(Gilles Martin-Raget photo for BMW-Oracle Racing)
The BMW-Oracle boat USA (in the foreground) and the Swiss boat Alinghi waited for enough wind today to start the America's Cup, but after nearly 4 hours today's match was called off.
“We had a southerly breeze well offshore that was occasionally filtering into the start area,” explained team meteorologist Chris Bedford. “But closer to shore we had a westerly breeze for most of the afternoon. At times it was showing up to 14 knots at the top mark. So there was pressure (wind) trying to make it onto the course, but because of these two winds converging, we never had enough breeze over a 20-mile leg to get going."
With very light and shifty conditions prevailing over the race area, the Race Committee was unable to set a fair race course. After waiting for nearly four hours, and moving the race course area in an effort to find more wind, shortly before 2 pm, Valencia time, Principal Race Officer Harold Bennett decided to abandon racing for the day.
Strong winds are forecast on Tuesday and will linger into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
"On Wednesday, I’m looking for quite a bit more seaway; we’ll probably be getting some kind of a swell down from the Northeast, along the coast,” Bedford said. “We’ll likely be in a waning Northwesterly that may turn into some kind of a sea breeze in the afternoon, if we’re lucky. That’s what we’re keeping our fingers crossed for.”
Under the schedule of the 33rd America's Cup, the next race day is Wednesday, Feb. 10 when racing is scheduled to start at 10:06 Valencia time or 1:06 am, Anacortes time.