Issue date
What happens today?
Ultimately, the medals in all three classes – 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 - will be decided but before all that happens there will be three races for the gold fleets. Two will feature all of the boats in gold fleet with the normal points scoring applying. Remember, teams can drop only their worst score across the entire week so anyone with a large drop can’t afford to be too deep. The final race will be for the top 10 boats only and will carry double points.
Can boats drop their score in a medal race?
No. The first team banks two points, second gets four all the way down to 10th who score 20 points. It means things can change pretty quickly if the scoreboard is tight heading into the medal race.
Do we see different tactics in a medal race?
Quite often, yes, particularly if it comes down to two boats battling for a medal. In that instance, we can often see more of a match race when one boat covers the other. If the top two boats, for instance, have enough of a buffer on the rest of the fleet, it doesn’t really matter if they finish ninth and 10th in the medal race. If it’s a lot tighter, with many teams in the hunt, we usually see more of a traditional race.
Are there any other differences with a medal race?
They’re usually shorter. The target finish time in a regular fleet race is 30 minutes but the target time for a medal race is just 20 minutes. With fewer boats, there’s more room on the race track so it doesn’t need to be any longer.
So when does this all happen?
Regular racing in the gold fleet for all three classes starts at 10.30am. There will then be a short break before the top 10 boats head out for their medal races. The 49ers are due to go at 1.55pm, 49erFX at 2.25pm and Nacra 17 at 3.30pm.
How can I watch it?
You can head out on the water to watch but, if you don’t have a boat or aren’t in Auckland, you can catch the action live on Sky Sport. Alternately, you can come down to the Royal Akarana Yacht Club and soak up the atmosphere and watch the races on the big screens they have set up in the yacht club.
Schedule
49er Gold: 2 races starting at 10.30am
49erFX Gold: 2 races starting at 10.30am
Nacra 17 Gold: 2 races starting at 10.30am
Nacra 17 Silver: 2 races starting at 10.30am
49er Silver: 2 races starting at noon
49er Bronze: 2 races starting at noon
49erFX Silver: 2 races starting at noon
49er Medal Race: 1 race starting at 1.55pm
49erFX Medal Race: 1 race starting 2.40pm
Nacra 17 Gold Medal Race: 1 race starting at 3.25pm
- Pic: peter Burling and Blair Tuke go into the final day leading the 49er fleet. Photo: Sailing Energy.
