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February 28, 2003
Match Point One
I hate to see lop-sided sporting events because they just aren't very entertaining. I mean, where's the drama in a 47 to 0 football game? Or a three - love tennis match? So you may understand my disappointment in the America's Cup races going on in the land of Hawai'i's ancestors - New Zealand. While there has been some very exciting match racing, the four to nil result is nothing but a Kiwi catastrophe.
Yesterday's fourth race of the best of nine series saw the Kiwi boat again having equipment failure. As in race one, their boat took on massive amounts of water over the transom. And as in that race, the additional weight, in addition to poor sail selection, trimming of those sails, and sea conditions caused the the tip cup, a fitting that holds the end of the rod to the mast, to explode - followed almost instantaneously by the snapping of the 110-foot (~34-meters) carbon fiber mast. More dangerously, three crew members were swept overboard, although thank God, none were injured and all were rescued. It can not be emphasized enough how dangerous it is to have a mast snap while under load. Huge amounts of energy are released and anyone who is unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time can be cut in two.
It appears the Kiwis have designed and built a boat that operates well in a very narrow range of wind and sea conditions. If she sails outside of her comfort zone, either she goes very slow or things fail. But more importantly, the crew seems very inexperienced in how to sail their boat in varying conditions. You would think that this being their home court, they would have the most experience of all in every type of condition the area has to offer. But this appears not to be the case. Strange. One wonders if the emphasis was to build a technically superior boat, but not to spend the time needed to train the sailors in sailing her?
While I don't want to count out the New Zealanders, with one more win to go for the Swiss challengers, thoughts go to where the cup race would be held in the land locked Swiss alps (the first time in 152 years the cup will be back in Europe).
Have a Great Weekend Everyone - Aloha!
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Comments
A lobsided result doesn't nessesary mean an unenjoyable match. I mean a 3-0 tennis match can still be exiting, there could have been three ty-breaks.
Of course if the game/racing itself is 'sobsided' too there is no fun to watch.
Posted by: sjon at March 3, 2003 01:35 AM