Little victory for the United States, big loss for New Zealand
Sailing

Little victory for the United States, big loss for New Zealand

Epilogue to the San» Francisco «thriller by Andrei Sharkov.
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Congratulations to the Americans. I sincerely sympathize with the New Zealanders, I've been rooting for them. However, if you look at the national crew... Who was there with whom?

No, really, the Americans are good. The fight was amazing. For 16 nights, half the world was staring at TVs or laptop screens, waiting to be unlocked. The New Zealanders were in the lead, they needed only one (!) victory in the last week to get the trophy. But «the Americans» squeezed out a victory eight (!) times in a row by circling the kiwi in a sailing duel. I don't know the Cup statistics, but I think this situation is probably unique. Especially, the Americans should applaud louder! Three cheers! Well done!

But I was just thinking. Why, in fact, I am so turned on by this story, why so sincere empathy for the New Zealanders and absolutely not happy about the victory of the Americans? And now I get it. For America, this victory was «one of»... America already had many victories, many different ones, now here's another one. At the cutting edge of technology, selected the best guys on the ball, the best minds of the planet honed the «wing of» sails, hydrodynamics of the hull, even the regime and diet of the crew.

In a way, it turns out the Americans bought their Cup today. Of course they have the right. They're going out on their own...

And anyway, the red socks that I wore in the 90s all (!) New Zealand does not give me peace. That's when the whole country wore red socks. Because New Zealander Peter Blake (later Sir), who took the Cup from the Americans, in the decisive flights, went on the deck of a New Zealand yacht in such a way. And the whole country was wearing red socks after him. Followed by his favorite crew. Yours!

No one's wearing red socks today. First of all, there's no reason to wear red socks, and secondly, there's no one... Then, in the '90s, New Zealand showed the world an example of dedication and courage. An example of boundless faith in himself and his own goal (to pay the starting fee for the «America»'s Cup fight, Peter Blake mortgaged his own home). Today, this example does not add up... So it turns out that, leaving the Cup in America, mankind has not acquired anything. In the «Hamburg account»...

Andrey Sharkov,
president of
the
Russian Cruising Club. Author's blog on Livejournal.

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