America's Cup: 'Writing on the wall' for Oracle Team USA - sailing expert

A sailing writer says the "writing is on the wall" for Oracle Team USA and predicts Jimmy Spithill's team won't be able to deny Team New Zealand claiming the America's Cup once again.

Oracle Team USA trail Emirates Team New Zealand 3-0 in the first-to-seven points series as racing takes a break until Sunday.

Both teams stated after race four on Monday they'd be working non-stop during the five-day break to make their boats faster.

Peter Burling and Team New Zealand dominated their American rivals in the opening four races to hold a distinct advantage heading into the final part of the series.

Sail-World.com writer Mark Jardine predicts there is too big a gap for Oracle Team USA to close before racing resumes again.

In a piece titled "Kiwi America's Cup domination - What can Oracle Team USA do about it?" Jardine, a European Champion in the Farr 30 & J/24 class, says Oracle Team USA won't be able to replicate Team New Zealand's cyclors, which are "clearly working well".

He also says that if the American team were able to match Team New Zealand's superior foil design "it would be a major feat of engineering in a very short timescale".

And the good news for Team New Zealand fans is that Jardine doesn't think a repeat of 2013, when Spithill and Oracle Team USA came back from 8-1 down to defeat Team New Zealand, is on the cards - mainly because of Team New Zealand have kept their cards close to their chest.

According to Jardine, Emirates Team New Zealand's ability to keep their innovation and design secret up until now as left too little time for Oracle Team USA to adapt.

"Overall the Kiwis have taken a different approach to the other teams on a number of key aspects and it's proving to be a better all-round package. As with the 34th America's Cup - when Emirates Team New Zealand were the team that worked out the AC72 could be a foiler - they have again proved to be great innovators. The difference this time is they managed to keep their cards close to their chest and the other teams haven't had the time to play catch-up," Jardine writes.

"Oracle Team USA have shown bursts of speed, but it has been erratic and they just don't seem to have the same level of control as Emirates Team New Zealand. With the 'conventional' setup the majority of the sailing skill falls on the shoulders of Jimmy Spithill and it is quite possibly too much for one man to do, whatever their credentials."

"Overall I feel that the writing's on the wall for this America's Cup and I just don't think the American team will be able to replicate the great comeback of 2013. Racing starts again on Saturday 24th June with two races a day. With the way things are going the Kiwis may well have wrapped up the event by Sunday night."