A tough and tricky day for Emirates Team New Zealand

Kiwi supporters gather in growing numbers to the port walls and inside Emirates Team New Zealand’s base for dock-out, as Barcelona welcomes the fans and Race Day Four of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Match.

The weather has returned to the 'normal' conditions seen so far in the final series—a SW wind of 6-10 knots, but with a lumpy leftover sea state from yesterday’s strong westerly winds. Exactly the type of conditions where small mistakes can lead to huge consequences.

That was the story of the day for Emirates Team New Zealand: small mistakes in the pre-starts of both races five and six, which opened the door for INEOS Britannia to lead off the line and around the course, clocking up their first two points of the regatta.

With a 4-2 scoreboard at the end of Race Day 4, like a true cliché, the stakes and intensity are slowly increasing each day.

Skipper Peter Burling summarised the day: “It was a little bit frustrating in that first race obviously to make the small error and have a bit of wind go against us and end up off the foils. The second race really felt that we had them on the ropes and then just made one tiny mistake, letting them get back over us on the way back to the line and then we were on the back foot the whole way from there.

We dug deep, kept chipping away, and came right back into them. In the end, we lost by a few seconds, but it was one shift, one boat length, and it would have been ours.”

AMERICA’S CUP RACE REPORT

Race 5

It’s light across the course with windspeed around 7-8 knots, above the wind limit of 6.5 knots, so racing gets underway on time with the course legs set at 1.5 nautical miles. Emirates Team New Zealand come in from the port side bang on at 2 minutes 10 seconds, INEOS Britannia comes in on starboard a little late. INEOS Britannia head up with Emirates Team New Zealand following and immediately fall off the foils in the win-wash of INEOS Britannia who carry on to the left boundary. Emirates Team New Zealand struggling to get back up and foiling as INEOS Britannia comes back on port tack along the start line and cross over Emirates Team New Zealand to funnel more wing-wash back to them. INEOS Britannia tack around at the port end of the line and then execute a dip-line start, again crossing Emirates Team New Zealand who are wallowing in displacement.

Emirates Team New Zealand starts uncontested and heads for the left boundary and builds enough speed to execute the first tack. Emirates Team New Zealand trying to build speed towards the right boundary but have to tack onto starboard before going out of bounds and are on starboard trying to build speed into the considerable seaway. INEOS Britannia sailing away uncontested and the battle now is to stay on the foils over the remaining 6 legs.

INEOS Britannia sailing wide angles to stay on the foils as the top mark approaches whilst Emirates Team New Zealand gets up on the foils some 1600 metres behind. INEOS Britannia select the port marker and bear-away at 39 knots to go right down the first run initially (looking downwind). A gybe before the boundary on a big shift allows INEOS Britannia to almost point at the leeward gate on port gybe and they are rocketing downwind on the waveforms.

A gybe low down the course sees INEOS Britannia round-up at the starboard gate as Emirates Team New Zealand rounds the top gate some 2 minutes 15 seconds behind. INEOS Britannia go left initially and then tack to get to the right, crossing behind Emirates Team New Zealand who are approaching the leeward gate. INEOS Britannia’s lead down to 1200 metres but they are uncontested at the second windward gate, sailing onto the port layline and bearing away at the starboard marker with three legs left to run.

INEOS Britannia sail down the left of the course to just before the boundary and then gybe onto a long starboard gybe down to the lower right side and the starboard layline. Emirates Team New Zealand round 1 minute and 47 seconds behind and follow the same course as INEOS Britannia down the left initially. INEOS Britannia gybe on the layline and come into the leeward gate to round the port marker and head to the right side of the course. Race Committee announce a lengthening of the course legs to 1.55 nautical miles as the breeze comes in at the top of the course to 9-11 knots.

Emirates Team New Zealand round at the port marker 1 minute and 36 seconds behind as the Race Committee lengthen the finishing leg to 1.7 nautical miles. INEOS Britannia sail up the right side of the course and bear away at the port marker for the run to the finish and hold on starboard before a gybe at the boundary to come down the course on port gybe. All about minimising manoeuvres here. Emirates Team New Zealand round 1 minute and 29 seconds behind.

INEOS Britannia gybe before the left boundary and come out high to stay on the foils on starboard gybe. One more gybe on the starboard layline is nailed and INEOS Britannia sails across the line to record their first win of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match. It’s 4-1. Emirates Team New Zealand comes across the line 1 minute and 18 seconds behind.

Emirates Team New Zealand Skipper Peter Burling was frustrated with the pre start mistake, “We had the biggest lull of the day right on entry, so it was a bit of a shame we couldn't quite get across them or really get enough speed to gybe and then dropped off the foil and with a building breeze it's pretty hard to make a pass."

Race 6:

With the breeze up above 11 knots, race 6 of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match gets underway on time with INEOS Britannia coming into the start box bang on time from the port side and making the cross before heading up and going into a tack, sailing above the line. Emirates Team New Zealand hunts to leeward before INEOS Britannia tack and try to roll over Emirates Team New Zealand on their way to the right boundary. Emirates Team New Zealand first to gybe at the boundary, Emirates Team New Zealand set up to leeward and astern before tacking away to the right off the line. INEOS Britannia starts some 10 knots faster at the starboard end of the line and head left before tacking to engage with Emirates Team New Zealand at the right boundary.

INEOS Britannia clear ahead at the first cross and ignore the opportunity to cover, heading hard over to the right boundary before tacking. Emirates Team New Zealand head left in clear air and tack at the left boundary to then cross behind INEOS Britannia who sail to the port layline. Emirates Team New Zealand sets up on the starboard layline and aims for the port marker, 6 seconds behind. Emirates Team New Zealand heads to the right (looking downwind) and bounces off the boundary to come across on port gybe. INEOS Britannia clear ahead by 150 metres.

INEOS Britannia allow Emirates Team New Zealand to cross behind and sail on to the left side of the course before gybing back as Emirates Team New Zealand splits the phase and sails down on starboard gybe to the right of the course. INEOS Britannia set up on the port layline to the leeward gate and round the starboard marker with the lead up to 9 seconds. Emirates Team New Zealand head to the right boundary up the second beat as INEOS Britannia goes left initially and then tacks to cover.

At the first cross, INEOS Britannia clear ahead and heads out to the right side with the lead up to 160 metres. Minimising tacks, INEOS Britannia sails to the left side of the course with the pressure building before tacking back to engage mid-course with Emirates Team New Zealand and still clear ahead. INEOS Britannia set up on the starboard layline and head for the port marker as Emirates Team New Zealand sets up on the port layline. INEOS Britannia round 9 seconds ahead and head to the right downwind whilst Emirates Team New Zealand had to pinch to get around the starboard marker and head left.

At the first gybe INEOS Britannia splashes down on the back of a wave and washes off some speed but cross Emirates Team New Zealand mid-course with a lead at 265 metres. Emirates Team New Zealand head down the course on starboard gybe to the right, covered by INEOS Britannia and both boats gybe on the right boundary to come into the leeward gate on the starboard layline. Rounding up at the port marker, INEOS Britannia’s lead now at 16 seconds as Emirates Team New Zealand perform a slow gybe at the gate to round the starboard marker.

Up the second beat and INEOS Britannia tack before the boundary to cover Emirates Team New Zealand out left and as they cross mid-course, INEOS Britannia’s lead is out to some 200 metres. INEOS Britannia keeping a loose positional cover on Emirates Team New Zealand so as not to give up any leverage and as Emirates Team New Zealand tacks back from the right, INEOS Britannia wait for a pressure build before tacking to cover. INEOS Britannia set up on the starboard layline and bear-away at the port marker with their lead up to 13 seconds. Emirates Team New Zealand split tactics and round the starboard marker.

On this eight leg course, leg 6 sees INEOS Britannia lose a little bit of distance as Emirates Team New Zealand clicks into pressure off the left top quadrant and closes to within 120 metres as the breeze is down to 9-10 knots. Both boats sail a long port gybe and INEOS Britannia gybe before the gate to take the starboard marker just 7 seconds behind.

As both boats come back together mid-course, INEOS Britannia just ahead and gybe on the Emirates Team New Zealand line forcing Emirates Team New Zealand to gybe away back left. The lead is now just 70 metres and Emirates Team New Zealand come back across on starboard gybe but INEOS Britannia cross and aim for the finish line to win by 7 seconds. The scoreline is now 4-2 in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match.

INEOS Britannia beat Emirates Team New Zealand (7 seconds)

In terms of the last race, it was one that got away in the pre start.

“That start looked pretty strong for us there and they just managed to roll us and get over the top. We managed to do a good job keeping it close all race and with only metres in it at the end.” Explained helmsman Nathan Outteridge who was keeping things in perspective, “It's all good here we have just got to execute a little bit better and get ready for the fight. We'll go and review things tonight and come back next time in better shape.”