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Search Results for: crash naples

April 29, 2013 By Jack Griffin Leave a Comment

Big crash, confusing penalties in Naples

The final AC World Series event in Naples saw Francesco Bruni and Luna Rossa crash into Emirates Team New Zealand in their match race. Racing sailors would find the penalties confusing – the boat on starboard tack (ETNZ) was penalized and it took them most of the next leg to pay off their penalty. By that time they were 75m behind with only 300m to the final turning mark.

America's Cup Naples

What happened? The Racing Rules of Sailing, America’s Cup Edition, have a very different rule about mark roundings. I explain this in the Video Briefing Room on the website – look at the video “Who can cut inside?” If you’re a rules geek like me, you can download the RRS AC Edition in the AC Guide section of the website.

What should have happened:

America's Cup penalties in Naples

(Thanks to Jos Spijkerman for the diagram. Learn more about the rules at his website.)

What did happen:

America's Cup penalties in Naples

ETNZ was penalized – a “boat on boat” penalty in a match race. Their penalty was to let Luna Rossa get two boat lengths ahead – precisely measured by the LiveLine system. But they compounded their penalty by gybing, which resulted in an additional two boat length penalty. See a complete sequence of images and more details here.

America's Cup penalties in Naples

 

April 26, 2013 By Jack Griffin

New Zealand – Luna Rossa crash & penalty in Naples

Luna Rossa won their match race against Emirates Team New Zealand in Naples after a crash at the windward gate. Bad news for ETNZ, and a good opportunity to see how penalties work. If you read my earlier article explaining the protest button and flashing lights on each boat, you’ll understand the signals on board the boats.

In the first picture, they are on the upwind leg. As they approach the gate from opposite sides of the course, NZL has right of way, as the starboard tack boat. They will reach the gate in about a minute – plenty of time for tactical decisions.  At the gate, they must sail between the marks and then round either one.

Here they have reached the three boat length zone around the marks, where special rules apply: if the boats are overlapped (which they are), when the first boat reaches the zone, the outside boat must give the inside boat “mark room” to round the mark. NZL has right of way, but must give room to Luna Rossa. It does not matter who has right of way. It does not matter who gets to the circle first. If there is an overlap, as soon as either of the boats enters the zone, the inside boat acquires mark room rights. You’ll find an explanation of the rule in my Video Briefing Room.

NZL did not leave room. Luna Rossa tried to go inside. CRASH!

The impact left Luna Rossa stopped, while NZL continued their rounding, still on starboard tack.

Both boats hit their protest button, signaling the umpires of the protest, and turning on the red protest light on their boat.

While the umpires make their ruling, NZL unfurls their gennaker and heads downwind. Luna Rossa gets going again and rounds the mark.

The blue light comes on for NZL signaling they were penalized. The umpire software mistakenly gave a “VMG penalty” instead of a “boat on boat penalty.” For a VMG penalty the penalized boat must slow down the equivalent of losing two boat lengths. As soon as the umpires saw the mistake, they cancelled the VMG penalty and signalled a boat on boat penalty:  When one boat fouls another while they are on the same leg, the penalized boat must let the fouled boat get two boat lengths ahead. (See Rule 44.2a and 44.2c). The LiveLine system calculates the penalty and keeps the blue light flashing until the penalty is paid off.

If a penalized boat makes a tack or a gybe while they are paying off a penalty, the penalty is increased by two boat lengths. Why? A boat slows down when turning in a tack or a gybe so a penalized boat could offload their penalty by making a turn they planned to make anyway. Look at NZL’s sails and their track in the next photo – you can see that they have gybed onto port.

NZL carried on down the leg on port, with Luna Rossa still at least four boat lengths behind. 

With the penalty light still on, NZL gybed again, shown in the next photo.

Luna Rossa then gybed, too, getting ahead of NZL, but still not two boat lengths ahead.

The penalty light on NZL went off momentarily when Luna Rossa got two boat lengths ahead.

And then the penalty light came back on, to signal the additional two boat lengths of penalty for making the second gybe. 

NZL now did what they should have done earlier – they slowed enough to pay off the penalty.

By the time NZL paid off the penalty, Luna Rossa had a 75m lead. With only about 300m to the final turning mark before the finish, NZL had no chance to catch up.  It’s not clear why they took so long to pay off the penalty, and why they chose to gybe twice, increasing the penalty. But now it should be clear to you how penalties work. Any questions?  Ask Jack!

December 5, 2016 By Jack Griffin Leave a Comment

Penalties – Don’t Tack or Gybe

Groupama Team France and Emirates Team New Zealand both got penalties in Race 5 in Fukuoka after tangling with Land Rover BAR. Team France completed a gybe before the penalty was assigned. Inexplicably, the Kiwis tacked while carrying the penalty, earning a second penalty (per Rule 44.4(c) for you rules mavens. Download the Racing Rules of Sailing – America’s Cup Edition here). Click the photos to see the video. Interestingly, ETNZ made the same mistake in the Naples AC World Series in 2013, after getting a penalty for crashing into Luna Rossa. Read about that incident here.

Remember: the blue light means a boat has a penalty; the green light means they are near a course boundary or a rounding mark.

Here we see how Team France picked up a penalty for not keeping clear and making contact with BAR near the leeward gate in Race 5.

Team New Zealand had a double penalty in Race 5.

 

 

August 2, 2015 By Jack Griffin Leave a Comment

Video Highlights from the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth

 

America's Cup When asked about the strange angles he got into, Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill said, "I'll tell you, we're just hanging on really. You're on the edge of control. It's very very difficult. Mistakes get made, but that's what you want, you want it to be difficult. The good guys get it right."

When asked about the strange angles he got into, Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill said, “I’ll tell you, we’re just hanging on really. You’re on the edge of control. It’s very very difficult. Mistakes get made, but that’s what you want, you want it to be difficult. The good guys get it right.”

America's Cup Artemis Racing had bad luck when their code zero halyard lock released in Race 2. They lost time as they struggled to get the sail under control and on board, dropping to last place in the race and in the event.

Artemis Racing had bad luck when their code zero halyard lock released in Race 2. They lost time as they struggled to get the sail under control and on board, dropping to last place in the race and in the event.

America's Cup Oracle Team USA came in with speed on port gybe and sailed past Emirates Team New Zealand

At the final mark in Race 1 Oracle Team USA came in with speed on port gybe and sailed past Emirates Team New Zealand, who had to gybe from starboard to port in order to round. Both boats protested, but the umpires signalled “no penalty.” In this situation, the inside boat, ETNZ was entitled to room to round the mark. The boats did not touch, so clearly OTUSA gave ETNZ room. The America’s Cup version of the rule for room at a mark is very different from the normal Racing Rules of Sailing. I explain it here and give another example of this rule here.

America's Cup View from on board Emirates Team New Zealand during the incident at Mark 6 in Race 1. You can see that ETNZ is still on starboard gybe, but Peter Burling has pulled the helm to gybe.

View from on board Emirates Team New Zealand during the incident at Mark 6 in Race 1. You can see that ETNZ is still on starboard gybe, but Peter Burling has pulled the helm to gybe.

America's Cup Oracle Team USA started Race 2 with some excitement when Groupama Team France luffed them at the start, giving OTUSA a penalty. OTUSA then fought back to finish fourth in the race and third for the event.

Oracle Team USA started Race 2 with some excitement when Groupama Team France luffed them at the start, giving OTUSA a penalty. OTUSA then fought back to finish fourth in the race and third for the event.

America's Cup Oracle Team USA with a penalty they picked up at the start of Race 2.

Oracle Team USA with a penalty they picked up at the start of Race 2.

America's Cup The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge awarded the prizes.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge awarded the prizes.

America's Cup Ben Ainslie receiving the trophy for winning the event from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Ben Ainslie receiving the trophy for winning the event from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Audio

America’s Cup Audio

May 2, 2013 – America’s Cup World Series Naples

Podcast with Andy Rice and Jack Griffin, discussing the 2013 ACWS in Naples

  • Gamesmanship by Grant Dalton of Emirates Team New Zealand
  • Slingsby leads Oracle’s “C-Team” to match race championship and 2nd place in fleet racing.
  • New Zealand’s “A-Team” crashes out of match racing and comes in 3rd in fleet racing
  • What happened with the crash and penalty on New Zealand??



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