New Zealand have completed a one-two finish at the Red Bull Youth America's Cup, with regatta favourite Peter Burling's NZL Sailing Team taking out the inaugural event over Full Metal Jacket Racing's Will Tiller.
Burling and his crew headed into the final day of racing with an 11-point lead over the fleet, but with the second of the two races carrying double points, there was still a chance they could have been overtaken. The NZL team, crewed by Blair Tuke, who won a silver medal with Burling in the 49er class at the London Olympics, Andy Maloney, Jason Saunders, Jono Spurdle, Guy Endean and Sam Meech, made a wobbly start to the day, finding themselves well back in the pack.
After getting away to a good start off the line, Burling dropped to dead last at one point after copping a penalty on the first run. But the resilient Kiwis chipped away to salvage a fourth place.
It was just as well they did, with the final race of the day cancelled after the wind picked up on San Francisco Bay.
Tiller, who finished fifth in race 7, just scraped into second, one point ahead of Cascais Sailing Team of Portugal.
