America's Cup - Emirates Team NZ wins Race 4 and leads World Series

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com on 30 Aug 2015 A little more breeze for the start of Race 2 of Day 2, of the America's Cup World Series, Gothenburg, with three boats tied on the top of the points table, ahead of the start of the double points scoring race.

The boats started on starboard before flipping onto port as one to head for the first mark. Artemis was not able to repeat their feat of the first race of the day - trailing the fleet after a bad start.

Oracle got her nose in front at the first mark with Team Japan 14 secs back followed by BAR, France and ETNZ.

The bulk of the fleet headed down the right hand side of the course with BAR breaking early to the left after being gassed just below the first mark after rounding.

Oracle put her stamp on the fleet in a repeat of the first two races of Day 1 rounding 19 secs ahead of Team Japan with Team NZ 39 secs behind the US team. Franck Gammas in Groupama rounded in fourth place. BAR rounded 93 secs behind Oracle, just ahead of Artemis

On Leg 3 the boats moved for the right hand side before coming over to the left taking a more central line to the next windward mark. Japan got into Oracle halfway up the beat coming across from the right hand side on starboard to put Oracle back into second.

Emirates Team NZ took the far right hand side of the course before tacking back and coming into Oracle on starboard. 'We're in trouble here' said Spithill as he tacked undernath

Barker did his old team a favour dumping on Oracle and allowing the Kiwis through on their hip.

Team NZ led around the Gate 3 by 2 secs from Team Japan with USA 13 secs back.

The Kiwis headed down the right hand side of the course looking for the same pressure that helped them on the previous beat.

The Kiwis sailed bravely in the light airs, taking risks , and for the most part they paid off, as the covered Oracle in third place, leading by 130 metres midway down the leg, sailing in 5.5kts of windspeed on Leg 4 of the six leg course.

The Kiwis led around the bottom Gate 4 and headed to the familiar right hand side of the course having built a lead of over a minute

Oracle made an unforced error on the line to the gate, having to put in an extra gybe, dropping to just over 1kts in the rounding and letting Team Japan through 71 secs astern with Oracle 86 secs behind the Kiwis.

Emirates Team New Zealand had to sail their own race, chasing the pressure to get up the track as quickly as possible and avoid getting in the same situation as Oracle did before them on the previous leg.

Burling tack as soon as his green light came on approaching the left hand boundary, and headed back to the mark 130 metres ahead of Japan and sailing at speeds of 9-10kts - almost double the windspeed on Leg 5.

Emirates Team NZ were forced to tack around Gate 5 to get back to their favoured right hand side of the course in the dying breeze. Barker called for a 'Tack Set' aboard team japan, same as the Kiwis had done before him, rounding 57 secs behind the Kiwis.

Team France came through 100 secs behind, followed by Oracle 131 secs back who opted for the right hand side of the course hoping for more pressure to get through the New Zealanders and take the series.

With his green light flashing Burling gybed on the boundary, followed by Team Japan, with Oracle splitting and hoping for the big puff to get them out of jail, but at 450 metres behind the Kiwis it was a big ask as they all ran out of runway on the final leg.

Emirates Team NZ crossed the finish 45 secs ahead of Team Japan, with Groupama Team France in third.

The race for second in the series saw a fast finishing BAR roll up on Oracle with Spithill just staying between his man and the mark. 'That was brutal,' was Spithill's comment as he finished just ahead of his former team mate, in the battle for fourth and fifth place in the final race.

Emirates Team New Zealand have won the series, with Oracle Team USA in second followed by Land Rover BAR, Team Japan, Groupama and Artemis Racing.

Emirates Team NZ takes the overall America's Cup World Series lead, The next event takes place in Bermuda in October.