WHAT CHANGED ON ORACLE? | stephenlirakis.com

WHAT CHANGED ON ORACLE? | stephenlirakis.com:
by Matthew Sheehan
 "Having remained in San Francisco for a few days after the end of the event, I got to speak to a number of people about what was really going on. It didn’t take long for the real picture of what was behind the speed improvements to emerge.

Oracle’s jump in performance half way through the America’s Cup is still the subject of hot debate, particularly among the New Zealand press who are convinced that the black cat had some special device that allowed them to foil more effectively. Was the ‘Herbie’, as it became nicknamed, legal? Would Team New Zealand take legal action?"

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Marsh sketchbook - Pescadotes

I came to appreciate salt marshes only late in life.  Joe Warren gets it now. Check him out at Pescadotes

Coast Guard crews rescue overboard lobsterman

Coast Guard crews rescue overboard lobsterman:
Coast Guard crews from across the Northeast worked together to rescue a commercial lobsterman who fell overboard off Long Island, N.Y., Wednesday.

John Aldridge, a crewmember of the 44-foot lobster vessel Anna Mary was last seen aboard the boat during his watch relief at 9 p.m., Tuesday, while the vessel was underway off Montauk, N.Y.

Coast Guard watchstanders received a report of the missing fisherman from the crew of the Anna Mary at approximately 6:30 a.m., Wednesday. Rescue crews from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York coordinated to develop and conduct a search pattern that covered more than 780 square miles (more than half the size of the state of Rhode Island).

Crews established the search area based on the assumption Aldridge has fallen overboard without a lifejacket sometime after 9 p.m., Tuesday, but before 4:30 a.m., Wednesday. Eight hours after the initial report, an Air Station Cape Cod MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter located Aldridge 36 nautical miles south of Montauk, N.Y. The air crew deployed a rescue swimmer who hoisted Aldridge to safety.  
"This ending had a lot of people shaking hands and smiling," said Lt. Joe Klinker, First Coast Guard District public affairs officer. "Reports of persons in the water often mean a difficult search is ahead. To hear the call that he was found and rescued makes it a proud day for those Coast Guard crews."
Aldridge told the helicopter crew he used his rubber boots as flotation devices throughout the ordeal.



- See more at: http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/1863314/Coast-Guard-crews-rescue-overboard-lobsterman#sthash.SJOPaH1J.dpuf


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Need for speed! America's Cup 2013

Need for speed!
America's Cup 2013:



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Heritage Cup Regatta - 2013

The Heritage Cup Regatta 2013 (click for all pix)

on a mooring at host Hempstead Harbor Club
click pix to enlarge and for slide show)

Angelita - 1926 Olympic medalist

Myth

Mary Lauren is for sale

Golden Eye - 1937

Myth crossing our bow on the first tack

our windward mark

off Hart Island on the way home

Dave Seroy - First Mate

Americas Cup boats racing past Fort Baker

My friend John lives on his boat in the background.  Great Americas Cup viewing post.

America’s Cup - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

America’s Cup - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com:



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Tactics, Not Speed Won the America's Cup

Jesse Fradkin reports:

Many if not most of the pundits are proclaiming that Oracle's superior boat speed won this race and the series. Here's the data from the final race. Oracle's average boat speed is exactly, I repeat exactly the same as ETNZ's. ETNZ's top speed was faster. The race was won by tactics.

It is no coincidence that the change of tactician to the 5 time Olympic Gold Medal winner Sir Ben Ainslie about faced Oracle's racing from losing to winning. His leadership, expertise, decisions and determination greatly helped to shape the turn of the tide in Oracle's complete favor. 

Update: BUT Jerome Tauber argues that Oracle was pointing higher, thus sailing a shorter course.  And that makes it the faster boat!

Race 19 Performance Data
Course: 5 Legs/10.07 nautical miles
Elapsed Time: OTUSA – 23:24, ETNZ – 24:08
Delta: OTUSA +:44
Total distance sailed: OTUSA – 11.9 NM, ETNZ – 12.2 NM

Average Speed: OTUSA – 30.55 knots (35 mph), ETNZ – 30.55 knots (35 mph)
Top Speed: OTUSA – 44.33 knots (51 mph), ETNZ – 45.72 knots (53 mph)

Windspeed: Average – 18.2 knots, Peak – 21.3 knots
Number of Tacks/Jibes: OTUSA – 9/7, ETNZ – 9/7

Foiling

Prada foiling past Angel Island.  (note reefed jib)  Ft. Baker boat basin at the left. photo by Peter Miron Conk

Gary Jobson America's Cup Report 18 — America's Cup Experience

Gary Jobson America's Cup Report 18 — America's Cup Experience: 
"Today's victory by Oracle Team USA concluded an America's Cup that will add quite a unique chapter to the long history of this regatta.  At the post race press conference, team owner Larry Ellison, was on stage.  He was gracious, funny, respectful, interesting and happy.  I sat among the 100 or so journalists thinking to myself, "Where has this guy been?" Ellison explained that he was absent because he simply wanted to support his team, and let them run the defense.  There was no doubt, however, who was in charge.  Alongside Ellison were the Australian skipper of OTUSA, James Spithill, the Australian strategist, Tom Slingsby, and the British tactician, Ben Ainslie.  The team leader, New Zealander Russell Coutts was not on stage, and he was missed.  Ellison gave Coutts considerable credit for pushing the team to improve when they were behind.  Something happened during 19 races over the past 19 days that took the American team from awful to spectacular."

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