34th America's Cup

I wholeheartedly agree. Catamarans ... meh. I've been looking forward to watching this for a while just because of all the things that have happened before the race even started.

A close friend has a 25-foot sailboat and we'll go out near the mouth of the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound. It truly is a peaceful thing. Anyone here sail? I took lessons as a kid and would love to try out an FJ again.

 

Larry Ellison is the living definition of Napoleonic complex.

OK, not Napoleonic because he's tall. But Napoleon is his hero, and his business and personal lives go by that code. The most famous one was when he sued the city for the right to land his private jet whenever he wanted instead of by the curfew. He spent enough to win that one. It was the ultimate "because I can" moment.

 

I'm good with that - as long as all the high-tech elements stay on the broadcast. The quality of the data presentation will win an Emmy.

 

See: 2010 America's Cup.

I find it surprising that Ellison has remained rather aloof in the months leading up to the Cup and the event itself. It's pretty obvious that he's not well liked, and that this creation of a major extravaganza has gone belly up. Clearly the Kiwis are going to win the Cup (based on results thus far and an obvious advantage), so it'll be interesting to see what they do (where, what kind of boats) with the Cup the next time around.

As mentioned before, as long as it remains television and fan friendly (back in the 1980s, when it was in Newport, boats sailed miles off the coast, meaning there was no viewing, whatsoever, until the crews came in), I'll be happy. It's a very interesting sport that I think can grow a good niche following.

 

I guess that until some point, I just assumed Ellison actually skippered the boat, the way Ted Turner, and some other rich folks did.

Was he ever the skipper? And, if not, is his role strictly owner/funder?

 

We ran this profile in our paper this weekend. He's a sailor, but not at this level. More than a sailor, he's competitive.

http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_24025651/americas-cup-larry-ellisons-epic-journey-reach-pinnacle

 

Very cool Times multimedia presentation on the America's Cup vessels: nyti.ms/1axBj6b

 

I stopped giving a shit about the America's Cup when they went from boats to catamarans.

 

Oracle makes a "tactical mistake" -- the announcers didn't like the cut of that jib, and the crew chief didn't either as it turns out.

http://blog.sfgate.com/americascup/2013/09/10/tactical-mistake-by-oracle-team-usa-at-second-mark-helps-quick-kiwis-take-race-5-in-finals/

Down 4 to minus-1. Took their one postponement option to call off the second race.

Things are not going well.

 

Yup ... It seems the Americans have to work much harder to win than the Kiwis. I think they wrap this thing up sooner than later. If you're Larry Ellison, you can't be too happy about how this whole thing transpired, starting with the death of a sailor, the low attendance, the number of entries and the final result.

 

New Zealand's boat just races better into the wind than Oracle. End of story.