Semi-Finals Day 4

Saturday's program:
1 match Race, SF Race 4.
Luna Rossa (ITA) vs. Artemis Racing (SWE)
ITA leads the best-of-seven series 3-0.
Start time 1:15 pm PT, 7-leg (long) course.

Watch:
 Delayed coverage on NBC Sports Net at 6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT.  No live YouTube coverage in USA due to media rights, but online replay will be available following TV broadcast.

Conditions:
Winds reported as WSW 13-16 kts. High Tide: 2:56 pm to 3:10 pm, across the course.  Flood current for racing.

Race 4:
Another good jump at the start for Artemis, but they carry a penalty for Port-Starboard violation involving pre-start contact.  Artemis luffed Luna Rossa onto port, but the Italians tacked back to starboard and in close quarters Artemis did not turn quickly enough to avoid SWE's starboard bow touching ITA's port side.

SWE leads Luna Rossa to Mark 1, ahead by 7 seconds.  Heading off downwind, AR jibes first onto port, starts out with a 130 m lead, but ITA quickly starts eating into it and pulls even.  After one jibe and the penalty, ITA jumps 150m in front.  SWE jibes behind ITA on the port layline, follows into the first downwind gate just 19 seconds behind.  Both turn left at the gate and start up the course on port.

On the first upwind, ITA tacks, SWE holds and tacks in their wake, both heading out to the left, ITA tacks back in the middle of the course heading toward Alcatraz, SWE goes only a little further before tacking to starboard, too.  Lead is about 200m.  Back to the right boundary, then both all the way across to the left boundary.  ITA is showing just a little more speed and opens up to over 300m lead, aided by a boundary penalty on Artemis.  Boats favoring the left side of the course on the top half of the leg, likely avoiding current.  SWE is losing ground as they near the first windward gate.  Luna Rossa rounds and the delta to Artemis has shot up to 1:11.  Both take the lefthand mark, bearing away, and then jibing.  Luna Rossa lead is over 1000m.  Delta at the second downwind gate is 1:29.  Both boats turn right, tacking again for Alcatraz soon after.  Upwind lead holding steady in the 600-700m range.

By the final Windward Gate, Artemis has lost more ground.  Both tack onto starboard just short of the gate, take the left and bear off.  ITA is 2000m ahead now.  There are just 1-1/2 legs to go. Another boundary penalty for SWE.  ITA rounds the last mark and heads for the finish. Luna Rossa wins the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final!

Finish delta was 2:11.  ETNZ awaits Luna Rossa in Race 1 of the LVC Final beginning August 17.
See regatta format

CupInfo salutes Artemis Racing for the enormous sporting effort they made to compete in the Louis Vuitton Cup!
 

 Photo:©2013 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget
 

Photo:©2013 ACEA/Abner Kingman
 

Preview:
It's all-or-nothing now for Artemis Racing, facing elimination from the Louis Vuitton Cup should they lose today.  Artemis has trimmed their losing margins from 1:57 in Race 1 and 2:05 in Race 2 down to 1:17 in the third race, but has a lot further to go in order to win, and no more time to get there.

Still, there is room for this race to go right for SWE, with continually improved crew work, some tweaks in boatspeed, and maybe some fortunate tactical calls.  A win is not out of reach, but Luna Rossa is looking more solid all the time, and it would take excellent crew work by the Swedes and some mistakes from the Italians.

The alternative is that Artemis will have spent in the neighborhood of $100 million for four races, and lost all of them.  Without the tragic accident on Boat #1, and several other development setbacks, the story could easily have been different, but none of that can be undone.  It's a technical and logistical mountain to climb, not to mention the expense, but it would be heartening if despite a fast exit from the LVC, opportunities are found to race the eliminated AC72's in one format or another before they get put away in mothballs.  Nobody knows what the next America's Cup holds yet, and these amazing boats would bring excitement to the sport of sailing in other events given the chance.

Semi-Finals Day 3

Friday's program:
1 match Race, SF Race 3.
Luna Rossa (ITA) vs. Artemis Racing (SWE)
ITA leads the best-of-seven series 2-0.
Start time 1:15 pm PT.

Watch:
 Delayed coverage on NBC Sports Net at 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT.  No live YouTube coverage in USA due to media rights, but online replay will be available following TV broadcast.

Conditions:
Winds WSW at 16 knots.  High Tide 2:24 pm to 2:38 pm, across the course.  Flood current for racing.

Race 3:
Complete. An 11-second lead for Luna Rossa after the first leg, but Artemis stays close on the first downwind, trailing only by :25 at the downwind gate.  Upwind ITA gets a 200m lead, and gains more over SWE than the previous leg, rounding the windward gate 51 seconds ahead.  The boats split jibes downwind, Luna Rossa closer to shore on Leg 4.  Artemis looks improved, but LR is extending their lead, gaining 17 seconds on the second downwind leg, ahead by 1:08 at Mark 4. 

Through the gate, ITA heads inshore, then tacks and heads closer to Alcatraz.  Artemis tries to split, both go to opposite boundaries, with SWE on port tacking back only at the very edge of the course.  Luna Rossa is maintaining a lead, rounds the final windward gate and gybes inshore.  Delta is 1:12 at the gate, Artemis not losing much, but needing to gain and only one long and one short leg left to do it.  Artemis pulls off a nice foiling gybe, but so does Luna Rossa.

ITA rounds the final Mark and heads for the finish.  Luna Rossa wins Race 3!  ITA now leads the series 3-0.

Final delta is 1:17, the closest race yet in the Louis Vuitton Cup.  Artemis is getting faster, but not getting faster fast enough.

Statements:
ACEA: Luna Rossa Wins Third Straight Race
 

 Luna Rossa and Artemis getting ready on Friday.
Photo:©2013 ACEA/Abner Kingman

Preview:
No need to complicate it, Artemis needs to win.  SWE will have no room for error if ITA gets another point today.  Artemis spent Thursday's off day on gybing technique (see video) among other issues, hoping not to make gifts to Luna Rossa several times per downwind leg.  Artemis also needs to press whatever advantages they might have upwind, and stay close downwind hoping for opportunities, whether to pass or defend a lead.

The Swedish team has won slight advantages over their opponent in the starts, but after the short reach of the first leg, the battle immediately ends up in what has been Luna Rossa's sweet spot, sailing off the wind.  It's the nature of the Louis Vuitton Cup that the teams always are improving, that's one of the core reasons for the Challenger Series.  Luna Rossa is further up the learning curve, working on refinement, getting the job done in the Semis while raising an eye toward ETNZ and the LVC Final.  Artemis has enormous potential, both sailors and technology, but today may be their second-to-last chance to do anything with it. 

Race 4, potentially eliminating Artemis if they don't win today, is tomorrow.

 Photo:©2013 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget
 

Semi-Finals Day 2

Wednesday's program: 1 match Race, SF Race 2.
Luna Rossa (ITA) vs. Artemis Racing (SWE)
ITA leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.
Start time 1:15 pm PT, 7-leg long course.
Watch: Replay on YouTube

Conditions: High Tide 1:27 pm, predicted current less than 1 knot and dropping, minimal current for racing.

Race 3:
Wind 12-13 knots at the start.  Luna Rossa to windward at the start, drag race to the first mark. Artemis on the inside jibes first, Luna Rossa jibes better, staying out of the water, and begins to pull away on the first downwind leg.  Delta at the first leeward gate is 1:21 for the Italians.  The gap is about 700m heading upwind. Artemis loses ground on this upwind leg, rounding 1:49 behind at the first upwind gate.

Downwind the story continues, but the wind is getting lighter.  LR takes an extra jibe, giving up some ground at the second leeward gate, but Artemis is still well back. The margin is 2:11 as they go up the final windward leg.  ITA opens up to 800m lead.  Wind continues to change, getting less consistent, Artemis goes in close to shore and gets a big favorable left shift, cutting the lead to 1:12 at the final upwind gate.

Downwind, the left shift gives LR a more direct course to the final leeward mark.  The finish line is coming soon and the Italian boat crosses 2:05 ahead. Luna Rossa wins Race 2! ITA leads the series 2-0.

More Analysis:
Brett Gibson reviews Race 2 start: Green and Gold

 Photo:©2013 ACEA/Gilles Martin-Raget
 

Preview:
The exciting discovery during Race 1 was that the two boats are different enough to have asymmetric performance profiles.  Artemis can be faster upwind, while Luna Rossa has been much faster downwind.  This gives either boat the prospect of catching or passing, and keeps the racing much more interesting compared to two very closely-paired boats where the lead changes come only when the leader makes a major mistake or gear breaks.

The pressure is on Artemis to execute smoothly, especially downwind where the Italians have measured themselves already against ETNZ and been steadily raising their game.  Italy is also benefiting having  from more time to refine rudder and lifting foil shapes.  Upwind, with the hulls in the water, Artemis is seeing the benefits of suitable hull shape (see Andrew Mason's recent article on optimization at CupInfo) and likely also their more sophisticated wing.

Artemis's advantage at the start in Race 1 was quickly wiped out on the first downwind leg.  Is it worth it for either teams take any big risks at the start?  Not likely. 

Sailing better is the order of the day.  Luna Rossa is doing it, and Artemis for all their potential will have to catch fire and soon.  Luna Rossa is up 1-0, and needs only three more Semi-Final wins.