America's Cup - Emirates Team NZ on Match Point in Challenger Final

by Richard Gladwell Sail-World.com/nz on 11 Jun 2017 Emirates Team New Zealand is just one race away from winning the Louis Vuitton Trophy and going forward as the Challenger to meet Oracle Team USA in the America's Cup Match starting on June 17.

However it was not all plain sailing for the Kiwis as rival Artemis Racing (SWE) picked the weather right and her board selection was spot on as the wind cracked in at around 17kts, when most had been expecting a lot less. Emirates Team NZ was wearing what are allegedly her lighter air daggerboards.

The start of the first race was called as even, although Artemis Racing skipper Nathan Outteridge claimed at the post-match media conference that they had won the last six starts.

Helmsman of Emirates Team New Zealand, Peter Burling's response was that their objective was to get to Mark 2 at the end of the first two legs in good shape and then start attacking on the wind.

That is basically how all three races played out.

The problem for the Kiwis being that they were unable to break through the Swede's cover in the first race and the Outteridge and his crew slowly extended all the way around the three lap course.

However the Kiwis were able to soften up Artemis Racing by engaging in tacking duels on the windward beats, with Emirates Team NZ using their cyclors power to try and engage - but Artemis was having none of it and kept a loose cover only.

In the second and third races, both boats appeared to suffer hydraulic issues, with the Swedes admitting to a button that had leaked water during the heavy rain earlier in the day and it kept engaging at all the wrong moments.



Emirates Team NZ had support crew aboard between the first two races working in the wingsail trimmer's cockpit.

In Races 2 and 3 Emirates Team, New Zealand looked set for easy wins after getting control in the first beat, on Leg 3.

Artemis Racing gave up in Race 2 preferring to resolve their electrical issues for the final race.

In Race 3, Emirates Team New Zealand looked to have a comfortable lead but claimed they misjudged a gybe angle, going around the final Mark 6, letting Artemis Racing have a sniff of victory. But the Kiwis recovered to hold a fast finishing Artemis out by just 1.3secs and went 4-2 in the series which is first to win five races.

At the media conference, Peter Burling explained this away as getting the layline angle wrong.

The wind direction today was from the SE - a first time for this regatta and the course orientation was different and angles to the finish line different than from the more common directions of wind.

Today for the first time in the regatta, Emirates Team New Zealand seemed to have a game plan and stuck to it.

Regardless of what commentators in New Zealand think of Emirates Team NZ's starts, getting time and distance right is a very fine judgement call, and a second late is way less expensive than a second early. The penalties for early start have dropped right off - while they were common in the earlier Round Robins.

The violent boat on boat aggression which were a feature of some team's starting style are gone from this phase of the regatta - and the starts are fast and close.

As Peter Burling explained at tonight's media conference the team strategy is to be in contact at Mark 2, and then begin to attack on the beat, and using the speed advantage Emirates Team New Zealand seems to enjoy.

It is now apparent that while the brain might be willing, the arm-grinders on the other boats are not physically able to match a close tacking duel with the cyclors.

Emirates Team New Zealand's are really to get in front and hope they can stay there. Occasionally this strategy will win a race - but it is becoming increasingly difficult as the Kiwis can just tack away with minimal speed loss, and keep throwing in foiling tacks until the cover has been broken.

Today, for the second time in this regatta, Artemis Racing let Emirates Team New Zealand off the hook and given slightly different circumstances it could well have been the Kiwis on two wins and Artemis on four. But there is luck in sailing, and Peter Burling seems to be a lucky sailor. Artemis, on the other hand, have a string of 'if only' situations where the game has just not gone their way - including an umpire call that was reversed two hours after being made.

Lighter winds are forecast for the final day tomorrow.