America´s Cup 2013 - Emirates Team NZ takes impressive first race win

by Sail-world.com on 8 Sep 2013 America´s Cup 2013 Race 1

Oracle a little slow at the start, suffering in the current, Emirates Team NZ nailed the entry, won first cross, then second, smooth crew work from the Kiwis,Emirates lead at top mark.

Better crew work on Emirates generally, they made one error at the bottom mark, let USA back into the race briefly but they took the lead back again.

Better tacking on the NZ boat, gaining every time and stretched away to an impressive lead. Delta 36 seconds at the finish line.

Dean Barker 'Nice to get the first race under our belts, its only going to get harder. `'

A long way to go in the 17 race series.

Race 1 Performance Data

Course: 5 Legs/9.71 nautical miles
Elapsed Time: ETNZ – 23:30, OTUSA – 24:06
Delta: ETNZ +:36
Total distance sailed: ETNZ – 11.7 NM, OTUSA – 11.4 NM
Average Speed: ETNZ – 30.07 knots (35 mph), OTUSA – 28.58 knots (33 mph)
Top Speed: ETNZ – 43.54 knots (50 mph), OTUSA – 42.51 knots (49 mph)
Windspeed: Average – 16 knots, Peak – 21 knots