The defender of the America’s Cup was back on the water yesterday after missing the previous day because of damage sustained to their boat, but they did not get to have a proper race after French challenger Orient Express Racing Team retired before the start and light conditions saw their second scheduled race postponed.
This morning, in a great breeze and a lumpy sea state, they got a chance to truly send Taihoro around the course.
“No holds barred on sailing the boat. No issues. The shore crew did an absolutely incredible job in the timeframe, so we’re stoked to be back out here and in amongst it,” Team NZ coach Ray Davies said on the broadcast.
“These are the conditions that all the boats are designed for; sort of 10 knots and it’s a real showcase of where we’ve come with the foiling technology. It’s absolutely incredible the numbers we can pull around the track, and we’re just hoping for a bit more of these conditions.”
In two races today, Team NZ beat Alinghi Red Bull Racing and American Magic in an informative day of racing.
Emirates Team New Zealand got the better of American Magic to close out a day of quality racing. Photo / Ricardo Pinto, America's Cup
The two contests played out very differently. In their opening race against Alinghi, Team NZ won by disqualification as Alinghi were more than 100m outside the boundary when the racing period started.
Given races involving Team NZ in the round-robins don’t count for either team, the Swiss being disqualified meant little. They had been having issues with their mainsail and mast track prior to the start of the day’s racing, but even after being ruled out of the race they made their way to the starting line for some practice against the Kiwis – the teams completing three of six scheduled legs before making their way off the racecourse.
Against American Magic in the final race of the day, Team NZ were tested.
It was a good start from both teams in a split-tack start, with Team NZ holding a slim lead early. A beautiful move at speed from American Magic saw them take the lead just before the upwind mark, and they narrowly held on to that lead until the fourth leg.
When Team NZ managed to snatch the lead back they were able to keep American Magic at bay in a race that turned into a battle of tactics and reading the conditions, with Team NZ winning by a flattering 29-second margin.
It was the best day of racing so far in the regatta and signalled the halfway point of the round-robin stage of the challenger series.
Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli remained unbeaten in races that count, battling for a win over Alinghi. For the Swiss, it was a positive sign as they got the start right and sailed their best race so far to push the Italians, but Luna Rossa showed their class in a 26-second win.
Ineos Britannia also continued their solid form, beating Orient Express by 16sec – overcoming two penalties in a tense match.
The teams will get a day off tomorrow – the first of the scheduled reserve days in the regatta – before returning to racing on Wednesday morning.
Day four results
Emirates Team New Zealand (NZ) beat Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Switzerland) by disqualification
Ineos Britannia (UK) beat Orient Express Racing Team (France) by 16sec
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italy) beat Alinghi Red Bull Racing by 26sec
