America’s Cup: Two Major Advances for Emirates Team NZ
by Emirates Team NZ Media 18 Oct 15:12 PDT
18 October 2024
Emirates Team NZ – Races 7 & 8 – Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Race Day 5 – October 18, 2024 © Ian Roman / America’s Cup
Emirates Team New Zealand achieved match point after an exhilarating racing day off Barceloneta Beach, filled with thousands of Kiwi and British supporters, following the suspenseful event.
Displaying remarkable precision on the water, Emirates Team New Zealand celebrated consecutive victories over INEOS Britannia in an exciting exhibition of sailing. The Kiwi squad narrowly won both pre-starts, getting ahead just enough to capitalize on the favorable wind shifts from that moment on.
The races, conducted in Barcelona’s famously unpredictable wind conditions, tested the expertise and flexibility of both crews. Nevertheless, Emirates Team New Zealand accepted the challenge after enduring two consecutive losses against INEOS Britannia on Wednesday, outmaneuvering their British opponents to secure two hard-won victories in a thrilling day of America’s Cup competition.
The score currently stands at 6-2 in favor of Emirates Team New Zealand in the (first to seven) Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match.
Skipper Peter Burling acknowledged the job isn’t finished yet, despite being pleased with the team’s progress.
“It’s fantastic to achieve a couple of wins today and get it done. The forecast looks quite light for the weekend, so I’m very proud of how the team executed today. Clearly, after a couple of losses, we were under pressure, and our response was impressive.”
Race 7:
INEOS Britannia entered from port in Race 7, with the breeze registering between 11-13 knots from the north-west (toward the Barcelona waterfront). INEOS Britannia crossed into the pre-start box at 2 minutes and 10 seconds, while the speedily advancing Emirates Team New Zealand charged in hot, resulting in both boats circling before INEOS Britannia broke off first and engaged in another bear-away circle to position themselves on Emirates Team New Zealand’s stern. Emirates Team New Zealand led toward the right boundary before INEOS Britannia tacked and returned to the starting line for a superior start, faster downwind. Emirates Team New Zealand established themselves upwind, sailing into a high-performance mode. Emirates Team New Zealand crossed first and immediately tacked on INEOS Britannia’s line, prompting the British team to tack away. Emirates Team New Zealand headed right.
INEOS Britannia lost distance on the left due to a significant wind shift, while Emirates Team New Zealand gained considerably on the right and tacked toward the boundary. Emirates Team New Zealand remained to the right, tacking back to the boundary, while INEOS Britannia continued to attempt the left and aimed for the port lay line. INEOS Britannia began to regain ground on a right shift as Emirates Team New Zealand approached on a lengthy starboard lay line, bearing away at the port marker and immediately gybing to cover INEOS Britannia, which rounded the starboard marker 12 seconds behind.
Both boats proceeded downwind on a long port gybe toward the left boundary. INEOS Britannia was the first to gybe off the boundary, closely covered by Emirates Team New Zealand immediately to the leeward. Emirates Team New Zealand gybed first back onto a port gybe; INEOS Britannia responded, with both boats navigating down the course on the starboard lay line, with Emirates Team New Zealand leading by up to 290 meters. Emirates Team New Zealand gybed at the gate, rounding the starboard marker, while INEOS Britannia rounded the port marker 13 seconds behind.
Emirates Team New Zealand tacked after a brief runway to cover INEOS Britannia, which was heading toward the right boundary. INEOS Britannia tacked before the boundary, and Emirates Team New Zealand crossed to continue to the right. The wind was predominantly coming down from the right at that moment, and INEOS Britannia tacked back for it before tacking onto starboard at the boundary – the wind was very patchy and shifty. Emirates Team New Zealand continued into the middle of the course following their tack off the right boundary. Both boats positioned themselves in the center of the course, eyeing the lighter air at the course’s top.
At the second windward gate, Emirates Team New Zealand tacked onto the port lay line and rounded the starboard marker to head left down the run. GBR rounded the port marker and initially veered right, with Emirates Team New Zealand covering them as they descended the course. INEOS Britannia gybed prior to the right boundary and executed a long port gybe down the course, with Emirates Team New Zealand covering them to leeward, maintaining a 395-meter lead.
During the second leeward gate, Emirates Team New Zealand entered off the starboard lay line, successfully gybed, and rounded the port marker on one foil to navigate right up the final beat. INEOS Britannia arrived on the port lay line, rounding the starboard marker 29 seconds behind as they headed toward the left boundary. Emirates Team New Zealand tacked off the right boundary while loosely covering INEOS Britannia, now 540 meters behind.
Emirates Team New Zealand managed the shifts and pressure during the final beat, favoring the middle of the course before sailing into the right-side pressure near the top of the course. There was little INEOS Britannia could do, as Emirates Team New Zealand performed swiftly and smoothly today. No mistakes were made at the final windward gate; Emirates Team New Zealand tacked off the right boundary before tacking onto the port lay line to bear away at the starboard marker, reaching 49 knots on the bear-away before initially heading left. A clever gybe allowed Emirates Team New Zealand to navigate down the course on a starboard gybe, as INEOS Britannia rounded at the port marker, trailing 53 seconds behind.
INEOS Britannia experienced a minor touchdown prior to their first gybe before the right boundary, but Emirates Team New Zealand was far ahead by over 1100 meters, covering down a long port gybe toward the left of the course. Only one gybe remained for Emirates Team New Zealand, who emerged from the left boundary on the port lay line and drove straight for the finish line, bearing away across the line on two foils to secure a 1 minute and 13 seconds victory. The score line now reads 5-2 in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match, with Emirates Team New Zealand needing just two more points for victory.
Helmsman Nathan Outteridge expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance in that race under very challenging conditions.
“It’s a totally different day here today; super dynamic with a big hill upwind of us, creating gust and lull situations where one moment you have 8 knots and the next 13 or 14 knots, coupled with significant shifts. We were very alert to what might occur there, and I think it sort of caught everyone off-guard how dynamic that start became.
It was fantastic to get a good start above them, and then we focused on defending the right side, but I’m sure the next race will be quite different.”
