I'm not sure if this is just me but is the Americas Cup becoming dull ?

I used to be fascinated in the days of the 12s but these days the races seem dull and the because the AC set up is pretty much non-stop between the actual cup itself it all seems to roll into one.

Not sure why the racing so far is uninspring ?

The boats may be too large for the rapid manouvering ?

Perhaps the crew work is too slick for there to be many errors ?

Maybe the venue is uninspiring ?

Maybe all sports become abit dull when shown at the very highest level ?

All I know is that sitting down to watch a whole race is not what it used to be.

I agree it has all become very clinical and once you have watched one tack and one gybe you have seen it all.

The only event worth watching was the 87 cup in Freemantle, now that was an event with characters, lots of wind, waves and 12 metres.

I must admit that todays race was much better.

There does seem to be an awful lot of drag racing though.

Unfortunately it's just like formula 1. There is so much science in the boats and the crew that if 1 boat is slightly faster it almost always wins.

The same happens in Cricket with Australia, Rugby (New Zealand), F1 (Maclaren after 5 years of Ferrari)

It's still a wonderful sight to see and this is the tightest cup in recent years.

Well my dad n i are grateful for sky plus as we record it n fast foreward to all the interesting bits. The joys of technology. Now i'm only a beginner so i dont understand much of wots happening anyway but my dad pretty much understands, and we have both noticed that one of the commentators doesnt really know what he's talking about sometimes for example alinghi were like 40 - 50metres ahead and one of the english blokes goes its a huge lead for them now. My dad n i think its like only a boat length apart and thats really not much. Am i the only ones that has noticed that or am i and my dad just lacking alot of knowledge!!!

I'd imagine that being there is far from dull, and reading the reports makes it sound very close. I don't have access to it on telly, but I would imagine the highlights are more interesting than watching the whole race live. But then sailing has always been a participation sport, rather than one for spectators. Did some very low standard, amateurish team racing yesterday, but it was blowing old boots and the teams were closely matched and I had a far better time than I would watching a very professional top-flight match race on the TV.

But then sailing has always been a participation sport, rather than one for spectators.

I agree with you on that on  rupert.

The 1987 AC in Perth was the most televisual, with big breeze and waves. The Med is never going produce sailing conditions to match that. But in general I agree with you; anyone who considers the last few weeks dull can't be very interested in match racing.

You just beat me Josh, What a finish and almost justice for Friday.

That final race was amazing!

I've dug out a picture we saw in Auckland in 2003. It probably still applies

it was far from dull , the best cup since 83 , they were both evenly matched , Alinghi just sailed better , I think there were only two races TNZ couldn't have won the rest were anybodies.

Any way I think TNZ will be back in 2 yrs , The NZ government have promissed ten million to keep the team together , i have heard Emirates will still be there , I have also heard the 5 kiwis will be joining Russel Coutts and signing with Oracle , I can't wait for the next cup. If it it in 2 yrs it will all be about momentum , unfortunatley new teams will find it hard to get off the ground in time

my opinion is that NZL sailed better the first part of the final, but in the last couple of races Alinghi performed better overall. Butterowrth had great timing in his decisions (i beleieve that the taking duels in the last 2 races were won by alinghi also beacuse of their ability/luck to take the right wind shifts).. all the gybes/hoists etc vere perfect (we can't say the same for nzl).

I mean, whithout some avoidable mistakes NZL probably would have won 2 of the last 3 races.. but they've done them, and the cup is over.

In the end I'd say that in the whole series the crews were similar, and alinghi boat was slighly faster.

It was odd the way Alinghi romped away down wind in the first race, but by the last race ETNZ seem faster off the wind. The change to symetrical kites seemed to give the boats more options and be easier to handle.

Nationalities have very little do to with it this time. It only porivides a front which is based in the tradition of the cup.

As has been said earlier the Kiwi's had 2 boats in the Americas Cup and it was the one associated with cowbells that won.

Does anyone know how many Swiss people were on Alingi?

It has been said that a change in the design/boats is likely to be made by the defender - thats their right - because that would level the playing field again and make the cup easier to defend.

Surely this will happen in any set of rules, that boats, at least from the outside, will look similar, as one shape proves to be quick. Modern International Moths, Cherubs, IRM yachts all look pretty similar to the untrained eye. It is the small detail that makes tham interesting. The fact that they are similar in speed makes for goo match racing, too. Far better than a Cat taking on a giant Mono, and trouncing it.

I find the AC class boats quite good looking boats.  The seem like a very pure form of sail boat, displacement yachts with no dagger boards, canting keels, water ballast etc. and outwardly appear quite similar to the 12 metres they replaced.  The fact that the boats are closely matched is good in my opinion as it makes the racing closer and rewards skillful sailing.

One interview I read suggested that the development of rig technology, for example to reduce windage was an area where big gains could be made.  Just because the hull form is quite restricted doesn't mean the whole design can't develop.

You reckon? http://sailjuice.blogspot.com/2007/07/90-footers-for-33rd-cup.html - http://sailjuice.blogspot.com/2007/07/90-footers-for-33rd-cu p.html

Alternatively it may level out the playing field as everyone is starting from a blank sheet. It can only benefit new syndicates like Origin. And whilst I supported ETNZ this time, I'll definately be supporting Origin this time.

I don't think it will level the playing field, it will do the opposite. Those with the most money will spend more on development and come out with the best results.

With the current boats they can "copy" what they consider to be fast and tweak it slightly. That must be cheaper than developing a new class.

Even if it is limited to one boat per team that boat will get chopped up (a bit like a Cherub but on a larger scale) and will get new bows, sterns and keels to optimise it. That is going to be expensive.

But there must be a limit to how far commercial sponsors will go and it will become too expensive for them. It is all relative to what they expect to pay for that type of coverage.

It is OK for a billionaire to spend their own money to support their team by using their bottomless pockets.

You could end up with no commercial sponsors and only one or two very rich people with more money than sense.

Looks like they have done it anyway http://www.americascup.com/en/news/detail.php?idRubr=22&idContent=28985 - http://www.americascup.com/en/news/detail.php?idRubr=22& idContent=28985  

The funding of syndicates is pretty opaque but it looks as if for the most part, billionaires funding from their own pockets is the dominant source of funding anyway. So for example, it appears "Oracle" was primarily paid for by Larry Ellison (not by Oracle) plus BMW. An exception was ETNZ which seems to have been largely funded by the Kiwi taxpayer in the hope of bringing the event back to Auckland.

The contrast to, say, the VO where commercial sponsors dominate, is very clear. There all decisions are based on the interests of the sponsors. At least that brings clarity. The AC seems to be in some half-way house between the needs of commercial sponsors and the wishes of the billionaires who provide the core funding for most team.

I think it's pretty obvious that the management of the AC does not have media coverage at the top of its agenda. For starters, it wouldn't be based at a light/medium air venue if TV appeal was the major consideration.

With appologies to Abba, it's a rich man sport.

The thing I find strange is they'll use the 80 footers for the warm up and the 90 footers for the racing. So the first time Alinghi races a 90 footer will be Race 1 33rd Americas cup.