Finally, the strong south-westerly gradient that has been bringing the unseasonally strong winds to Bermuda is backing off and tomorrow and the next few days for the Louis Vuitton Challenger finals we will see a lightening of the wind.
It will be interesting to see how the two teams adapt to the change in conditions. The forecast for the three races scheduled for tomorrow show the strongest wind at only 10-15 knots and then the following races will see the breeze easing back to 7-14 knots. So, a key decision for the teams will be what foils to fit to their boats for the races. The first race will probably favour the stronger wind (lower lift and lower drag) foils, but the later races might favour the light wind foils (higher lift and higher drag). This decision could be a race winner or loser depending on which team gets it right.
There are three races back to back and very little time between each race, so no time to change foils and no time to fix any breakages. In the context of the finals this first day is key.
The PredictWind forecast models for the races start time tomorrow (9 June Bermuda time and 10 June NZ time) are as follows:
Race 1: 9 - 16 knots
Race 2: 7 - 15 knots
Race 3: 7 - 14 Knots
