AUCKLAND, NZL-(17-11-2002) At 12:40 on Sunday afternoon, the Race Committee hoisted the AP flag over the A flag, postponing racing to another day.
The wind was consistently above the upper limits prescribed in the Conditions of Racing, and the forecast didn’t offer any relief over the course of the afternoon.
“Today we are not going to race,” said a disappointed Peter Reggio, the Principal Race Officer for the Louis Vuitton Cup. “Unfortunately the lowest average breeze is well over the starting limits and the squalls rolling through here are going to make it impossible. Earlier today it looked pretty good, but as the morning went on it started to fall apart.”
Two Quarter Final matches were delayed, the series between GBR Challenge and Team Dennis Conner, and the match-up between Victory Challenge and Le Défi. There is a 3-1 scoreline in both pairings, with the American and Swedish teams enjoying the advantage.
The weather forecast isn’t promising for the next two days as a large high pressure system is moving east across Tasman Sea, squeezing the isobars between a complex low located 300 miles Southeast of Auckland. The result is strong Southwesterlies forecast for the Hauraki Gulf on Monday and Tuesday, 17 to 23 knots, with gusts approaching 30 knots.
According to the Conditions of Race, the last scheduled race day for the Quarter Finals is Tuesday, with a reserve day on Wednesday, and if all racing cannot be completed by the end of play Wednesday, the leading teams in each pair will advance to the Quarter Final Repechage. If the series scoreline is tied, the teams will have a one race sail-off to determine who advances, and who is eliminated from the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Under the Race Conditions, the Race Committee may schedule two races per day if it feels it is necessary.
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