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ANALYSIS: It doesn’t end until it ends on these America’s Cup boats as excitement and spillage nearly dominated their second day of racing.
Friday’s action in the World Series and Christmas Cup regatta produced several heart-pounding moments and that is expected to continue as the planet’s best sailors fight to contain these radical boats.
Teams can’t take their eyes off the game and spectators can’t afford to look away from the screen because things can change in an instant.
COR 36 | Borlenghi study
Team INEOS from the UK and team from New Zealand up close on day two of the America’s Cup world series.
This is really sailing to the limit. They have compared it to sailing on an ice rink and that is becoming more and more obvious.
READ MORE:
* America’s Cup: New Zealand team responds to British for complaint about foil system
America’s Cup: Sir Ben Ainslie points the finger at the New Zealand team for their problems.
* America’s Cup: American Magic survives on the verge of capsizing when Jimmy Spithill’s Luna Rossa takes full advantage
Dean Barker nearly capsized the American Magic Patriot when they flew a tack into the wind, Emirates Team New Zealand was heading for something similar when they went overboard in a jibe downwind.
TVNZ
Team NZ packs a punch with a faulty jibe, but outperforms team INEOS from the UK.
Peter Burling almost hit a marker buoy too, his foil coming dangerously close. These markers are made of fiberglass, not filled with air. They are big and heavy and will cause more damage than they take.
Both men at the wheel managed to regain control.
1 NEWS
After a war of words, the Kiwis had too much pace for Ben Ainslie’s outfit.
However, Barker’s mistake was costly, giving Luna Rossa an advantage that they were unable to regain despite a decent fight.
Burling’s mistakes had little to do with his imposing victory over a much more stable INEOS Team UK. But the Kiwi near misses were another reminder that nothing can be taken for granted in this blazing-fast game.
Any of Team New Zealand’s setbacks in a pressure setting could have been fatal in terms of race result.
The hot story Thursday was about the mechanical problems with these boats and all the challengers complained about the sticky foil cantilever system that raises and lowers the heavy foil arms protruding dangerously from the side of the boat.
Friday’s problems were more about human error and included Jimmy Spithill receiving three penalties for starting box errors.
Barker was also guilty of that.
Ricky Wilson / Stuff
INEOS Team UK held the initial lead over Team NZ in the final race on Day 2.
Sir Ben Ainslie also struggled in that area, although his mistake against Burling in their first meeting on a passionate day did not attract the attention of the referees, it only gave the New Zealand team an instant advantage.
Judging time and distances is difficult for the helmsman and those who accompany them.
STUFF
Luna Rossa’s Jimmy Spithill talks about closed races at AC75
It is simply the high speed of these machines that we still struggle to get used to.
The coordination required to synchronize the multitude of buttons that control these ships would put the best players in the world to the test.
This is truly Formula One on the water and that is a sport where mistakes are brutal.
We saw the consequences of speed in San Francisco and Bermuda. This is the next level.
Something big seems more and more likely to happen in the water this summer. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.
RESULTS OF FRIDAY’S CUP OF AMERICA
Race 1: Luna Rossa b American Magic by 12s
Race 2: Team NZ b Team INEOS UK for 1m 32s
Race 3: American Magic b Luna Rossa for 30s
Race 4: Team NZ b Ineos Team UK for 1m 42s
