America’s Cup: The Tightest Race So Far

It was the closest race so far. As Jimmy Spithill, co-helmsman of the Italians said yesterday: "It's only over when a team receives the trophy." For a long time, in the ninth clash between defender and challenger, it looked as if he would be right, as if the Italians would win this race and catch up to 4-5. But the weather gods were against them.

There were many key moments in this race, two of which showed very impressively what match racing means and why there is always a bit of luck involved in racing sailing.

Race 9 in the repetition

At first the start had to be postponed for half an hour because the wind was too light, but then it broke up and the race was kicked off at 12 to 13 knots.

At first both start almost perfectly, New Zealand on the lee side, Italy on the windward side. The Italians can hold on, although the New Zealanders put their high mode on the loft towards the left course limit in order to pinch off the Italians on the windward side, but this fails.

Photo gallery: See the course of the race in the photo gallery

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After the turnaround due to the course limit, the New Zealanders are on the windward side of the Italians, but this time with a little more distance to leeward, can hold out for a long time without sagging under the Italians. However, it does not reach the right course limit, that would give them a chance given to subdue the Italians. So they have to turn away beforehand, which gives the opponent the chance to sail a little further and then complete the swing to the left in the open wind. You can even touch the windward gate, which gives you the decisive advantage on this first upwind course: one less turn than the New Zealanders and right of way at the gate.

Both go around different marks of the gate, the Italians to the left, the New Zealanders to the right, only a second back. Neither team will be more than nine seconds behind until after the fourth leg of the track.

The New Zealanders have better wind at first, after the jibe of both teams they pass with right of way in front of the bow of the Italians.

But then the Italians have better speed and in turn pass the New Zealanders at the next meeting, jibe ahead of them in lee. The New Zealanders for their part could now jibe immediately to go on an opposite course to the Italians. However, that would mean a jibe more to the Leetor, and they also come rushing in from behind with a clear excess of speed.

They decide on the windward position to the Italians, probably speculating on the fact that they might still be able to overrun it on the windward side. It's crystal clear. When reaching the lay line, the Italians can keep the overlap leeward, blocking the New Zealanders' way to the Leetor.

And they don't jibe, but rather sail over the lay line. The New Zealanders have no choice but to go with them.

The New Zealanders have to sail the longer way, the outer curve, in addition, after the jibe, the course to the Leetor has become so sharp that they can only follow the Italians.

These round the left mark of the gate, and the New Zealanders also have to take them, because a power jibe around the right barrel would be too risky on this sharp course, it would cost too much speed.

After the rounding, the New Zealanders roll straight into a power turn to escape the control of the Italians, which costs them a lot of speed. A marginal residue immediately becomes around 100 meters. A classic match race maneuver, perfectly executed by the helmsmen of the Italians, Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni.

But the New Zealanders strike back. The first time they meet, the Italians turn on the windward side of them, the New Zealanders can pull out to the leeward side, and around 1100 meters from the windward gate both are level.

But the Italians can stay on the windward side, for the New Zealanders the left course limit comes too early, they have to turn around, the Italians go with them and take control again.

They defend their narrow lead from the wind and can even pull away up to 200 meters. But the New Zealanders catch up on the stroke directly to the Leetor, both rounding the brands just two seconds apart, the Italians on the right, the New Zealanders on the left. It's kind of like a reboot.

The race decision is made on this close-hauled course, about 1,300 meters from the windward gate. The Italians come with a narrow margin from the left, the New Zealanders from the right. The Italians put a windward turn ahead of the New Zealanders, so that they lie directly in their downdrafts. There is no other choice but to turn it away - that too is a classic sailing maneuver. The Italians, who previously made up some ground on the left, continue to bet on this side and do not want the New Zealanders to turn to the left; hence their maneuver forcing the New Zealanders to the right. Alternatives would have been to sail to the right without turning, then they would have left the left side to the New Zealanders. Or they could have turned abeam the New Zealanders on the windward side, which would have left this free wind, at the same time the race control would have remained with the Italians. Then both would have sailed parallel to each other to the left.

In retrospect, both alternatives would have been better, but afterwards you are always smarter.

Exactly at the moment when both have to turn at the course barriers, the wind turns to the right. The gods are with the New Zealanders, an "Aaaach …" can clearly be heard from Jimmy Spithill. The New Zealanders turn a gap of around 60 meters into a lead of almost 200 meters at the windward gate in seconds. The race is decided.

The second race of the day is canceled and postponed due to unstable winds.

The New Zealanders now have one hand on the silver can, are just one victory away from successfully defending the cup. For the Italians, every race is now a final run. Good wind with around 15 knots is predicted for tomorrow, the decision in the 36th America’s Cup could be made tomorrow.