Plan B Forum

About a true international competition taking place in San Francisco Bay right now - the America's Cup!

Today, TeamUSA, the defenders, took two races from the Kiwis, the challengers. Some grew racing by the Americans when the Kiwis have been one win away from taking home the cup to Auckland.

Two more races are scheduled for tomorrow and first team to 9 points wins. It is now 8-5 (but should be 8-7 as TeamUSA was penalized 2 points after illegal weights were found in a training boat). Racing catamarans is just weird - races are now clocked in minutes instead of hours and the sailors wear helmets and flack jackets), but it's still fabulous racing.

LJ, been down to see any of it?

Caught a little of the LV Cup back in August after taking the kids to the new Exploratorium. (The Exploratorium is at Pier 15, America's Cup Park is at Pier 27.)

They need to go back to the old 12- meter boats.

But other than that this is the best place to hold the competition in the world.

Yrs,
Rubato

I've heard that San Francisco expected a lot more people to show up.

A lot of people I know don't know or don't care about it.

SF ought to try hosting a cricket match. That will get people to show up.

Now that would draw a crowd!

I found this interesting.

The trophy was originally awarded in 1851 by the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight in England, which was won by the schooner America.

hence "The Americas Cup".

I'm supporting team USA, as we have a big rivalry here with the Kiwis, and Team USA is skippered by an Aussie.

I used to be a big fan of the Americas cup until Dennis Conner (I think that's his name) made a mockery of it and raced a wind vaned cataraman against a regular equipped boat. I remember way back when the Austrailain team came in with their super secret winged keeled entry and took the long held Cup from the US of A. I think Ted Turner was the skipper during that loss. They used to sail here on the "right" coast off of RI.


I agree with rubato and they should return to the 12 meter boats.

Gob wrote:Now that would draw a crowd!

I found this interesting.

The trophy was originally awarded in 1851 by the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight in England, which was won by the schooner America.

hence "The Americas Cup".

I'm supporting team USA, as we have a big rivalry here with the Kiwis, and Team USA is skippered by an Aussie.

My god I'm SHOCKED. GOB IS SUPPORTING SOMETHING WITH THE TEAMUSA LABEL. Mark this day down in history folks, its a big one.

You know, of course, that the CEO of TeamUSA is Russell Couts, a very talented Kiwi.

The yacht club I was in gave me the boot...

oldr_n_wsr wrote:I used to be a big fan of the Americas cup until Dennis Conner (I think that's his name) made a mockery of it and raced a wind vaned cataraman against a regular equipped boat. I remember way back when the Austrailain team came in with their super secret winged keeled entry and took the long held Cup from the US of A. I think Ted Turner was the skipper during that loss. They used to sail here on the "right" coast off of RI.


I agree with rubato and they should return to the 12 meter boats.

The Australia victory was in 1983, and they took the Cup after 30+ successful defenses by the USA. Dennis Connor was the defender that year -- I can't recall the USA boat's name.

BTW, the cat Cup in the late 80s, was Connor, sailing for the San Diego Yacht Club, against the Kiwis who had done some pretty funky stuff to their boat at that point --- so don't think he was the only one messing with the rules.

I also miss the 12-meter yachts. America's Cup racing in 40 minutes or less may appeal to the Domino's generation, but I think its just destroyed the romance of sport and I miss those graceful old boats. That being said, there was some interesting tactical racing on Sunday, and I'm slowing getting drawn back in.

I'm supporting team USA

Lord Jim wrote:

I'm supporting team USA

Yes, exactly!

Rick wrote:The yacht club I was in gave me the boot...

Groucho had the right idea....

My brother is in San Francisco for a conference right now and he got to go see some of it. Here is a photo he snapped on Sunday...

Rick wrote:The yacht club I was in gave me the boot...

Well it is a bit cheating to blow up the competition.....

Wow, wow, wow TeamUSA stomped all over the kiwis in two races today. It's all tied up at 8-8. Whoever wins tomorrow takes the Cup!!

A great job for the Oracle team battling back from a huge deficit with no margin of error, one slip and elimination. They've made a great race for tomorrow.

And given the penalty points they overcame it would make the actual sailing victory pretty one-sided.

yrs,
rubato

And the comeback is compete!!! TeamUSA smokes the Kiwis in the last race.

Amazing!!

I see how they did it now...

Sir Ben Ainslie's Oracle Team USA sealed one of sport's greatest comebacks when they overhauled an 8-1 deficit to beat Team New Zealand in the America's Cup decider in San Francisco.

The British sailing legend, 36, a four-time Olympic champion, was drafted in as tactician in place of American veteran John Kostecki and was instrumental in the US outfit's resurgence.

Ainslie combined superbly with Oracle's Australian skipper James Spithill and strategist Tom Slingsby, another Australian who won Laser gold at London 2012, to drag the syndicate back from the brink in the most remarkable turnaround in the event's 162-year history.