For Emirates Team New Zealand, the sailors returned to port with regrets over small mistakes and their inability to capitalize on their positional advantages, particularly before the start. After a thorough debriefing session, the Kiwis are expected to return today ready to fight.
Fans from across the UK and New Zealand flocked to the city, creating a veritable explosion of colour, fun and excitement at what is one of the greatest sporting spectacles in the world. The 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup is far from over, and the competition is on for a duel under the sun that could go all the way.
Course 7
INEOS Britannia (IB) is on the port side entry for Race 7, with a wind of 11 to 13 knots coming from the northwest, off the Barcelona seafront. IB enters the pre-start zone at 2 minutes and 10 seconds and crosses paths with Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), who arrive at high speed. The two boats circle before IB breaks contact first, then initiates another loop to position itself in ETNZ’s wake. The latter goes to the right, before IB turns and takes the lead for a better start, faster downwind. ETNZ positions itself upwind and quickly picks up speed. At their first crossing, ETNZ moved clearly ahead and immediately veered into IB’s line, forcing them to change direction. ETNZ is moving to the right.
IB is losing ground on the left, while a significant wind shift allows ETNZ to widen the gap on the right before turning to the limit of the course. ETNZ stays on the right and continues to tack following the limits, while IB still tries to play left and aim for the port layline. IB recovers a little ground thanks to a change in the wind to the right, but ETNZ arrives in a favorable position, skirting the starboard layline and gybing immediately after crossing the port mark, thus covering IB, who rounds the starboard mark with 12 seconds late.
Both boats continue their downwind descent on a long starboard jibe along the left boundary of the course. IB is the first to jibe out of bounds, immediately covered by ETNZ which positions itself downwind. ETNZ gybes first to return to starboard, IB reacts and the two boats continue their descent on the starboard layline, with ETNZ widening a gap of up to 290 meters. ETNZ gybed at the leeward gate and took the starboard mark while IB crossed the port mark 13 seconds behind.
ETNZ turns after a short climb to cover IB, who is heading towards the right boundary. IB turns before reaching the limit, while ETNZ continues on the right. The wind is currently stronger to the right, and IB turns to take advantage of it before heading back to starboard at the limit – but the wind is very irregular and unstable. ETNZ remains in the middle of the course after turning right, with both boats now racing in the middle of the course, each watching out for areas of lighter wind at the top of the course.
At the second windward gate, ETNZ turns onto the port layline and goes around the starboard mark to turn left for the descent. IB veered around the port mark and initially headed right, before being covered by ETNZ as they went down the course. IB turns before the right limit and continues on a long port jibe, immediately covered downwind by ETNZ, which remains in phase with around 395 meters in advance.
At the second leeward gate, ETNZ arrives on the starboard layline, performs a fluid jibe and rounds the port mark on a foil to go up to the right on the third climb. IB arrives on the port layline and takes the starboard mark 29 seconds late, heading towards the left limit. ETNZ veers off the right boundary and covers IB, now 540 meters behind.
ETNZ plays with the wind shifts and pressure during this last climb, preferring to sail in the center of the course, before heading towards the pressure on the right at the top of the course. IB can’t do much, ETNZ is fast and smooth today. No missteps as you approach the last windward gate. ETNZ tacks out of the right boundary, before tacking on the port layline to round the starboard mark, reaching 49 knots on the jibe to head left first. A skillful jibe brought ETNZ back on course to starboard while IB rounded the port mark, 53 seconds behind.
IB suffered a slight stall before its first jibe, approaching the right boundary, but ETNZ was now in the lead with a lead of over 1100 meters, covering on a long port jibe towards the left of the course. A final jibe for ETNZ which leaves the left limit on the port layline and heads straight towards the line, rounding the finish line in flight on two foils for a victory with 1 minute and 13 seconds in advance. The score is now 5-2 in the 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup, and Emirates Team New Zealand only needs two points to claim victory.
Emirates Team New Zealand beat INEOS Britain (73 seconds)
Course 8
ETNZ enters from the port side with a wind of around 11 knots on the course, while at the windward gate gusts reach up to 17 knots. ETNZ quickly arrives at 40 knots and makes a clean crossing. IB gybes after the entry and the two boats head towards the right limit. ETNZ bears down at the limit, gybes and comes back up. IB turns and bears away, but ETNZ maintains a leeward position, with a speed a few knots higher. IB veers first to the right and ETNZ continues to the left limit, benefiting from good pressure, before returning to the right.
ETNZ returns to cross the course as IB veers to the right limit. At the first cross, ETNZ is clearly in the lead and heading towards more pressure in the right quadrant. ETNZ opts not to cover, leaving IB in a good left breeze. The boats find themselves on opposite boundaries, IB on the left and ETNZ on the right, approaching the first gate. ETNZ tacks onto the port layline and bears down to the starboard mark with 15 seconds to spare, before descending along the left boundary.
IB encountered a problem at the start of the descent and found himself briefly with both foils in the water before gybing at the left limit. ETNZ, now sailing at more than 42 knots, is widening the gap. They jibe to port halfway, with a gap of more than 450 meters. They then jibe again in the middle of the course to cover IB. At the leeward gate, ETNZ rounds the port mark and heads to the right. IB takes the starboard mark 25 seconds late and heads left during the second climb.
IB veered to the left boundary but saw ETNZ, sailing to starboard about 460 meters ahead, before the latter veered to cover them and brought them to the right of the course. ETNZ is in total control and veers to the right limit for the final approaches to the second windward gate. They skillfully maneuvered to keep a slight leeward list in the troughs and rounded the port mark with 41 seconds to spare, before immediately gybing to cover IB, who had rounded the starboard mark and headed towards the left boundary to the descent.
The two boats jibe at the left limit and go on a long starboard jibe. ETNZ gybes on the starboard layline and goes around the port mark to go up to the right during the third climb, with a lead reduced to 36 seconds. IB does the same and follows ETNZ to the right.
No overtaking path is available upstream during this fifth stage of the eight on the course, because ETNZ exploits the right and lets IB try the move on the left. This bet pays off little for IB, but ETNZ turns to the starboard mark and bears down to go left. IB tacked to the port mark 23 seconds behind and initially headed to the right, then gybing to be covered by ETNZ, who in turn gybed to starboard on IB’s line with over 550 meters in advance.
Further along the course, ETNZ gybed to cover IB and continued on a long port jibe towards the left limit, with a lead of more than 1000 meters. ETNZ gybed at the left limit, on the port layline towards the finish line, and came down at an angle to cross the line, bringing the score for the 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup to 6-2. The final delta is 55 seconds.
Emirates Team New Zealand beat INEOS Britain (55 seconds)
Result: 6-2 for Emirates Team New Zealand. Next (and maybe last) races on October 19!
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