Ex-yachtie

Woah, woah, woah! THAT sounds like it might have been written by a PR team!?

I never brought myself to watch Wind. What was the story behind the Whomper? Did it exploit a rule or was it just.... bigger?

I love it when you talk dirty.

Wow. I know they’ve upgraded this site, but I didn’t know they’d upgraded it THAT much!

Reminds me of this guy: https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=kenneth+snelson&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwii46KxoIzgAhXhQnwKHarPCZ8Q2-cCegQIABAC&oq=kenneth+snelson&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-img.3..0l4j0i24.24246.40500..41036...1.0..2.363.6845.0j30j6j2......0....1.......5..35i39j0i67.2YjxxJhGQ_g&ei=hr5MXKKIAuGF8QOqn6f4CQ&bih=553&biw=375&client=safari&prmd=insv&hl=en-gb

Or windshear.

I went for a walk at lunch time. Some quick pics below (some of which I can't seem to rotate...), and some key points: ETNZ have installed their big doors on the eastern face and a new mezzanine at the northern end of the venue previously known as the Viaduct Events Centre. A big piling rig tied up against the northern end of Halsey Wharf, ready to go. The viaduct has been emptied. Very few boats. It really made me realise how much life/activity/colour/amenity those boats added to the viaduct. It occurred to me that the new Hilton is going to have a bloody good view of events over the next couple of years! I'll go back in a month or so and take more.

Actually, Judge Newhook is a keen sailor.

Hmmm, I work next door to the team (~150 ppl) designing the infrastructure for the Cup. I’ll go and tell them you’re worried, and writing in bold font. As for our “environmental stick”, are you volunteering to have all the contaminated soil dumped on your back lawn?

An update from Auckland Council on the various upgrades and new work underway for AC36 (and beyond). Includes snappy <2min video Auckland's waterfront plans for the America's Cup Bernard Orsman https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&amp;objectid=12180565

It's there to provide space for the gnav. Otherwise the mainsail will set fine on one tack but be distorted by the gnav on the other.

And to push bend up the mast, making the gnav more effective with less load.

That's a much bigger separation than I would have expected at the foot... No?

Wow. And they used to say that America's Cup racing wasn't exciting!

Some pics from today. The existing Brigham Wharf looks like it’s being strengthened and ETNZ’s new barn doors are underway. All the previous signage has been removed from the Events Centre with no sign of new signage for now. I *think* some reflective film has been added to the upper levels of the office space, but then I might be imagining that.

Farewell to Auckland’s historic tanks Alexia Russell @ Newsroom “A long-standing fixture of Auckland’s waterfront is about to disappear.” https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/10/05/265700/farewell-to-aucklands-historic-tanks?preview=1

And more.

I went for a wander down to Wynyard Wharf yesterday. It looks like work has started on the western bases.

Full Environment Court decision. https://www2.justice.govt.nz/website-documents/environment-court/[2018]-NZEnvC-179-Panuku-Development-Auckland-Limited.pdf

America's Cup: Cup bases given the green light in record time by Richard Gladwell https://www.sail-world.com/news/210437/Court-approves-Am-Cup-bases-construction More detail about the final conditions.

Environment Court grants Resource Consent https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12131605 Complete with out of date drawings.

There's a bit of chat in here (including this) that suggests that ETNZ have a directing hand in the design of these bases. I went to hear Russell Green talk to a number of property professionals recently. It was clear that if it was up to them, the bases would be cheap and easy. They see it (correctly) as an obstacle to teams entering. These controls are imposed by Auckland Council who (correctly) want to avoid errors of the past.

America's Cup: Hearing for Bases takes just seven hours by Richard Gladwell "The Environment Court has finished a Hearing of the Resource Consent Application necessary to obtain permission to construct new America's Cup facilities in Auckland." https://www.sail-world.com/news/209877/Americas-Cup-Planning-Hearing-finishes-early A lot of commentary in here about base design.