I14 Worlds Stitch-up

Seems this thread has degenerated into a Aussie v Brit slanging match ...

All I was saying was that this was an unacceptabe outcome to a big event.

If you look at the points at;

http://www.takapunaboating.org.nz/SMLogo/SW190205.htm

Had Richardson/Barker puched them down to 24th they would have beaten them and may have taken 2nd. To do this they pushed them away from the fleet to the expected unfavoured side of the course, this turned out to be the favoured side and resulted in them both taking places of the fleet.

As far as I can see from what I have read both sides of the story were believeable - which means that the championship was decided by 3 blokes in a room.

Anyone who has spent any serious time with IJ's in cases like this will know it's 50:50 on the outcome ...

Not a great way to settle a championships.

Rick

 

JimC - I have read all the reports and documents, but I wasn't there so I'll never know. As I said only the sailors will ever know ...

Rick

 

This is from the "revised" version of the protest transcript.

7.GBR 1516 stated their covering tactics on the last leg of race seven was
to force AUS631 “5 or 6 positions down” on the basis of the finishing
times this represented almost an additional four minutes.

Does this not represent a case of the Jury using the benefit of hindsight in
order to penalise a decision made in the heat of the moment where no
part 2 rules were broken? Can they do that? I can't find any precedent for
it.

They've also added the fact that 1516 could beat the Aussies not only by
finishing higher than third, but also by pushing them down to 26th. They
were 18th when they started covering, but just happened to have gone to
the favoured side of the course so both boats ended up actually gaining.

Here's another point, if the Aussies were slowed down by three minutes
up the final beat, how did they pull up from 18th to 14th?

Originally posted by Much FWB Here's another point, if the Aussies were slowed down by three minutes up the final beat, how did they pull up from 18th to 14th?

Because they were pushed to what everyone expected to be the "wrong" side of a very long beat, which turned out to the be "right" one. Barker's argument is that if the "wrong" side had been unfavoured as most of the fleet expected, he might indeed have taken the Aussies down to 26th or worse.

Indeed so - The jury then decided that with hindsight and based on the
finishing times of the relevant boats that tactic wasn't going to work.

They based a decision on information that was and can only have been
available after the act and not at the critical decision times of the sailors.
It was information that the sailors didn't have at the time and I think its a
very dangerous thing for the Jury to do.

I can envisage a CAS case could be brought out of this one for a breach of
due process, (it has happened for a lot less in the past)

Unless of course, Al and Ian accept it.