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The New Zealand team has come tantalizingly close to retaining the America’s Cup after an impressive comeback in race nine this afternoon, light winds ruined the opportunity to finish the series today.
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Luna Rossa chose to separate from the Kiwis and cost them the race. Source: 1 Sport
The drama continues on a seventh day of the race. Luna Rossa is likely to breathe a sigh of relief, the postponement of race ten until tomorrow will be a lifesaver for the Italian team to try to find a way back to the match and a way to overcome the speed of the New Zealand team’s Te Rehutai.
The kiwis looked flawless today, and will be looking to maintain that momentum when they return to the water tomorrow afternoon. Can they beat Luna Rossa and the wind conditions to retain the coveted Copa América? That is the question on everyone’s lips as a piece of history remains on the horizon.
Relive the live coverage of 1 NEWS from the sixth day of the 36th America’s Cup below. You can watch all the action live on TVNZ1 or OnDemand.
17:52 h: I spoke too soon! The race organizers have decided to abandon the second race of the day, determining that the wind has not changed enough to sustain the race. An embarrassment to Team NZ and Kiwi fans across the country and the world who stood on the edge of their seats ready to witness history. But unfortunately, we move on to another day of this incredible match.
5.50 pm: The teams are looking to prepare for the race and the wind has aligned with the course of the race. Great signs!
5.43 pm: Ah, but it was postponed ten minutes due to a slight change in the wind. Nail-biting stuff here. The race will start at 5:55 p.m., the last possible hour today.
Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa compete during the America’s Cup Source: Photosport
17:40 h: Five minutes now and the wind has dropped significantly, but remains above the minimum threshold of 6.5 knots. Currently, the breeze blows at 9.5 knots. A tough race here for both teams.
17:15 h: Ten minutes until race ten begins. All to do for Luna Rossa now. It is literally a life or death situation. They won’t be intimidated by Jimmy Spithill at the helm, but they will have to be flawless from now on if they are to have a chance to overcome the 6-3 deficit. For Team NZ, more of the same: don’t fix what’s not broken, as the saying goes.
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Fans have a panoramic view of the races. Source: 1 Sport
5.23 pm: Race 10 is scheduled to start in just over 20 minutes.
5.22 pm: Do you want to relive that fast-paced race? Read our career report here:
17:18 h: Team NZ skipper Peter Burling is not getting too far ahead and says he is ready to keep sailing “for as long as it takes”.
5.13 pm: What an epic race! It seemed like Jimmy Spithill and Luna Rossa had things under control, keeping the kiwis at bay on each brand’s spin. But Peter Burling got the perfect positioning of his boat during the final stages of the penultimate stage, taking a sharp turn to the right while the Italians opted to go left. In such a close race, that’s the difference.
5.10 pm: Peter Burling has done a masterclass here, the Kiwis are sailing to victory now, just a few hundred meters to go. And they have, they have won! It only takes one more victory to defend the Copa América!
17:27: The New Zealand team has taken the lead! The Kiwis have timed their career brilliantly, circling the finish line with a practical 18-second lead.
17:56 h: Luna Rossa attempts a cover move, but Team NZ immediately tacks out of the dirty air. Only 30 meters between teams.
This is the moment when Team NZ was about to roll at the beginning of the race:
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It’s another exciting day of racing between Luna Rossa and the Kiwis. Source: 1 Sport
5.02pm: It’s still anyone’s race at the bottom of the fourth mark, Just three seconds separate the two teams! Luna Rossa continues to lead.
16:48 h: The New Zealand team has closed the gap, but Luna Rossa still has the advantage, albeit a minor one. The New Zealand team continues to come back, showing their superior bounce speed, and Luna Rossa re-enters defensive mode as they approach the third mark. Italians take a strait nine seconds ahead at the midpoint of the race.
4:53 pm: The race to get through the second gate has started. Luna Rossa blocks the kiwis, not allowing them to jibe through the door until they do it themselves. The Italians extend their lead to 200 meters as the teams advance on the second upwind stage. The kiwis have a huge tack and they almost fell off!
4.50 pm: The leadership changes again, Luna Rossa regains the advantage, but just barely. There is absolutely nothing in it!
4:49 pm: Incredibly close to the top of the first mark, the difference simply one second! The New Zealand team shows superior speed around the mark and regains the lead.
4:47 pm: It’s tight as the two teams compete in the first leg, nothing in it as the NZ team does their best to keep the lead. But Luna Rossa passes them! The NZ team is forced to veer, landing briefly. Great tactics deployed by Luna Rossa.
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It’s another ding dong battle in the America’s Cup. Source: 1 Sport
4.43 pm: The NZ team enters the starting box first, Luna Rossa decides to tack back at the edge of the field instead of cutting in front. The Italians push hard for the hook, but the New Zealand team seems to hold them back. Many tactics were played in the pre-start of the ninth race. It is Team NZ who wins the start!
4:42 pm: The ships are heading to the starting square. Here we go!
4.30 pm: The course moves about a degree (or approximately 300 m) to try to align with the direction of the wind. It looks like the wind is almost in line now, blowing at 13 knots. The new schedule for the first race has been announced as 4:45 p.m.
4.25 pm: The New Zealand sailor told TVNZ’s Jesse Tuke that conditions are likely to see more passes during today’s races – great news for fans.
16.20 h: Michael Jordan. Muhammad Ali. Lionel Messi. Roger Federer. Who is the GOAT? Well 1 NEWS reporter Laura James may have encountered the real GOAT, supporting Team NZ on the Auckland Viaduct. Read all about it here:
4.15pm: As predicted above, while there is a lot of breeze, it is currently moving in the wrong direction to run on Course C, hence the delay. Currently, the wind is from the west. Officials hope it will shift to the southwest so the races can begin.
4.05 pm: We are receiving news the first race has been delayed until 4.30 pm while race officials wait for the wind to change direction.
4 pm: Olympic legend Ian Ferguson, whose son Steven is part of the Team NZ team, told TVNZ reporter Kimberlee Downs that the team should fully focus on the race plan and block out all outside noise as they chase the story this afternoon.
3.50 pm: The news regarding the wind is that while there is a strong enough breeze to start, there may be a slight delay depending on which direction the wind is coming from.
3.30 pm: Both teams are on their foils in the warm-ups, a good sign that the races are likely to start.
3.25 pm: NIWA wind forecasts predict around seven to eight knots on the race course, which is exceeding the minimum limit of 6.5 knots required for the race to begin.
15:15 h: This 36th America’s Cup has been one of the most competitive in the competition’s 170-year history, with a 5-3 score second only to Oracle’s incredible 9-8 comeback victory in 2013.
The New Zealand team is looking to recreate scenes that have not been seen off New Zealand’s shores in more than two decades.
Since 2000, the New Zealand team did not win the coveted cup at home, when Russell Coutts led the team to a 5-0 sweep of Luna Rossa.
15:00 h: The New Zealand team is just two wins away from claiming the America’s Cup for the fourth time, with a 5-3 lead after an extraordinary day yesterday.
Whether they get those wins today depends on the weather, and it’s unclear if there will be enough wind for the race to start.
The organizers have selected Course C for today’s races, which means those on dry land will have excellent views of the action.
Race Director Iain Murray spoke to 1 NEWS earlier today and said: “It seems like all the meteorologists have agreed that we won’t see much (wind) until the southwest hits. Either at 4:00 pm. Or at 5:00 PM Or hopefully before 6 PM, we’ll go out and wait.
“Before that, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a navigable breeze from the north or northeast, where it’s quite unstable. So we’re going to settle for the southwest and go where it’s going to show up first, which is Course C. “
In case the races do not start before 5.15 pm, only one race can be held today.
