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Yesterday's announcement that Artemis intends on racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, was certainly good news. The part that indicates they will not be ready to race til the end of July leaves major uncertainty.
Updated Schedule
After hearing the news on the radio today that the month of July may only have 5 races, head scratching began in serious earnest. There are bundles of implications to having a severely reduced schedule both economic and just keeping interest alive, but as usual, Richard Gladwell took the ball and ran with it and pens the following bit of info to help clarify the mystic mud...
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Updated Schedule
After hearing the news on the radio today that the month of July may only have 5 races, head scratching began in serious earnest. There are bundles of implications to having a severely reduced schedule both economic and just keeping interest alive, but as usual, Richard Gladwell took the ball and ran with it and pens the following bit of info to help clarify the mystic mud...
The 34th America's Cup reached a farcical level today, with the release of a revised race schedule, co-incident with an announcement by the Challenger of Record, Artemis Racing (SWE) that they did not expect to be racing until the end of July.
The race schedule in fact shows that the America's Cup Regatta will begin on July 7, with a match between Emirates Team NZ and Luna Rossa (ITA).
The farcical first Act of the so-called Summer of Sailing is scheduled for July 9 when Emirates Team NZ are down to meet Artemis Racing. The Challenger of Record are now, by their own statement a no-show. That scene is repeated again on July 11, when the phantom of the race schedule, Artemis Racing, is scheduled to meet Luna Rossa, and will be another no-show.
Quite whether Luna Rossa or Emirates Team New Zealand have to sail the course, alone, to get the point remains to be seen. The would seem to be the case, as announced rather appropriately by a 'tweet' from America's Cup Event Authority CEO, Stephen Barclay: the course will e set each day. If a team not turn up, other team must complete course 2 earn the points
The sight of an AC72 sailing the course, alone, to get the point, is a far cry from when the Enlightened Ones were discussing the options as to how the various series in the Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup could have been scored.
Then the scenarios were touted as having three races a day when the majority winner took the point. Now the regatta has devolved to a situation where a Challenger, under normal sailing rules, has to sail the course alone to get the point?
Would this happen in any other sporting tournament, where a team defaulted, and the opposing team had to play against themselves, scoring goal after goal, just to get the tournament point?
The general sporting media may not understand a a lot about the nuances of the America's Cup. But they do recognise stupidity and farce when they see it. They will have a field day with this one.
Just two races a week
In the first week, according to the current schedule, the two sailing Challengers will meet just twice, with the other five days being taken up with Reserve Days and no-show days by Artemis Racing. The original schedule had five days of racing scheduled for the same period.
The pattern continues for the first month, which should have been the keenly contested Round Robin Series, with the Semi-Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup beginning early August.
In a statement issued earlier today from the Swedish team advised: 'The team is now working to ready its second AC72, which it expects to launch in a few weeks and which will undergo a rigorous testing regime. When the sailing team is satisfied that the boat can be pushed hard in race conditions, it will join the competition.
'We are working around-the-clock to get our new boat ready, in the water and to prepare our team to race' said Paul Cayard, CEO of Artemis Racing. 'We still have a mountain to climb, but our plan is to launch our new boat in early July and get ourselves in a position where we can race by the end of the month.'
The spin doctors amongst America's Cup organisers labelled the Artemis statement as inspired, but fans on reading its impact on race schedules reached for the anti-depressants.
At best Artemis Racing will come in on the end of the Round Robin and have four races between July 25 and August 1, when the Round Robin is due to end. In the whole month from July 7 to August 1, Luna Rossa and Emirates Team NZ are scheduled to meet on just five occasions.
The Summer of Sailing has been turned into a Summer of Waiting
The changes have ostensibly been bought about as a result of safety recommendations arising from the Review Committee Recommendations, developed by the Chairman alone, after a week long exercise following the fatal training incident involving Artemis Racing.
Some of those Recommendations involving changes to the Class Rule were believed to be in dispute between the teams (when total unanimity is required under the Protocol for such changes to be made). On that basis it would seem likely that some of the changes will be taken to the International Jury for a full hearing or Mediation for one or more members of that body.
Under the current rules, such as they seem to exist, for the 34th America's Cup, the winner of the Round Robin Series would have the option to progress to the Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup, bypassing the Semi-Finals, which are a best of seven series.
The race schedule in fact shows that the America's Cup Regatta will begin on July 7, with a match between Emirates Team NZ and Luna Rossa (ITA).
The farcical first Act of the so-called Summer of Sailing is scheduled for July 9 when Emirates Team NZ are down to meet Artemis Racing. The Challenger of Record are now, by their own statement a no-show. That scene is repeated again on July 11, when the phantom of the race schedule, Artemis Racing, is scheduled to meet Luna Rossa, and will be another no-show.
Quite whether Luna Rossa or Emirates Team New Zealand have to sail the course, alone, to get the point remains to be seen. The would seem to be the case, as announced rather appropriately by a 'tweet' from America's Cup Event Authority CEO, Stephen Barclay: the course will e set each day. If a team not turn up, other team must complete course 2 earn the points
The sight of an AC72 sailing the course, alone, to get the point, is a far cry from when the Enlightened Ones were discussing the options as to how the various series in the Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup could have been scored.
Then the scenarios were touted as having three races a day when the majority winner took the point. Now the regatta has devolved to a situation where a Challenger, under normal sailing rules, has to sail the course alone to get the point?
Would this happen in any other sporting tournament, where a team defaulted, and the opposing team had to play against themselves, scoring goal after goal, just to get the tournament point?
The general sporting media may not understand a a lot about the nuances of the America's Cup. But they do recognise stupidity and farce when they see it. They will have a field day with this one.
Just two races a week
In the first week, according to the current schedule, the two sailing Challengers will meet just twice, with the other five days being taken up with Reserve Days and no-show days by Artemis Racing. The original schedule had five days of racing scheduled for the same period.
The pattern continues for the first month, which should have been the keenly contested Round Robin Series, with the Semi-Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup beginning early August.
In a statement issued earlier today from the Swedish team advised: 'The team is now working to ready its second AC72, which it expects to launch in a few weeks and which will undergo a rigorous testing regime. When the sailing team is satisfied that the boat can be pushed hard in race conditions, it will join the competition.
'We are working around-the-clock to get our new boat ready, in the water and to prepare our team to race' said Paul Cayard, CEO of Artemis Racing. 'We still have a mountain to climb, but our plan is to launch our new boat in early July and get ourselves in a position where we can race by the end of the month.'
The spin doctors amongst America's Cup organisers labelled the Artemis statement as inspired, but fans on reading its impact on race schedules reached for the anti-depressants.
At best Artemis Racing will come in on the end of the Round Robin and have four races between July 25 and August 1, when the Round Robin is due to end. In the whole month from July 7 to August 1, Luna Rossa and Emirates Team NZ are scheduled to meet on just five occasions.
The Summer of Sailing has been turned into a Summer of Waiting
The changes have ostensibly been bought about as a result of safety recommendations arising from the Review Committee Recommendations, developed by the Chairman alone, after a week long exercise following the fatal training incident involving Artemis Racing.
Some of those Recommendations involving changes to the Class Rule were believed to be in dispute between the teams (when total unanimity is required under the Protocol for such changes to be made). On that basis it would seem likely that some of the changes will be taken to the International Jury for a full hearing or Mediation for one or more members of that body.
Under the current rules, such as they seem to exist, for the 34th America's Cup, the winner of the Round Robin Series would have the option to progress to the Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup, bypassing the Semi-Finals, which are a best of seven series.
