that...!

Is it far from the Gulf? :)

[usscouse]

So the Kiwi's go two up today with a convincing win against the Ozzie boat....whoops, that's Italian of course with the Ozie driver.

Yesterdays, first race of the best of 9 series, was pretty close and at times due to windshifts the Italians actually went ahead but the Kiwi's kept it together for a 8 second win. The boats look pretty evenly matched and whoever wins the first cross look likely to win the race. Possibly Luna Rossi is a tad faster off the wind which shold make for closer finishing.

Looks to me right now like James Spithill, the Italian's Ozie driver, is out manouvering himself by trying to bully Barker in the starting sequences. Barker is a little too laid back for that and is letting Spithill hang himself. It cost him today he was late and slow on the starting line and lucky not to have a penalty given against him. Imagine a PK being given right at the opening whistle of a cup final...Not good.

The penalty is usually a 270 degree turn sometime during the race, 270 degrees will put you on the opposite tack from the other boat and could hurt. If the NZ team had a PK against them in the second race they could easily have done it in time to win, as it was they won the second race by 40 seconds today.

Two nil is pretty good but like in football one doesn't want to feel comfortable with it.

Tomorrow's winds are predicted to be lighter, that could be significant on how the boats react to it. Boats seem to work better in different conditions. So it could be interesting

[usscouse]

These boat drivers (Helmsmen) are much like big name strikers or attacking mids in football. They command the team, the big bucks and are in big demand.

We had a guy who would race with us when he could who was nationally rated for the US Olympic team. He came with us because I had the best beer supply on the course!

We were racing the Duck Dodge on Lake Union and halfway down one "upwind leg" and we were halfway down the fleet, he called for a quick spinaker set. We did it but had no idea where he was coming from but went along with it. Next minute we're surging ahead of the fleet and by the time the other boats reacted and were struggleng to get their kites up, we'd taken ours down again and the gust had gone.
All 8 of us on the boat had had a lot of club racing experience but that was a first for us and none of us picked it.

So to get on the water with a sydicate that costs as much as it cost Guinness and his buddy to buy Liverpool FC. they only want the best...That's not me!!!!

[usscouse]

Three to Zip...!

Not looking good for the Ities from here on in. Even after winning the start and taking the side they thought would be best on the course for them, The Kiwis out draged them and took the race convincingly.

It's not impossible to come back but that's an awfully deeeeep hole to climb out of. Especially the way the Kiwis have been sailing.

Still, they have a couple of days to think it over, let's see how the next one goes on Tueday.

[usscouse]

FOUR - zip...Hmmmmm Tomorrow could be the end for Luna Rossi's America's Cup hopes and dreams.

Even after winning the start and going ahead Team New Zealand passed them and left them way behind. It looked like a pretty hopeless effort from the Prada team

James Spithill, for all the hype given to his agressive sailing backed off the Kiwi's a couple of times when he had the advantage.

When the boats came at each other for the second time, it was obvious that the Kiwi's had made up a lot of ground. Spithill at that time was on starboard tack, shoud have held his course, went at the Kiwi's and forced them to tack away so he could cross ahead and taken the side with the best wind, ahead of NZ. (Port tack boats have to stand clear) But instead he tacked away and that was the move that gave away the race. Timid tactics!

I can't see Prada doing any better next time out. If they do win tomorrow, I doubt they win again. NZ is a faster boat with a better rear guard.

[usscouse]

Well that was it for the Louis Vuiton Cup Final. The Italian's just didn't have any juice at all.
Team New Zealand sailed away with it (as we say)

So now it's the America's Cup, the oldest sporting trophy in the world. with the Kiwi's chalenging the Swiss Alinghi Team starting on June 23rd.

Be nice to take a trip to Valencia for that.....

Should the Kiwis win they they will hold the series down under in a couple of years. I'll start saving my pennies for that and spong off my daughter.

[quentinc]

Yeah, I watched it today. The New Zealanders just looked so much more refined (to my untrained eye).

Getting on the spectator boat seems like a huge bitch. Although I guess if you have a boat yourself, you can just use that.