After two days of thunderstorms in Barcelona, the scheduled reserve day on Thursday was used by the Race Committee to catch up, with five races run in total. Two races for Emirates Team New Zealand against INEOS Britannia and Orient Express Racing Team, both resulting in wins to Emirates Team New Zealand.

The clouds cleared, and the Spanish sun re-emerged this morning, with a gradual 8-12 knot southwest breeze forecast to build by race time. However, after Emirates Team New Zealand’s first race win against INEOS Britannia, helmsman Nathan Outteridge explained just how tricky it was: “A very dynamic day out there. Very shifty. Blair and Andy were doing a good job of calling some good gusts for us. We thought it was going to be a bit windier, but here we are in 5-8 knots and quite dynamic conditions.”

AMERICA’S CUP RACE REPORT:

INEOS Britannia (Port Entry) vs. Emirates Team New Zealand

After narrow defeat to the Americans, INEOS Britannia are looking for a real speed test here against the Defenders. At the start both boats dip the line with the Kiwis holding the windward station and going into super-high mode. A drag race ensued to the left boundary where at the first tack, Emirates Team New Zealand cleverly go first and send a huge amount of wing-wash back onto the British just as they were tacking. The result saw the British off the foils and struggling to speed-build, handing a significant advantage to the Kiwis. At the first gate, Emirates Team New Zealand led by 24 seconds, with the British in catch-up mode. A good run by the British sees them round the leeward gate just 15 seconds down and split the tactics initially upwind by heading hard right hunting pressure.

Close cover up the right boundary sees the Kiwis extend as they connect up the pressure phases and shifts as the British struggle to get going tactically. At the second windward mark, the lead was out to 33 seconds after a perfect beat from the Kiwis. The Race Committee, recognising a drop in the breeze, shortens the remaining legs to just 1.2 nautical miles and for the sailors it is all about trying to maximise VMG.

INEOS Britannia are in touch but at the final leeward gate, Emirates Team New Zealand rounds up with a lead of 27 seconds as Britannia has a very loose manoeuvre coming into the starboard marker and falling off the foils. Game over for the British, by the final windward mark, the Kiwis bore-away for the run to the finish with a delta of two minutes and 13 seconds. Zero mistakes on the final run from Pete Burling and Nathan Outteridge who were sailing supremely in synch with Andy Maloney and Blair Tuke to record a three minute and two second win. A race to forget for INEOS Britannia.  

Emirates Team New Zealand bt. INEOS Britannia by (242 seconds)

Helmsman Nathan Outteridge was happy to come away with the win after a tight start against the British team; “They did a good job of keeping it nice and tight in the leeward position there, but we managed to get that nice right shift off the line and live long enough to get to the boundary and when we both tacked we were both at the bottom end of speed. Then we executed a nice tack and managed to take control there. It is not easy out here and that one could have gone either way.”

Orient Express Racing Team (Port Entry) vs. Emirates Team New Zealand

The two most visually similar yachts in the Louis Vuitton Cup, sister ships off the same Emirates Team New Zealand design board, produced initially a mis-match of a race with Orient Express off the foils in the pre-start and gifting Emirates Team New Zealand an uncontested start. With just 6.5 knots of true wind speed – right on the lower end of the wind scale – the French struggled to speed-build to get back up and flying. When they did, the Kiwis were away off into an almost 700 metre lead and climbing.

However, what looked like game-over was anything but as the Kiwis feel off the foils on a tack out by the port boundary and then struggled back up. The French stormed into the lead in the ultimate game of snakes and ladders as the Kiwis struggled in just 5 knots of wind. At the top gate, Orient Express led by 21 seconds and were being hunted hard by the Kiwis as the Race Committee shortened the course leg lengths to just 1.1 nautical miles. On the water, the French lead was up to over 450 metres but the final gybe into the first leeward mark saw the French fall into displacement agonisingly whilst the Kiwis ate up the distance and seized the lead, sailing around Orient Express, high on their foils.

A racing lifeline had been thrown to Emirates Team New Zealand and from there they made no mistake building out to a massive lead over the next two legs so that by the final windward gate they were more than a leg ahead of the French. The Kiwis closed out the race, bringing ‘Taihoro’ downwind at pace, picking the shifts and pressure perfectly to record the win. Two classy wins from two today for Emirates Team New Zealand.

Emirates Team New Zealand bt. Orient Express Racing Team  

Skipper Peter Burling  was happy to come away with that win, “They were incredibly tricky conditions right at the bottom end of the wind limits. But it was awesome racing, and for us great to be able to make a few mistakes and still take a win. The French showed just how tough it was in the light air.”

The conditions were especially taxing on the Emirates Team New Zealand cyclors who had to work overtime to provide all of the power to keep ‘Taihoro’ moving and on the foils which Burling was especially thankful for.

“We have an amazing group of cyclors that provide us with plenty of power, so you never feel short. It’s a huge credit to the hard work the cyclors have put in right throughout the campaign.”