America's Cup - Oracle dominates Race 2 and takes lead in World Series

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com on 29 Aug 2015 Oracle Team USA made no race of it in Race 2 of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series, Gothenburg. The America's cup Defender again led around every mark on the ten leg course, and won all 20 legs sailed in racing on Day 1, in an absolutely dominating display of sailing.

Oracle Team USA now take the lead in the America's cup World series, with land Rover BAR in second and Emirates Team NZ third.

Race 2 of the America's Cup World series Gothenburg got underway in a slightly increased wind speed of 13-18kts.

The teams were stil, setting up 20 secs from the start - with Softbank in irons . Groupama to weather Oracle again in the middle position right on the line and had a useful lead at the first mark, with BAR in second and Groupama in third, and ETNZ fourth.
Margins 3 secs, 10 secs and 15secs at Mark 1.

At Gate 2 Oracle and BAR slowed dramatically with with ETNZ having to drop off from BAR and was forced to drop off toe leeward to escape the bad air from BAR ETNZ and BAR headed for the right hand side of the course with Oracle going for the left hand side on Leg 3. Oracle gained in the left hand shift to cross BAR and ETNZ coming in on starboard.

ETNZ tacked on the boundary and were briefly shown as being ahead of Oracle, but at the top Oracle lead at gate 3 with BAR and ETNZ both rounding 15secs behind with ETNZ splitting from the other two. The move gave ETNZ seocnd place ahead of Ainslie in BAR. At Gate 4 ETNZ rounded 13 secs behind Oracle with BAR 36 secs astern. Both ETNZ and Oracle headed for the left hand side of the course after making an approach on starboard.

Upwind margins were ETNZ 78metres behind with BAR 138metres astern on leg 5 of the ten leg course.

At gate 5, at the end of the beat, Oracle lead ETNZ by 24 secs, an 11 second gain with BAR 41 secs back. Ainslie split on leg 6 as the boats sailed at speeds of 20kts downwind, while BAR was hitting 23kts on the other side of the course. Oracle dropped off the foils on the gybe. ETNZ made a mess of the gybe, and dropped a place to BAR who came through fast with the Code Zero flying.

ETNZ split at the bottom mark heading off to the right hand side of the course while Oracle and BAR took the left hand side, tacking well before the rock pile close to the boundary.

Oracle cut very close to the rock pile on Leg 7 picking up a nice puff, and then tacked from the left hand side to try and close with BAR, on the other side of the course. Oracle proved to have made a big gain from the left hand side and were 40 secs ahead of BAR who dropped time from ETNZ who were 4 secs back. Both BAR and ETNZ went down the right hand side of the course (looking upwind) while Oracle too the left on Leg 8.

Oracle splashed around the Mark 8 and headed for the left hand side again. ETNZ got through BAR on the downwind leg to round 32 secs behind Oracle with BAR 10 secs further back.

All boats headed for the left before tacking back on Leg 9. ETNZ crossed ahead of BAR midway up the leg as Ainslie tacked and went for the favoured left hand side. Oracle sailed their own race with tye comfort of a good lead and just over a leg left to sail.

Wind eased to 9kts bringing the Code Zeros into play on the downwind Leg 10.

ETNZ tacked in fron of BAR at the top mark with BAR rounding just 4 secs behind the Kiwis who trailed Oracle by over 50 secs going into the final leg.

Emirates Team NZ did not have their Code Zero set up, wit BAR setting hers and the Brits were able to sail over the top of the Kiwis, who were slower in the lighter wind and well below the crossover for the Code Zero.

Oracle Team USA won the 27 minute race. At the finish BAR was 50 secs behind Oracle with ETNZ being recorded at 64 secs astern after a very slow gybe just before the finish.