Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs:
Series Day 1 - Semi-Finals
(Postponed)

Pairings - Semi-Final Day 1:
First Race start signal at 2:08 pm local time.
Four Matches

Update: Races are postponed for the day due to light and variable winds unsuitable for competition.

SF1 R1: NZL vs. GBR
SF2 R1: SWE vs. JPN
SF1 R2: GBR vs. NZL
SF2 R2: JPN vs. SWE

Weather:
Wind N 8-12 kts, changing to light and variable as afternoon proceeds (ACEA). Wind NE 6 kts and easing through afternoon (WindGuru). Wind 6 kts NNE and easing (Wunderground).  Weather outlook: see Windguru forecast for winds over 20 kts and gusts into the 30s in the second half of the coming week.

Races will start if the wind for the time frame 8 minutes to 3 minutes before the starting signal averages 24 kts or less (per America's Cup Protocol Article 32.1), though under the Racing Rules of Sailing for the Americas Cup (RRSAC) the Race Officer may abandon a race that has started if conditions become unsafe (Rule 32).  Monday, which looks raceable, is a scheduled off day on the original calendar, but with the hard deadline per Protocol to end the Semi-Finals Friday at the latest, regardless of the number of races completed, the race schedule for this week is ripe for adapting to the sailing conditions.  Still, a few good race days with winds in the 20s could be dramatic sailing, if the edge of the envelope can be explored safely.

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs:
Series Day 1 - Semi-Finals

Pairings - Monday June 5
Semi-Final Day 1:
First Race start signal at 2:08 pm local time.
Four Matches

These races were moved to Monday after Sunday's racing was postponed.

SF1 R1: NZL vs. GBR
SF2 R1: SWE vs. JPN
SF1 R2: GBR vs. NZL
SF2 R2: JPN vs. SWE

Weather for Monday:
Wind SE 11-15 kts, 78d F, sunny (ACEA). Wind SSE 11-14 kts (WindGuru). Wind S 13-14 kts (Wunderground).

Semi-Final 1:
Emirates Team New Zealand beats Land Rover/BAR twice to open a healthy lead in the first to 5 points Match.  GBR had damage to their wing and had to retire from Race 1 after the second leg. They were not able to swap out the damage in time to start their second race, putting Land Rover/BAR down 0-2 in a first-to-five contest.

 

Paul Campbell-James, Wing Trimmer, GBR:
"...We were executing a normal mark rounding -- as we've done over a thousand times in the campaign -- and the wing just went pop.  It went from our normal setting to having max power on the wing camber with no way of controlling it. We were absolutely gutted."

"We will see the damage when we take the wing apart. It's just one of those things in sport and tomorrow is another day, fantastic forecast, and we are going to absolutely sock it to them."

Semi-Final 2:
Softbank Team Japan and Artemis Racing split their first and second races.

Early look at Tuesday's weather via WindGuru suggests Winds SSW 17-18 kts, with gusts to 24-26, precipitation not expected until tomorrow evening.

Wednesday's forecast 22-23 kts, gusts to 35. Friday's winds look similar, but with possible rain and storms. Thursday is a bit less, at 14-15 kts with gusts into the 20s, though still a chance for rain and storms. There are up to seven races remaining in each series and the round must end Friday.

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs:
Series Day 3 - Semi-Finals
Tuesday, June 6

Tuesday's Races:
First Race start set for 2:08 pm local time

SF2 R3: JPN beats SWE
SF1 R3: NZL beats GBR
SF2 R4: JPN beats SWE
SF1 R4: GBR beats NZL (DNS - Capsize)

See Semi-Final Results and Standings

Weather:
Winds S 12-18 kts veering SSW to 22 kts by the end of racing, 79 d F, partly sunny (ACEA).  Winds SSW 18-19 kts, gusts to 26-29 kts (WindGuru). Winds SSW 19-20 kts. (Wunderground).  Looking ahead to Wednesday, Windguru calls for winds SW 24 kts, right at the upper limit average for racing, and gusts to 37 kts.

Tuesday Preview:
All eyes on Land Rover/BAR as they try to bounce back from a disaster on Tuesday, breaking their wing controls and unable to finish their first race, losing the second unable to start. They expect to be fixed in time for today without issues, and announced that they notched 47 knots in a shakedown test earlier this morning, but any more losses against New Zealand will put the British challenge in a very deep hole.

Emirates Team New Zealand leads their 5 point series 2-0. The physical components of the boat are probably as good as new, and if anything the guys will need to avoid the risk of trying to compensate for Day 1 by being so aggressive that they don't sail their best race today.

Conditions look to be the strongest of the regatta to date, and keeping the boat under control while avoiding new damage will be the order of the day for all. NZL seems to have done their homework in light air, looking significantly faster than the rest during the Rounds Robin. It would be like the Kiwis to have worked out superior techniques for heavy air sailing as well.  GBR looked to be behind the pack in light air, but is that because they've built a rocket for higher winds?  We'll find out today, possibly.

Softbank Team Japan and Artemis Racing had a real back and forth battle in their first day of Semi-Final competition. More of the same? 

Skippers, crews, and boats seemed well-matched throughout the Rounds Robin. Both have crews and shore teams with veteran experience from 2013, and have been capable of dominating the fleet during the America's Cup World Series regattas. This could be a rocking nine race series, if weather permits. Remember that the semi-final round has to end Friday, and Thursday is the only reliable-looking race day after today according to current forecasts. Wednesday flirts with high winds and Friday hints at storms.

Artemis Racing vs. SoftBank Team Japan:

SF2 Race 3:
SoftBank Team Japan is leading on Leg 4. Artemis sustained some damage falling off foils near bottom mark, noticeably to the forward crossbeam fairing, but there could be more.  JPN ahead by 750. Delta is 47 seconds at Mark 4. Japan is touching foiling 33 knots upwind. Artemis is having trouble tacking, stops almost dead in the water on the upwind leg. Japan makes a big dive, too, coming into the gate and has some damage to their fairing apparent, too. Sweden looked for a moment like they might retire, but keep racing, though a leg back from the SoftBank team. 

SoftBank Team Japan should go on to win Race 3 if they can keep it together until the finish. Artemis may end up pulling out, looking to maximize time to get ready for their second race of the day against JPN.  Softbank Team Japan now leads the series 2-1.

There is damage to both boats.  Japan's damage looks confined to the fairing of the forward crossbeam. Artemis Racing's damage looks like it may have structural consequences. Both teams are evaluating on the water.

If a single boat cannot start the upcoming race this afternoon she will be disqualified in that race, provide the other boat does start the race. If both boats cannot start, whether the race is abandoned or terminated would not affect the match series standings.

SF2 Race 4:
SWE vs. JPN. Start coming at 3:16 pm. Japan at the start is to leeward an ahead of Artemis, both touching 45 knots on the reach to Mark 1, and JPN inch ahead enough to cut in front and round Mark 1 first.  SWE bails out with problems, sails past the boundary. Artemis gets it together, sail back onto the course, and heads downwind, Japan with a big lead already. The umpires, however, gave SWE a long penalty for their boundary infraction, really adding to the difference, on the premise SWE saved a gybe on their out of bounds excursion.

JPN ahead by as much as 600m on the upwind leg before SWE starts reeling them in a bit.  The delta at the upwind gate is only 47 seconds, it could have been much worse, and SWE could sail themselves right back into this race if things go right. On the second downwind leg, though, JPN is faster and out to as much as 800m, delta over a minute rounding the downwind gate again. On the final upwind leg, they split the gate, lead is about 600m, then 700m after SWE tacks.  JPN tacks nearing the port layline, and SWE closes up a bit.

JPN may have tacked too early to lay the gate, which will help SWE more, though the race hardly looks in doubt yet. SWE tacks and will make the gate, the delta down to 51 seconds, but that won't be enough with only the downwind and finish legs remaining.  SoftBank Team Japan will win Race 4, and take a 3-1 lead in the first to five series.

 

Land Rover/BAR vs. Emirates Team New Zealand:

SF1 Race 3:
Start was originally for 2:35 pm, but during the Artemis-SoftBank pre-start for the 2:08 race, NZL was back at base with damage to their wing and is trying to replace it in time to be ready for their own first start of their day. Doubly shocking after yesterdays trouble for Land Rover. If anyone can do it, you would think the Kiwis can, but this will be a tough one to pull off....

ETNZ is ready! Race Officer indicates a nine-leg race course for today, the length an indication of how fast the boats will be with this wind. Burling has them a little late at the start, but GBR's mark rounding is off target and NZL gets the inside.  37 kts sailing downwind in 21 kts of wind.  GBR does better at the downwind gate, both turn right. 

Upwind NZL is sailing a better angle, but slower. GBR still leading. NZL closes the gap as they get to the upper half of the leg. Downwind that are flying, NZL still closing in.  At the second downwind gate the delta is 11 seconds. Upwind again, NZL tacks first, looks to push a right of way situation over GBR at the boundary. Land Rover doesn't tack as smoothly, and NZL passes them while both are on starboard tack. Only 4 seconds margin at the next downwind gate.

Upwind for the final time, NZL is going  little better, and opens a 100m lead to over 250m, and 24 seconds as they both hit the starboard layline and round the upwind gate, turning left.  GBR trails by 24 seconds.  A lot of chop on the course is making it hard on the boats, but NZL keeps hanging on. The downwind angles for the boats are good enough in these conditions that they only gybe once on the final downwind leg.

Emirates Team New Zealand will round the bottom gate, finish the final (shortened) reaching leg in a flash, and wins Race 3.  NZL now leads the series 3-0

Deltas at the turning marks and gates were never more than 11 seconds in the race until the final upwind gate.  The finish margin will be a big number, but GBR throttled back once NZL had crossed the finish, probably to avoid any risk of needless damage.

SF1 Race 4:
NZL vs. GBR. Tam New Zealand pitch poles as they bearaway fro the starting line. Race over, points to GBR. Crew has been recovered safely. The boat has been righted. There is visible damage to the crossbeam and the wing. Given NZL swapped out to their backup wing before the start of today's racing, it will be a scramble to have a good wing sail ready for tomorrow's content.

An added wild card is the forecast for high wind tomorrow, at last check 23-25 kts and gusts to 37-38 knts. Too high to race? (and more time to repair?) Or racing tomorrow at the limit with a repaired wing mast? A long night ahead in several team compounds tonight.

See Video of NZL Capsize at Twitter

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs:
Series Day 4 - Semi-Finals
Wednesday, June 7

Update:
Wednesday Racing Postponed due to high wind.

Weather:
Winds SW 22 kts, gusts to 35, 79 d F, partly sunny (ACEA).  Winds SW 23 kts, gusts to 37 kts (WindGuru). Winds SW 23 kts, chance of thunderstorms after 3 pm. (Wunderground). 

The wind condition required by rule for a race start is a 30-second moving average wind not exceeding 24 kts for the five minutes prior to the warning signal, which is three minutes prior to the starting signal.  The Race Officer does not have discretion on the wind measurements. Additionally, the Race Officer may postpone the start if conditions are deemed to be "too rough" and, once started, he may terminate or abandon the race if safety or fairness is directly affected by conditions.

Update (1:50pm):
Race Management announced that the wind on the race course was exceeding the limits, and racing will be postponed until Thursday.

 

xxx

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs:
Series Day 5 - Semi-Finals
Wednesday, June 8

Thursday's Races:
(R5 and 6 Rescheduled from Wednesday)
First Race start set for 2:08 pm local time

SF1 R5: NZL (W) vs. GBR
SF2 R5: SWE (W) vs. JPN
SF1 R6: GBR (W) vs. NZL
SF2 R6: JPN vs. SWE (W)
SF1 R7: NZL (W) vs. GBR
SF2 R7: SWE (W) vs. JPN

Each semi-final is a best of Nine Series (first to 5 points).

Thursday Results:
Emirates Team New Zealand wins Semi-Final 1, 5-2, eliminating Land Rover/BAR.  Artemis Racing takes a 4-3 series lead against Softbank Team Japan with one day of racing remaining,  Scroll down for race reports.

See Semi-Final Results and Standings

Weather:
Wind SW 12-18 kts with scattered showers (ACEA).  Wind SSW 12-13 with gusts to 18-19 (WindGuru). Wins SW 15kts (Wunderground).  Friday's forecast, which earlier this week looked to be stronger than Wednesday, at last check was trending back into an acceptable range, SW 16-17 kts, though with gusts into the mid-20s.

Thursday Preview:
With up to three races in each series, this should be a pivotal day for Challenger selection. Both Semis standings begin the day at 3-1, NZL and JPN leading.  Two teams are at risk of going home by the end of the afternoon.

Emirates Team New Zealand had to enjoy Wednesday's postponement more than anyone, since it gave them an extra 24 hours to try and get their boat sorted following the capsize on Tuesday.  All the teams had damage to repair of some kind. On top of that, the demands of a three-race day, with limited crew substitutions, will put a lot of pressure on the sailors, and the effect of any early hardware issues will snowball.

Today's midrange wind likely puts the teams on an even footing against each other. Sweden and Japan have been very closely matched, with only a severe penalty on SWE in response to an extended boundary infraction taking them out of contention in their most recent race.

Emirates Team New Zealand will hopefully have their gear problems ironed out. Land Rover/BAR has continued to improve their sailing and boatspeed. But time to study and learn is gone, this is the big test today.

Land Rover/BAR vs. Emirates Team New Zealand:

SF1 Race 5:
NZL slightly late for the line, GBR on time at the start. GBR out to early 26 second lead at Mark 1 and downwind gate. New Zealand making small gains on the upwind leg, getting out of phase. Delta at upwind gate 11 seconds. Downwind, GBR still in lead, NZL gybes early to split at the bottom gate, the lead now 9 seconds. Upwind for the last time, GBR gains at first on a left wind shift, splitting with NZL. But in huge separation, NZL gets the lead, ahead by 21 seconds at the upwind gate.  Emirates Team New Zealand goes on to win Race 6.  NZL leads the 5 point semi-final series 4-1 now.

SF1 Race 6:
GBR holds NZL out at the start, small lead.  Lots of separation in the race, but GBR sails crisply, NZL less than perfect, and GBR defends the lead the rest of the way around the course. Land Rover/BAR wins Race 6 to being the series to 4-2 for New Zealand.

SF1 Race 7:
New Zealand leading on the final upwind, about 300m ahead, as they tack on the port layline, and both round the gate turning left.  Margin is about 30 seconds. Downwind, it should be just two gybes to the final gate.  Lead holding steady at about 500m, not much GBR can do here. They are facing elimination after just 17 races in the Louis Vuitton challenger selection regattas, despite being tipped by many as a favorite.

Emirates Team New Zealand wins Race 7! They take the series by 5 points to 2 and will face the winner of SWE-JPN to challenge for the America's Cup against USA.

 

Artemis Racing vs. SoftBank Team Japan

SF2 Race 5:
Japan is OCS, SWE to an early lead. Japan tries to split with them upwind, downwind, SWE generally covers, maintains lead.  Japan is putting up a fight, but Artemis stays in the lead, 20 seconds around the last mark, and wins Race 6. Series is now 3-2 for SoftBank Team Japan.

SF2 Race 6:
SWE leads across the starting line, around the first Mark and the first downwind gate by 11 seconds.  Upwind, Artemis extends a bit, then Japan gains it back, 12 seconds at the first upwind gate. Still tight on the downwind, JPN staying close, but SWE holding steady about 100m in front.  Upwind again, Japan tacks early, hoping to get out of phase, but Sweden covers, the lead is 18 seconds at the final upwind.

Coming into the final downwind gate, SWE saves a gybe and adds to their lead. Artemis Racing wins Race 6, tying the series at 3 wins each.  Two more wins needed to take it, and one more left for today, so Artemis will  live to fight another day.

SF2 Race 7:
Nearly even at the line, JPN to leeward. Still about even, JPN with the inside as they turn downwind. They match gybes to the gate and then split, JPN turning right, SWE turning left, still even though SWE took an extra gybe.  Upwind, after they tack, Japan is sailing better on port, crosses easily ahead of Sweden and holds onto about 75-100m advantage as they work their way up the leg. Into the upwind gate, they hit opposite laylines, JPN comes in from starboard and turns left, leading by 11 seconds, SWE turns right

Downwind, they are separated, JPN out to about 110 before losing on a port gybe back to the center before they improve their sailing angle. They both lay the bottom gate cleanly, JPN turning left, lead is 7 seconds, SWE turning right, and they head uphill a last time.  Sweden is closing up, lead almost zero, but they come in the upwind gate, SWE again from port, JPn from starboard. Japan wants the left turn but Sweden has already entered the circle and gets right, forcing Japan out to give them room. Artemis truns inside, now both dead even coming off the left hand side of the gate.  Umpires flag JPN for the the rounding situation, giving Sweden a big boost. Lead is over 250m by the time JPN gets back to speed.

There is very little chance to recover here with the last mark coming up. Artemis Racing rounds well ahead and wins Race 7.  Artemis has come from down 3-1 at the start of the day to up 4-3 with two races to come tomorrow.

 

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs:
Series Day 4 - Semi-Finals
Friday, June 9

Friday Results:
Sweden's Artemis Racing beats Softbank Team Japan, winning their series 5-3, and advancing to the Louis Vuitton Playoffs Challenger Final against Emirates Team New Zealand.  First race tomorrow, Saturday, June 10, weather permitting.  See below for Race Report and more.

Race Program:
Friday's Races:
First Race start set for 2:08 pm local time

SF2 R8: SWE beats JPN
SF2 R9: JPN vs. SWE (not necessary)

Semi-Finals Series standings:
At the start of Friday Racing, Artemis Racing leads Softbank Team Japan 4-3.
On Thursday, NZL beat GBR 5-2 to advance to the Challenger selection final.
Each semi-final is a best of Nine Series (first to 5 points).

See more Semi-Final Results and Standings

Weather:
Friday: Wind S 17-18 kts with gusts to mid-20s (ACEA).  Wind SSW 17 kts with gusts to 26 (WindGuru). Winds SW 20-22 kts, partly cloudy (Wunderground).  Weekend Outlook:  the start of the Louis Vuitton Playoff Final on Saturday and Sunday includes  thunderstorms both days.

Friday Preview:
Sweden's Artemis Racing seemed to have lost the lead in their last Race against SoftBank Team Japan, but battled back with a gutsy approach to the upwind mark that ended up putting a penalty on SoftBank Team Japan and getting SWE the lead. It was a perfect distillation of a day that saw Artemis bag all three races, going from down 3-1 to up 4-3, one race from breaking through to the challenger final.

Dean Barker on JPN, though sailing well at points all day, left opportunities for Nathan Outteridge and he took them.  SWE pounced on a JPN OCS penalty in Race 5 and stayed (just) ahead the rest of the way.  SWE led off the line in Race 6, never giving up enough ground to JPN, and won.

In Race 7, though JPN sailed well and pulled ahead on the final upwind leg, after an even start, SWE took what looked like a disadvantaged position that would have brought them into the upwind gate on port tack, having to duck JPN, and pressed into the circle surrounding the gate at full throttle, winning the right to room at the mark, and rounding the mark ahead made all the difference in the outcome. It's the smart aggressive style that Outteridge and the Artemis crew have displayed the last several years in the AC45 boats. Can they do it one more day, one more race, and make the Final?

Barker has been good, his crew and shore team are experienced and know exactly the demands of winning a challenger selection series.  They haven't been down on speed, especially in middle to upper range winds. It's just been that last few percent of execution that they need to close the door.

JPN needs to sweep the day, Artemis needs one race. At least if both races are sailed.

The biggest wildcard for Friday is the weather. If the wind sticks at the higher end of the forecast, it might be over the mandatory wind limits of an average 24 knots (measured from 8 to 3 minutes before the start, in a rolling 30-second average). The Semi-Finals end today regardless

If no races get off the line, SWE is leading 4-3 and advances. If one race is sailed, and Sweden wins, then they have 5 points and advance. If one race is sailed and JPN wins, but the second race is not sailed this afternoon, then the score is 4-4 and JPN would advance, the tie breaker in that situation being the most recent winner. Before any howling starts about whether the Race Officer starts a race or not because of the wind limits, do note that under the Protocol the Race Officer has no choice about the decision.  It's a measurement, not a personal opinion. The wind limits do not apply after the start.

What's shaped up in sailing these new boats is not just how critical it is to avoid a mistake, how quickly a slip-up turns into a trailing position.  That's been true in the America's Cup for years. But on these new boats, with very little time to race them in earnest across a variety of conditions and tactical situations, it's very easy to make that critical mistake. The only silver lining is that it's very easy for the other guy to slip up, too. Perfect races are hard to come by. 

SF2: Artemis Racing vs. SoftBank Team Japan

SF2 Race 8:
Artemis leads back to the line, SoftBank below hoping to push them. Narrow lead at start for Japan, three seconds ahead at Mark 1. Five seconds at the first downwind gate. Solid wind, Artemis takes the lead on Leg 3.

Into the upwind gate, Artemis has position, and Japan stays clear.  SWE maintains velocity, round quicker, delta is 19 seconds.  Sweden tends a growing lead, tries to cover JPN by staying in phase.  Artemis lead is not huge at 150m, but enough.  Japan hoping for an error or some way past. At the final upwind gate, they split. Margin is now 11 seconds, the final downwind leg and the finish coming up.  Artemis Racing wins Race 8, winning the Semi-Final 5-3, and advancing to the Final against New Zealand!