Two challengers for the 34th America's Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa, had several practice racing sessions off Takapuna Beach, in a fresh offshore breeze, on March 8.
This video picks the boats up from before the start, follows through a short prestart sequence, then than takes in the first reach, the mark rounding and then the first downwind leg until Emirates Team New Zealand gybed off.
Sail-World's NZ and America's Cup Editor captured the action from a camera position in the carpark at the end of Takapuna Reef, which extends about 150 metres from the shoreline.
Apologies for the jerkiness of the camera swiveling at the start of the video - operator error - it settles down for the start.
This video is largely unedited, save for three seconds in over six minutes - for operator error. There is no audio track, due to wind noise and spectator conversations.
High Res (1080HD) now posted below. Two more videos from the afternoon will be available next week.
Wind readings at the time of the video were in excess of 20kts average and gust of 30kts had been recorded earlier in the afternoon.
The charts below are from the Observations feature of PredictWind.com which allows access to real time wind average wind, peak wind gust and direction from 15,000 weather stations around the world.
PredictWind Location of Weather stations - Tiritiri is at the top reading 22kts (average), Bean Rock is at the bottom reading 22kts (average). The AC72s raced off Takapuna Beach opposite the inland lake. From Takapuna Beach they sailed on starboard into the Channel before turning downwind and heading in the direction of Tiritiri. The red and white striped lighthouse that the boats sail past is at the nearest point of Rangitoto to Takapuna. - PredictWind.com
PredictWind Live observations readings shot at 1830hrs NZT, showing wind direction and strength for the past 48 hours at Tiritiri Island to the north of the practice racing area. This station is a hundred metres above seal level and reads 5kts higher than sea level. It shows the sharp increase in windstrength as the SW breeze arrived. - PredictWind.com
PredictWind Live observations readings shot at 1830hrs NZT, showing wind direction and strength for the past 48 hours at Bean Rock to the south of the practice racing area. This station in a wind funnel for the inner Waitemata harbour. Conditions immediately off Takapuna are lighter, but the strength is probably accurate for the downwind section of the practice session. It shows the sharp increase in windstrength as the SW breeze arrived. - PredictWind.com
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