both teams have lawers, both I didn't consider as sportsmen. But we can do better: just concentrate what happend on the water, wing against soft sail, tri vs. cat and so on

I am sure, afterwards there are many who can explain why a or b has won. But as I said we can better. Why do you think will your fav team win?

So: Alinghi wins, because of
two different mast sizes
soft sails aren't worse than wings (if sail area isn't limited)
they are less focused in tech but in sailing and winning

Your turn...

Will there be a dial-up like in years past? If so, there probably wont even be one race.

they've put in something new...I'm not sure of the exact details but I believe there will be a buoy in the middle of the starting box (below the start line). The port boat has to pass above and the starboard boat pass below. They did this to prevent the dialup where the boats would be very hard to handle with no speed in close quarters.

Thanks Jake. That first dialup would have been really exciting and expensive me beleives. Hey, is it really best of three? I have missed that along the way.

Say, I thought I read somewhere that VX 40s where matchracing? Did they have the same bouy or did they dial-it-up?

It is best of 3. They were very close to extending it to a best of 7 but all the CiC, wind limits, and rule hanky panky stuff eroded the negotiations until they imploded.

I haven't heard of the VX40's match racing but it wouldn't surprise me.

Here's some more on the dialup / prestart. it is a completely different animal... The SI's state:

(iv) RRS C4.2 is deleted and replaced with:
“Within the two minute period following her preparatory
signal, a boat shall cross and clear the line between the
entry mark and the Race Committee boat (the Entry Line),
the first time from the course side to the pre-start side. After
that, or after the end of the two minute period following the
preparatory signal, the entry mark no longer ranks as a mark
for the purpose of the definition of a mark”

Here's the diagram

Where did you get that, so I can look at a larger image.

here ya go . . .

right click it..."view image" or "open image in new tab"

Thanks