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Match 2 Review: Katie, Don't Bar(n) the Door

Posted 1 year, 1 month ago

Match 2 Review: Katie, Don't Bar(n) the Door
USA Media mavens: Yesterday began with a visit to our team base and the Morning Show by CBS evening news anchor Katie Couric, above between your Ed. and Peter "Pedro" Isler (USA, right). By all accounts Pedro is doing a bang-up job as co-host of the Versus TV Cup coverage in the States. Jane Eagleson (USA, left) is still hard at work as our team's press officer. Katie is the first female to solo-host a network evening newscast, walking in the esteemed shoes of her predecessor (once removed), Walter Cronkite, who unlike Katie is both a sailor and member of the NYYC. However, after spending only a day with Cup racing she, LOL, was fully versed. At last evening's AC Hall of Fame induction dinner (where she gave a great ceremony-opening talk) Katie said she had thoroughly enjoyed the day, found it all "fascinating", the scene "amazing", and the sailors "hunky." Katie was a real trouper, meeting and visiting with a number of our team members, including Oracle Corp's Sr VP and Chief Marketing Officer (and AC Liaison), Judy Sim of San Francisco. We should get her together with George Clyde as Katie had strong views on nationality -- thinks the Cup would be well served by a return to a modest nationality rule for the sailing teams. For the second day in a row, Alinghi hoisted their main in the basin, adding to the colourful action. This delighted the crowds lining the AC canal on the 13:00 tow out, and saves some wear and tear on the man up the mast who is able to secure the head of the sail in the calmer waters of the Port AC -- to say nothing of getting a little more "air time" for UBS. Again yesterday the PAC was packed... ...as was VLC's Malvarossa Beach, from where one can sit, sun and see the race course -- at least the gaggle of spectator boats flying around -- which is less than a kilometer offshore. By now Ops Director Laurent Esquier (USA/FRA) & Co. have our team base pretty well buttoned-up, though the public areas on the ground level and the VIP hospitality center on top level remain in full swing. At race time, the big screen in the AC Park is a big draw... ...as is the "starting box" a big draw for the 700 or so spectator boats we again saw yesterday. In the final five minutes before the start, there were three protest flags, equaling the total number of flags during all AC Matches since umpiring was initiated for the 1992 Cup at San Diego. All three protests were "green flagged" (no penalty) by umpires Brad Dellenbaugh (USA) and Bill Edgerton (GBR). A crucial moment in the pre-start was ETNZ "hooking" the transom of Alinghi and forcing them to tack to keep clear. This was one of the protest incidents that was green-flagged. ETNZ was entirely more aggressive in yesterday's pre-start -- expect more of the same on Tuesday? Alinghi started to the left and grabbed a slight lead. Half-way or so up Leg 1 they managed to cross ahead of ETNZ and get to the right (above) for starboard advantage, and led into and around the top mark. Alinghi held the lead down Leg 2, but in the lighter, flatter water ETNZ seemed to go relatively better downwind than they had the day before. At the gate Alinghi went left, and ETNZ split to the right. Up Leg 3 Alinghi crossed over to the right, but ETNZ found better pressure and a bit of a lefty on the left when Alinghi failed to close-cover. then a misjudged lee-bow tack by Alinghi allowed ETNZ to pass near the top mark. In taking the blame at the post-race press conference, did Brad Butterworth stoicly cover up for Alinghi's helmsman, even a little bit? Had Couttsy been on the wheel, would Brad's AC Match winning streak be intact at 17-0? Regardless, ETNZ led around the top mark, and full marks to Deano & Co. and especially tactician Terry Hutchinson (USA) for getting around Alinghi. Your Ed. would have named Terry as Match 2's MVP. On the final run beautiful crew work by both teams kept it close... ...with Alinghi throwing gybe after gybe at ETNZ, all of which were rebuffed by the Kiwi's close and careful covering. ETNZ even managed to extend a bit, and at the end led by over 100m, taking a win by 28s -- only seven seconds less than Alinghi's 35s win in Match 1. Again yesterday PRO Peter Reggio set the race course up, hmmm, just off the breakwater; closer than during the LVC finals, so there is a lot of bobble due to the reflection off the breakwater to say nothing of the huge spectator fleet. After the Match ends another race begins -- a mad dash of spectator boats... ...to and back into the PAC. Your Ed.'s race day co-commentator, Ivor Wilkins (NZL), has observed that there are many more Kiwi than Swiss flags to be seen in the fleet. All Kiwi fans, whether on the water, lining the PAC canal or among the 400,000 or so watching bleary-eyed in the middle of the night back in NZL, would have been thrilled with yesterday's result. Likewise your Ed., not because we are necessarily cheering for NZL to win, but because it means the regatta now goes at least six of the eight days we have VIP guest bookings! Moreover, after all the years of thought and work put in to trying to make AC racing closer and more exciting, it is starting to look like we may, indeed, be in for a real barnburner. So far so good, and Katie, please don't bar(n) the door. All these wonderful photos by Gilles Martin-Raget, who obviously spent a good bit of yesterday up in an ACM helicopter. Full Story »

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