America’s Cup: Dean Barker sails through American Magic to beat Team NZ, and the Brits finally sail to get their campaign back on track

Kiwi captain Dean Barker had a great day on the water, beating the British America Cup challenger before taking on Team NZ and beating them in practice races.

All eyes were on the British from the start when they got their campaign back on track Tuesday, albeit at a slow pace, while the New Zealand defenders had a rough day.

After missing the first four days of practice, Sir Ben Ainslie’s Britannia finally made a start in the Hauraki Gulf during a session at Camp A again, off the East Coast area of ​​Auckland.

And they started, with Ainslie using her undoubted skills to outmaneuver Dean Barker on American Magic from the starting line in his official practice run.

But that was for the best with American Magic using superior speed to quickly overtake the British and see a comfortable victory.

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The Americans have looked solid during the training sessions, and they were clearly one click above INEOS Team UK.

They also proved too good for the New Zealand team at the end of the day in a result that will give hope to the challenging fleet.

Barker used his local knowledge to read a couple of wind changes and managed to retrieve one about his old Kiwi union in the tough conditions.

Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand had previously lined up against record challenger Luna Rossa in another practice pair after a couple of setbacks.

It was initially delayed by the mild winds that have hit Auckland for the past two days.

When she was finally summoned, Luna Rossa did not start and the race was abandoned.

But they met shortly after 5pm and the New Zealand team claimed victory.

December is the only month that the New Zealand team will compete against rivals before the America’s Cup match next March and the Kiwi champion team is determined to make the most of it.

After watching two races against the British come to nothing on Monday, claiming a win over the Italians was a pleasure.

But the loss to American Magic was a timely reminder before some official action: Match racing in changing conditions can be a dangerous business where speed can be negated by smart tactical decisions.

Tuesday was a historic day for the regatta. The Cup Village was officially opened and marked the end of the official practice sessions under the direction of Race Director Iain Murray.

The skippers face the media Wednesday morning ahead of Thursday’s first races in the world series and the Christmas Cup regatta that runs through Sunday.