As Emirates Team New Zealand sits one race away from defending the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup there is no sense around the team of ‘job done’ or any early celebrations. This is a team with a long and painful memory of comebacks and it’s very much business as usual with the team base humming as they prepared ‘Taihoro’ for action this morning.
Meanwhile at INEOS Britannia there’s a backs-to-the-wall siege mentality. Nothing has changed. The team still need to win five clean races to lift the America’s Cup and there’s a healthy respect all over for how the British team performs when the chips are down. For sure they will arrive on the racecourse fired-up and eager to take this series further and prove, as they have done consistently throughout this summer of sailing, that they are more than up for the fight.
It’s an intriguing and absorbing battle between two great teams at the very peak of their powers. Emirates Team New Zealand delivered two crushing race wins yesterday in very difficult conditions to advance to Match-point, but anything can happen in the world of the America’s Cup and every sailor and campaigner knows that it’s never done, until it’s done.
Conditions today are looking promising for racing to get underway later in the afternoon. A switch from the morning northerly ‘drainage’ that gets sucked up into the nearby mountain ranges will be replaced after noon with a southerly airflow that has all the hallmarks of building.
It’s sunny this morning in Barcelona and the horizon-clouds are thin, unlike yesterday’s menacing collection, so the thermal breeze could well build-in from the south and settle either side of the compass. Officially it’s 6-8 knots from the south-east so will be testing the lower wind limit of 6.5 knots but some models are suggesting that a south-westerly could establish in the 9-12 knot region around 3pm. We shall see.
Dock-out for both boats is expected around noon and the team’s meteorologists will be working overtime on sail-selection and shifts as the new breeze comes in across the racecourse. Two races are scheduled today with Emirates Team New Zealand entering the first race from the port side.
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1350 UPDATE
As expected the breeze is very light out on the racecourse. The Race Committee has just announced that Race 9 has been postponed. The RC will give a 15 minutes notice ahead of any planned start time.
1430 UPDATE
Race Committee has announced a scheduled start time for Race 9 of 1450 CET.
Race 9
History could be about to be made as Race 9 gets underway with ETNZ entering from the port side with the wind filling in from the south-west to above the wind-limit of 6.5 knots but with lighter air at the top of the course and gusts up to 11 knots at the bottom. ETNZ enters smartly on time and goes for the immediate cross as IB come in fast at the starboard end and gybe immediately onto ETNZ’s line. ETNZ lead out to the right boundary and gybe to go deep, IB gybe inside to take the lead position but ETNZ tack and then tack again, followed by IB who set up in front for the final lead back to the line and filtering as much dirty air as possible on ETNZ.
In the final approaches, IB attempt to shut out ETNZ but both boats dial away to the start line and ETNZ tacks immediately to the right at the start. IB carries on before covering and ETNZ tacks back on to starboard to take the lead at the first cross. IB ducks and carries on to the right boundary whilst ETNZ sees breeze mid-course and sails into it out left.
IB suffer on a left shift whilst ETNZ tacks on it and crosses two boatlengths ahead. And stretches to a lead of 130 metres as they tack back to the right side of the course. IB on the back-foot here. ETNZ comes far right, looking to click into pressure in the tip-right quadrant as IB follows. A tack on the right boundary brings ETNZ onto the starboard layline in the final approaches to the windward gate but they tack onto the port layline to take the starboard marker and round with a lead up to 19 seconds. ETNZ go immediately left (looking down the course) as IB takes the port marker and goes right.
IB first to gybe as ETNZ persists to the left and bounces off the boundary to come back and cross some 280 metres ahead. IB in touch and trying to use their downwind speed as they gybe off the left boundary but ETNZ click into pressure down the course and make gains with the lead now above 330 metres. ETNZ set up for the leeward gate, gybing onto the port layline and electing to round up at the starboard marker.
IB round at the port marker, 22 seconds behind and head right immediately up the second beat on leg three of six. IB tacks soon after the mark to engage with ETNZ and have closed the distance as ETNZ tack to cover closely. After IB tack off to the right boundary, ETNZ ignores the move and carries on left on a shift and pressure but the lead is down to just over 100 metres and this race is far from done. At the cross back, ETNZ cover and bounce IB off to the right side of the course and they tack before the boundary.
IB comes back on starboard with the lead down to 50 metres and ETNZ tack immediately on their bow. IB tack off for the boundary again and come back on starboard but the distance is shortening and a tack to leeward by ETNZ sees a drag race with IB trying to power over the top. ETNZ eke out to leeward with both boats over the starboard layline for the second top gate. ETNZ elect to take the port marker, IB tacks around the starboard market. The delta is 0.0 seconds.
IB go left down the run to the left boundary, ETNZ gybe immediately to cover and both boats heading to the left boundary with ETNZ to leeward. IB gybe first and ETNZ are clear ahead by over 180 metres ahead, sailing in more pressure and continuing to the left boundary. A gybe at the boundary is nailed by ETNZ who are coming down to the final leeward gate on starboard gybe whilst IB comes across on port. ETNZ clear ahead and gybe cover onto port gybe for the final approach to the leeward gate.
ETNZ rounds up at the port marker with a 12 second lead as IB elects to take the starboard marker and goes left up the final beat. ETNZ tacks over to cover IB and as the boats cross, ETNZ are ahead by just over 100 metres and tack on IB’s line, forcing them away to the left. ETNZ protecting the right, IB see pressure perhaps to the left.
IB tack on the left boundary and have closed in again. ETNZ cross as they click into a right hand shift and then tack on top of IB who tack away back to the left. ETNZ covers again once up to full speed and when IB tack back, again they get a face full of ETNZ as the starboard layline approaches. ETNZ tacks on the layline and sets up for the final gate, bearing away at the port marker at 43 knots with a lead of 17 seconds as IB tacks around the starboard marker and goes left down the run.
ETNZ gybe out of the right boundary with a lead in excess of 300 metres and are setting up here for a grandstand finish, sailing fast towards the left of the course and spying the pressure patches down the course. Both boats minimising manoeuvres and ETNZ sail fast and smooth down towards the port layline before gybing and angling towards the finish line.
Emirates Team New Zealand win the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup with a finishing delta of 37 seconds. The crew jump out of their pods to celebrate with each other – a momentous win and history made here in Barcelona.
