INTRODUCTION
Superior speed is rarely enough to win a race on its own
Although the Americas Cup competition is as much about design technology as it is about sailing boats, superior speed is rarely enough to win a race on its own. The seventeen active crew members on board each boat are at the top of their game and must each give their absolute best in the effort to win.
Americas Cup match racing is a team effort
Whether it is the foredeck crew luring the helmsman to bring the bow of the boat towards the start line in the last moments of a heated countdown, or the grinders putting their backs into the winch handles for the 37th tack on the third upwind leg of a race being sailed in 23 knots of wind, or whether it is the tactician who has to make that one crucial, risky and opportunist decision at the only time during a two-hour race when a chance to break the control of the leading boat presents itself, Americas Cup match racing is a team effort; a team effort of the highest order, but one where the nuances are occasionally difficult to understand.
Blocking the opponents chances
All yacht racing is about winning but winning a match race means beating just one other boat. The basic principle, a bit like marking an opponent in a ball game, consists of blocking the opponents chances of passing by placing your boat firmly between the opponent and the next mark. But to do that you have to be in front and in control. If you are behind match racing consists of drawing the leader on a merry dance around the course to try and force him into making a mistake, or putting yourself in a position where your superior speed can be used to get past.
Getting more analytical about it, match racing has three key segments, the pre-start the five minute countdown to the start gun, the first leg the section from the start gun to rounding the first mark about one sixth of the way into the course, and the rest from rounding the first mark of the course to crossing the finish line, the remaining five sixths of the distance.
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Introduction
ACC Boat - The Weapon
ACC Crew - The Actors
Rules of Engagement
The Battlefield
The Pre-start
Umpires and Whistle Blowing
Short guide to the racing rules
Mister Cup answers your questions
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