KEY POINTS:
Compressing the Louis Vuitton Cup was probably a change for the better, but the lack of wind in Valencia has meant the decision has now come under scrutiny.
With the first four days of round one postponed because of a lack of wind, and today looking a little dodgy, it would seem the programme is too tight.
Maybe there was a reason previous regattas were so long.
Is this a case where lessons learned from past Louis Vuitton Cups have been dismissed without thinking through the full implications?
Often when you go to regattas around the world and the weather plays up, you get the old saying "it is never usually like this".
However, people here say it is not unusual to get fickle weather in April.
The decision to race at this time of the year was determined by Alinghi.
They said they were going to hold the America's Cup match in late June, which forced the challengers to work back from there.
Not a bad move by Alinghi on the challengers, who will cope with the postponements in different ways.
Most are smart enough, though, and would have thought through scenarios for gear breakages, for changing equipment and for delays.
If they have got a well developed plan in place and have thought it through, it will not throw them too much.
If a team has not, it could be a big problem.
The postponement of the first four days of racing means teams might have to race twice a day in round two, which they won't want to do.
I doubt it will affect the big three - Emirates Team New Zealand, BMW Oracle Racing and Luna Rossa - too much.
It is hard to find a positive in all of this, but there is at least one.
The four-day delay has given the low-budget Italian side +39 time to fix their one and only version-five rig.
The team smashed the rig into pieces during the last fleet-racing regatta. The Germans offered to lend them one but were told they couldn't.
As a result +39 have floated around with one of Alinghi's old 2003 masts, which, thank goodness, they haven't needed to use.
But they have now had time to fix their rig, which was in three pieces, and planned to refit it yesterday.
Maybe the weather gods are smiling on them.
