America's Cup Replay - Burling gets into gear on Day 2

by Richard Gladwell 28 May 2018 18:07 PDT 29 May 2018

Today, May 28 marks the second day of racing in the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda. To commemorate the win by Emirates Team New Zealand, Sail-World will re-run the daily content, from a variety of sources, unaltered. Emirates Team New Zealand are producing their own daily video clip, which forms part of our coverage. Sadly, 12 months later all video and still coverage from the official website, Youtube channel and image library remain inaccessible to America's Cup fans.

Those who have followed Peter Burling's international sailing career will be aware that he often has an unspectacular opening day, seems to re-focus overnight, and comes out with all guns blazing from the second day.

That was certainly the case on Day 2 of the 35th America's Cup Regatta as he helmed his team to two come from behind wins.

Today six races were sailed in an extended program as organisers tried to catch up for the lost first day of the Qualifiers Round Robin 1.

The drama of yesterday proved to be something of an anti-climax this morning with the news that both AC50's damaged in yesterday's collision between Land Rover BAR and Softbank Team Japan would be sailing in their races as planned.

In fact, it transpired that Softbank Team Japan did not regard their damage as sufficient to lodge a request for a rest day to properly repair their damage.

The British, who were at fault in the incident had a much more serious situation, and the repair effected overnight by the British shore team, is a remarkable story. Other than paying a very sincere tribute to the LRBAR Shore team for their time, skill and application team boss Ben Ainslie didn't elaborate on the extent of the damage.

It is difficult to believe that even someone of Ben Ainslie's abilities could not have been slightly affected by the incident, and that appeared to be the case, as the British initially led both their races, only to drop the ball and allow Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand to stage come from behind wins, in Races 8 and 11.

Many, in fact, all but the French, had written off the French.

Groupama Team France provided a massive surprise in the opening race of the day by leading one of the series favourites, Artemis Racing at the first mark and led the Swedes around the course by a narrow margin in the 10-11kt breeze.

Quite what prompted Franck Cammas to pull the rabbit of the hat today, was not explained at the media conference. But the French now have their confidence up, and it will be interesting to see whether this was a fluke win or the start of something much more significant.

For Artemis Racing it was a significant loss of a point which the other teams have almost put on the scoresheet before starting. It means they have to beat one of the more consistent teams just to get back to even.

The breeze was forecast to increase as the day progressed and at the start of Race 2, it was gusting to 13kts, but averaging 10kts.

That was probably an indicator of what was happening on the race course and certainly proved to be the case in next two wins.

The British started well getting a useful jump on Oracle Team USA.

But this was a day for good boat positioning on the course and consistent sailing rather than having a speed edge or some other gimmick.

Oracle Team USA's Jimmy Spithill simply sailed very well to pass the Brits by Mark 3, rounding with an 8-second lead. However, for a reason that was not apparent to those on the course, the British had a spectacular nosedive while sailing downwind, and did not even have the excuse they were preparing for a gybe.

In photos taken just before the incident the windward rudder is completely clear of the water, and it may well be that the AC50 overbalanced and did a serious nosedive, coming almost to a complete stop as she emerged and recovered, stretching Oracle's lead to over 30 seconds - which remained at that level to the finish.

The third race - Race 9 was another 'grudge' match involving Emirates Team New Zealand with their former skipper Dean Barker, pitching against his replacement Peter Burling.

Barker as the more experienced match racer got the early advantage at the start, and Burling then started to try and grind Barker down.

However Softbank Team Japan had good pace, and Barker managed to split the Kiwis off to the left-hand side of the course on the first beat, and as they progressed, it was clear the right was favoured probably with both a favourable shift and pressure.

Japan extended on the run and led by 12 seconds. However, Burling managed to split tacks with his predecessor and surprisingly was allowed to take the previously favoured right-hand side. To the surprise of no-one, it yielded the same dividend that it had on the previous leg, and Burling was able to turn a 12-second deficit into an 18second lead at the top - a delta of 30 seconds for the leg - which increased slightly to 33 seconds at the finish.

After a vigorous pre-start to Race 10, Artemis Racing led Oracle Team USA at the first mark by a 4sec margin, which they held around the course as the wind eased to be consistently below 10kts for the race. Mid-race Artemis was able to extend to be 23seconds ahead at Mark 4 and held on for a comfortable win - and handed Oracle their first defeat in the series.

The Swedish team finish the day with an unexpected loss and an unexpected win - to end the day all square.

Emirates Team New Zealand incurred a penalty for early entry into the starting box in Race 11, handing Land Rover BAR a 4sec lead at Mark 1, with the breeze flicking back up to 11kts. However, on the run Burling eased through the British to hold a narrow 2 sec led at Mark 2, extending that to 8 secs on the beat. The Brits managed to concede a massive 40 seconds on the run - which they extended 88 secs at the finish.

On the course, the British fans assumed that Ainslie was having issues with his overnight repair, a claim he denied at the later Media Conference instead putting his losses on the day down to boat handling errors and mistakes around the course.

The final Race of the day, Race 12 was an interesting duel by the Defender Oracle Team USA and their partner, Softbank Team Japan.

In some ways it was a test of whether the Japanese team who have been on the improve in recent weeks may have gone past their development partner, but OTUSA had a massive 9.5 sec lead at Mark 1, and that was reduced to just 6 secs at Mark 2, but Spithill determined not to get another loss eased away to win by 54 sec.

Emirates Team New Zealand came away from the day with two wins from two races. Oracle Team USA had two wins from three races (they aren't scheduled to race tomorrow). Artemis Racing and Groupama Team France both had a win each. Land Rover BAR came away with no wins but holds up on the points table by virtue of the two points they earned as America's Cup World Series Champions.

While Emirates Team New Zealand might not have a speed edge, they certainly are consistently fast, and with smart sailing and good positioning on the course they were able to be the best performed on the day.

For a team that came into the series very short on hard racing experience, they are gaining with every race. Despite being the youngest helmsman of the six and in his first America's Cup campaign he appears very confident, but there is still a long way to go in this regatta, and life can change very quickly.

For the Preview of Day 2 click here

America's Cup Official Report Day 2 May 28, 2017 - The sun shines on Cammas and Burling in Bermuda

Day two of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers fell on America’s Cup Endeavour Day, a celebration of the America’s Cup Endeavour Program, the America’s Cup’s youth education and sailing initiative.

Six races were scheduled and the day started perfectly for Groupama Team France who clinched their first win of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers with a thrilling and morale-boosting three second victory over Artemis Racing in the first race of the day, race seven of Round Robin 1

Having suffered back-to-back defeats on the opening day of the competition, Franck Cammas’ team enjoyed the sweet taste of victory with a vastly improved performance over the hotly tipped Swedes.

Getting out of the start box ahead, the French team then looked to have thrown away their advantage, following a poor manoeuvre in the second leg which gifted the Swedish team the lead. However, refusing to let their heads drop, Groupama Team France responded in spectacular fashion, foiling smoothly to gain a 22 second lead at gate 3, then staying ahead at the next two gates.

However, a nosedive by the French team in the penultimate leg lead to a nervy conclusion as both teams raced for the finish line. However, despite Nathan Outteridge’s team chasing down their French rivals, Groupama Team France kept their nerve and clinched an impressive victory.

“It is a very good feeling for the whole team, we have been waiting two years for that feeling,” said Franck Cammas after his team’s victory in their only race of the day.

Race eight proved an intriguing battle between former teammates Jimmy Spithill and Sir Ben Ainslie as Oracle Team USA sealed a third successive win by beating Land Rover BAR.

It was the British team who started the stronger. Seizing the advantage out of the start box, they stayed ahead of their rivals until gate 3 when a big nosedive after the turn proved the decisive moment of the race, allowing Oracle Team USA to seizing the advantage.

It was a costly mistake that Land Rover BAR failed to recover from and the American team built up a 32 second lead by Gate 5 before heading home to cross the line 39 seconds ahead of their British rivals.

“We saw today how the conditions can make it easy to make mistakes out there,” said Oracle Team USA helmsman Jimmy Spithill, who wasn’t completely content despite claiming two victories from three races.

“We made too many mistakes really and you could see throughout the day that it’s about who could get off the line the quickest and get around with the least amount of mistakes.

“We set pretty high standards so we’re not satisfied. We’ll take the lessons we’ve learnt and move forward.”

Meanwhile, Land Rover BAR helmsman Sir Ben Ainslie took the opportunity to praise his shore team for getting Rita to the start line after their collision with SoftBank Team Japan on the opening day.

“It was an incredible effort from the shore team who worked tirelessly through the night to repair the damage and get us ready for today,” said Ainslie whose team suffered back-to-back defeats on day two.

“It is just a shame we couldn’t repay them in the races today. We just didn’t get it right and made too many mistakes but we’ll learn from it and move on.

“We’ll look at doing a bit more work on the boat tonight but I don’t think the damage affected our performance too much at all.”

Having endured mixed fortunes on the opening day, in which they won one race and lost the other, Emirates Team New Zealand started day two in spectacular fashion with a high-quality display to beat SoftBank Team Japan by 33 seconds in race nine.

However, they did not have it all their own way as they had to battle back from behind against Dean Barker’s team as SoftBank Team Japan gained the better momentum out of the start box, leading going into mark 1.

The Japanese team lost some of that momentum with a nosedive going into the third gate but they managed to recover brilliantly to build a 13 second advantage at gate 4.

However, the tides turned on the fifth leg, as Emirates Team New Zealand demonstrated the full speed of their pedal-powered grinding systems. Tacking and jibing incredibly smoothly, the Kiwis chased down their rivals before overhauling them heading for gate 5.

In the latter stages of the race they found themselves 11 seconds ahead, before racing for the finish line to claim a second victory in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers.

The variable winds over the Great Sound racecourse came to the fore in race 10, as Artemis Racing prevailed in a topsy-turvy battle against Oracle Team USA.

Having suffered a somewhat shock defeat to Groupama Team France in the first race of the day, the Swedish team enjoyed a flying start and maintained a healthy lead for the first three gates.

However, from leg five, the unpredictable nature of the conditions played a major role in the remainder of the race and the lead switched hands multiple times between the two teams.

But by the sixth and final gate, Artemis Racing enjoyed the advantage in the changing conditions finding themselves ahead before racing for the line and taking a welcome 39-second win.

“Today showed just how hard racing can be out there,” said Artemis Racing helmsman Nathan Outteridge.

“We had too many mistakes against the French team in our first race and made life hard for ourselves.

“However, I’m extremely proud of the way the whole team regrouped from that defeat and fixed everything in an almost perfect race against Oracle Team USA.”

Emirates Team New Zealand again demonstrated their speed in race 11, as they sealed a second successive victory on the day, brushing aside Land Rover BAR in devastating fashion.

The race had the worst possible start for helmsman Peter Burling, as the Kiwis were handed a penalty in the pre-start after they crossed the racecourse boundary mark. However, despite the lapse in concentration and having to start two boat lengths behind the British team, the incident didn’t prove disastrous as they bounced back spectacularly.

Cutting the deficit by just the second leg, Emirates Team New Zealand breezed past Land Rover BAR and were ahead by nine seconds at the third gate.

Sir Ben Ainslie’s team continued to struggle for pace and had no answer for the Kiwis’ speed as their lead reached 49 seconds by Gate 4.

Refusing to rest on their laurels, Emirates Team New Zealand eased over the finish line, one minute and 28 seconds ahead of Land Rover BAR to cap an impressive day on the water.

“We had a few tiny issues onboard and I misjudged the entry, but that happens,” said Burling on his pre-start error which led to a penalty.

“However, I see it as good practice on how to shake off a mistake and show how fast you can be when chasing.

“Obviously starting from behind is not ideal but overall I think we’re all happy with today’s results.”

Having suffered their first defeat of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers earlier in the day, Oracle Team USA responded brilliantly in the twelfth and final race of the afternoon, cruising to a comfortable win over SoftBank Team Japan.

Leading from the outset, Jimmy Spithill’s team controlled the race, maintaining a healthy lead throughout proceedings, before eventually crossing the finish line 54 seconds ahead of their rivals, capping off the day’s action in sensational style.

“We had a tough day out there today,” conceded SoftBank Team Japan helmsman Dean Barker.

“The boat seemed quick and I think we sailed okay but we got caught out by some needless mistakes which we need to address.

“We’ll look at those areas closely and come back fighting tomorrow.”

Sunday 28th May race results:

• Race 7: Groupama Team France beat Artemis Racing by 3 seconds

• Race 8: Oracle Team USA beat Land Rover BAR by 39 seconds

• Race 9: Emirates Team New Zealand beat SoftBank Team Japan by 33 seconds

• Race 10: Artemis Racing beat Oracle Team USA by 39 seconds

• Race 11: Emirates Team New Zealand beat Land Rover BAR by 1 minute and 28 seconds

• Race 12: Oracle Team USA beat SoftBank Team Japan by 54 seconds