Benny the Bilge Rat
America’s Cup management have just announced the elimination racing format for AC38. It looks designed to make the process so long and mind-numbingly boring that even we sailing fans are likely to give up and go look for some I Love Lucy re-runs to watch instead.
Don’t believe me? There are five exhaustive stages that have to be contested over a six-week period – just to determine who gets to challenge ETNZ in the Match itself. That’s as long as Wimbledon, the US Open and the French Open tennis combined! Here’s the rundown as currently scheduled for next year:
Group Stage 1 (May 22-23): Some lunatic has decided the Cup should begin with three fleet races for all seven teams. Insanity. ETNZ takes part. The red mist of competition will emerge with its predictable potential for collisions and damage. Great thinking, fellas.
Group State 2 (May 26-June 11): This begins the ‘Round Robin’ stage. Initially three mini-series, each of three days. Each team does six match races with one bye. The three top scoring boats then go through to the Semi-Finals. ETNZ drops out. But wait, there’s more!
Repechage Round (June 12-13): The bottom three from the Round Robins get another chance. They race each other again under a complex points system too dreary to explain here. One boat wins, the rest go home. Still following all this?
Semi-Finals (June 16-20): At last, a format even a child could understand. The four surviving teams pair off and race each other. Two finalists emerge.
Final (June 26-July 4): The two finalists contest a 13-race series. First with seven wins becomes the Challenger.
America’s Cup Match (July 10-18): For anyone who might still be paying attention, the Cup will also be a best-of-13 first to seven wins series.
Of course, this whole protracted fandango could fall in a heap if any of the intending syndicates pulls out before May, or a boat is so badly damaged it can’t continue.
But at least that might add some interest.
The Rat
