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Martin Devlin: Boring Prada Cup racing is the real problem

Author
Martin Devlin,
Publish Date
Thu, 18 Feb 2021, 2:13PM

Martin Devlin: Boring Prada Cup racing is the real problem

Author
Martin Devlin,
Publish Date
Thu, 18 Feb 2021, 2:13PM

The Prada Cup recommencing this weekend was never the big issue.

What's much more important is trying to revive interest in the actual racing because what we saw last weekend was yachting's version of watching paint dry. It's not that Prada winning is boring, it's just that the races have been.

Way too predictable the contest so far has been a procession. Win the start, you win the race. And that's it. That's as exciting as it gets.

The point being that a race is a race is a race. Meaning one or more of whatever is racing is able to charge past the other things racing at pace, and hopefully do it more than once. Lead changes. The more the merrier.

But no. It's all about the start. Win that and she's over. And I'm sorry Prada Cup organisers but it's just dull. Let's be clear on this.

I'm not criticising the event, I'm only talking about what we're watching. To quote TV1 presenter Scott Stevenson from last weekend, "we are watching the same race we've just seen and Ineos can't do anything about it".

That in a sentence said everything. For the purist I'm sure it's razor sharp sailing.

For the punter though probably a bit too predictable.

So let me finish by accentuating the positive. Covid restrictions have been relaxed, the weekend weather forecast is fine, vantage points will be crowded, the harbour a flotilla of spectator craft, the Prada Cup IS back on and every day of it means we are also one day closer to the day we start defending when it all kicks off for real.

The Brits need to bounce back and start playing like Novak. Because right now Ineos is Kyrgios - the pretender as opposed to the contender.

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