Emirates Team New Zealand Claims Victory in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup
by Mark Jardine 19 Oct 06:31 PDT
18 October 2024
Emirates Team New Zealand triumphs in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Barcelona © America’s Cup
Saturday had the atmosphere of a ‘final’, with spectators eager for a conclusion following Emirates Team New Zealand’s dominance on Friday.
After a 40-minute wait for the wind to fill in, the stakes were high.
Race 9: Emirates Team New Zealand vs. INEOS Britannia
During the pre-start, both teams approached the right boundary, with INEOS Britannia gybing in front of Emirates Team New Zealand, prompting both boats to tack. They mirrored each other’s efforts to initiate near the committee boat end, with the British team slightly to leeward and enjoying a marginal early advantage.
As the Kiwis tacked away, INEOS Britannia had to duck Emirates Team New Zealand during the first cross while heading towards the right side of the course.
Both teams seemed relatively matched on starboard, but when the Kiwis tacked across, they gained a 100-meter clear advantage, discovering advantageous shifts while sailing notably faster.
At the first windward gate, Emirates Team New Zealand led by 19 seconds.
The commentators sounded understated during the initial downwind leg as the Kiwis continually extended their lead, cruising at 36 knots in just 8 knots of wind.
By the first leeward gate, their lead had grown to 22 seconds.
INEOS Britannia made significant improvements on the second upwind leg, leveraging the stronger pressure on the right side, forcing Emirates Team New Zealand to tack directly over the Brits, pushing them to the right boundary. At the next boundary, the Kiwis had to tack to leeward.
The gap narrowed to just 14 meters, with both boats above the lay line for the second windward gate. At the rounding, they were nearly neck-and-neck, with the Kiwis opting for the left buoy and the Brits choosing the right.
However, Emirates Team New Zealand surged downwind, stretching their lead to 200 meters in stronger pressure, resulting in a 12-second advantage at the second leeward gate. The boats rounded different buoys, with the Brits again coming back into play.
As Emirates Team New Zealand coach Ray Davies remarked, “They’re not making this easy for us. It’s all on.”
In keeping with their strategy, the Kiwis maintained a cover on the Brits, wiping away any complacency during the second upwind leg. At the final windward gate, their lead was 17 seconds.
The concluding downwind leg became a formality, as the steady duo of Peter Burling and Nathan Outteridge created a lead of over 500 meters, marking them the first team in modern history to win the America’s Cup three times consecutively.
Peter Burling expressed after crossing the finish line, “It’s an incredible feeling. It was a challenging event throughout the week, but an outstanding scoreline, and I’m truly proud of how the team fought today. This team carries some tough memories from before my time at match point, so to achieve it today is just fantastic. Barcelona has been simply amazing, what a feeling!”
Nathan Outteridge added, “This is really special. Being part of this team has been a remarkable journey. I’ve cherished every minute. It felt great to wrap it up today. It’s been a long-held dream, and it’s so thrilling to celebrate this achievement with everyone. I can’t wait for the festivities tonight!”
Ben Ainslie remarked, “First of all, congrats to Emirates Team New Zealand. What an impressive campaign and team; in my view, they are the best team in America’s Cup history, which is a remarkable feat. My deepest thanks to our team for all their relentless effort over the years to bring us this far. It’s been a challenging road in this event leading to the finals, and while we had our moments, the better team prevailed.”
Dylan Fletcher chimed in, “It’s been an absolutely amazing journey, and the team has been stellar. A huge thanks to everyone in the team and our supporters out here; seeing everyone cheering us on has truly made a difference. While it’s disappointing now, it’s still been a highly successful campaign, and, as Ben said, we will return stronger.”
