Two big steps forward for Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand reached match point after an exciting day of racing off Barceloneta Beach, packed with thousands of Kiwi and British fans, following the nail-biting action.

Emirates Team New Zealand showcased their precision on the water, securing back-to-back victories against INEOS Britannia in a thrilling display of sailing. The Kiwi team won both pre-starts by the slimmest of margins, managing to get their nose in front each time, and take advantage of the favoured wind-shifts, from that point on.
The races, held in Barcelona's notoriously shifty wind conditions, tested the skill and adaptability of both teams. However, Emirates Team New Zealand rose to the challenge of being under pressure, following back to back losses to INEOS Britannia on Wednesday, outmanoeuvring their British rivals to claim two hard-fought wins in a nail-biting day of America's Cup action.

The scoreline sits at 6-2 in favour of Emirates Team New Zealand in the (first to seven) Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match.

Skipper Peter Burling was very conscious that the job is not yet complete, although happy with where the team is at.

“It is awesome to get another couple of wins on the board and get it done today. It's obvious the is forecast looking pretty light for the weekend so I am really proud with the way the team executed today. Obviously, when you get a couple of losses it really puts us under pressure and the way we responded was awesome.”

AMERICA’S CUP RACE REPORT

Race 7:

INEOS Britannia on port entry in Race 7 and the breeze is in at 11-13 knots from the north-west (off the Barcelona waterfront). INEOS Britannia crosses into the pre-start box at 2 minutes and 10 seconds and make the cross as the fast charging Emirates Team New Zealand comes in hot and both boats go into a circle before INEOS Britannia breaks off first and then goes into another bear-away circle to get on Emirates Team New Zealand’s stern. Emirates Team New Zealand leads out to the right boundary before INEOS Britannia tacks and leads back to the start line to make the better start, faster to leeward. Emirates Team New Zealand set up to windward and sail into their high mode. Emirates Team New Zealand clear ahead at first cross and tack immediately on INEOS Britannia’s line and forced to tack away. Emirates Team New Zealand heading to the right.

INEOS Britannia losing distance out left on big shift and Emirates Team New Zealand make considerable gain out right and tack on the boundary. Emirates Team New Zealand stays right and tacks back to the boundary whilst INEOS Britannia keep trying the left and aim for the port layline. INEOS Britannia making gains back on a right shift whilst Emirates Team New Zealand comes in on a long starboard layline and bears away at the port marker and goes immediately into a gybe to cover INEOS Britannia who round at the starboard marker 12 seconds behind.

Both boats head downwind on a long port gybe down the left boundary. INEOS Britannia first to gybe off the boundary, covered by Emirates Team New Zealand immediately to leeward. Emirates Team New Zealand first to gybe back on to port gybe, INEOS Britannia respond and both boats heading down the course on the starboard layline with Emirates Team New Zealand up to 290 metres in the lead. Emirates Team New Zealand gybes at the gate at takes the starboard marker whilst INEOS Britannia takes the port marker 13 seconds behind.

Emirates Team New Zealand tacks after a small runway to cover INEOS Britannia who are heading to the right boundary. INEOS Britannia tacks before the boundary and Emirates Team New Zealand cross to continue right. Breeze is all coming down the right at the moment and INEOS Britannia tacks back for it before tacking on to starboard at the boundary - breeze very patchy and shifty. Emirates Team New Zealand carries on to the middle of the course having tacked off the right boundary. Both boats in the middle of the course and eyeing the lighter air at the top of the course.

At the second windward gate, Emirates Team New Zealand tacks on the port layline and rounds the starboard marker to head left down the run. GBR tack around the port marker and go right initially, gybe covered by Emirates Team New Zealand down the course. INEOS Britannia gybe before the right boundary and take a long port gybe down the course, gybe covered to leeward by Emirates Team New Zealand who are staying in phase some 395 metres ahead.

At the second leeward gate, Emirates Team New Zealand comes in off the starboard layline and executes another smooth gybe and rounds the port marker on one foil to head right up the third and final beat. INEOS Britannia comes in on the port layline to take the starboard marker 29 seconds behind and head to the left boundary. Emirates Team New Zealand tack off the right boundary and loosely cover INEOS Britannia some 540 metres behind.

Emirates Team New Zealand playing the shifts and the pressure up the last beat, preferring to play the middle of the course and then sailing into the right side pressure at the top of the course. Very little INEOS Britannia can do, Emirates Team New Zealand looking fast and smooth today. No mistakes into the final windward gate, Emirates Team New Zealand tacks off the right boundary before tacking on the port layline to bear away at the starboard marker, hitting 49 knots on the bear-away, to head left initially. A smart gybe brings Emirates Team New Zealand down the course on starboard gybe as INEOS Britannia rounds at the port marker 53 seconds down.

INEOS Britannia have a small touchdown ahead of their first gybe before the right boundary but Emirates Team New Zealand are clear ahead by over 1100 metres and covering down a long port gybe to the left of the course. Only one gybe left for Emirates Team New Zealand who come off the left boundary on the port layline and drive straight for the line, bearing away across the line on two foils to record an 1 minute and 13 seconds win. The scoreline is now 5-2 in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match and Emirates Team New Zealand need just two more points to win.

Helmsman Nathan Outteridge was pleased how the team sailed that race in what were very tricky conditions

“It's a very different day here today, super dynamic it's a big hill upwind of us and you have this gust, lull situation coming where one minute you have 8 knots and the next minute you've got 13 or 14 knots and big shifts with it. So, we were pretty switched on to what was going to happen there, and I think it kinda caught everyone a bit off guard how dynamic that start got.

It was great to get off the line nicely above them, and then we were just trying to defend the right side there, but I'm sure the next race is going to be pretty different.”

Race 8:

Emirates Team New Zealand coming in on the port entry with the wind around 11 knots down the course whilst at the windward gate there are gusts up to 17 knots. Emirates Team New Zealand comes in fast at 40 knots and make a clean cross. INEOS Britannia gybe on their line after entry and both boats head to the right boundary. Emirates Team New Zealand bear away at the boundary, gybe and head up. INEOS Britannia tack around and then bear-away but Emirates Team New Zealand maintain a leeward position and come off the line with a couple of knots extra boatspeed. INEOS Britannia first to tack off to the right and Emirates Team New Zealand keep on to the left boundary in good pressure before tacking back right.

Emirates Team New Zealand come back across the course as INEOS Britannia tacks at the right boundary. At the first cross Emirates Team New Zealand clear ahead and heading to more pressure in the right quadrant. Emirates Team New Zealand ignore the chance to cover as INEOS Britannia sits in good breeze up the left. Boats are now on opposite boundaries with INEOS Britannia left and Emirates Team New Zealand right with the top gate approaching. Emirates Team New Zealand tacks onto the port layline and bears away at the starboard marker with a lead of 15 seconds as both boats head down the left boundary downwind.

INEOS Britannia have an issue in the early part of the run and go two boards down as they touchdown briefly before gybing on the left boundary. Emirates Team New Zealand now up to more than 450 metres ahead and nail their gybe to come down the course on port for a while before gybing back mid course to cover INEOS Britannia. At the leeward gate, Emirates Team New Zealand round up at the port marker and head to the right initially. INEOS Britannia take the starboard marker some 25 seconds down and head to the left upwind on the second beat.

INEOS Britannia tack on the left boundary but look up to see Emirates Team New Zealand sailing across on starboard some 460 metres ahead before tacking to cover and lead INEOS Britannia to the right side of the course. Emirates Team New Zealand in complete control and they tack off the right boundary for the final approaches to the second windward gate. Emirates Team New Zealand really standing on their foils to keep some leeward heel in the lulls but they bear-away at the port marker some 41 seconds ahead before gybing to immediately cover INEOS Britannia who exited the starboard marker and headed to the left boundary downwind.

Both boats gybe off the left boundary and fly down the course on a long starboard. Emirates Team New Zealand gybes on the starboard layline and rounds up at the port marker to head right up the third beat initially with a lead down to 36 seconds. INEOS Britannia follows suit and heads to the right to follow Emirates Team New Zealand.

No passing lanes upwind on this, leg 5 of 8, as Emirates Team New Zealand play the right and let INEOS Britannia go hard left. It’s a gamble that paid small dividends for INEOS Britannia but Emirates Team New Zealand tack at the starboard marker and bear-away to go left downwind. INEOS Britannia tacks around the port marker, 23 seconds behind and go right initially, gybe covered by Emirates Team New Zealand who then gybe back onto port on INEOS Britannia’s line with over 550 metres lead.

Down the course, Emirates Team New Zealand gybe cover the INEOS Britannia rounding and head on a long port gybe towards the left boundary but the distance is over 1000 metres. Emirates Team New Zealand gybe on the left boundary on the port layline to the finish line and angle down to cross to take the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup scoreline to 6-2. Final delta is 55 seconds.

Emirates Team New Zealand bt INEOS Britannia (55 seconds)

Skipper Peter Burling was loving the shifty conditions off Barcelona today, comparing them to a SW off Takapuna beach, “We were loving out there, it was completely different conditions to anything which raced in so far and it was great. So it was good to bounce back from a few mistakes the other day and put a couple of solid races on the board.”