Races 7 and 8 will be remembered by Cup fans for a long time - especially number 8. Who would have ever thought that a race in which one team is already leading over 2500 meters could still be exciting?
It wasn't just the starts that were decisive for the outcome, both races were decided in their respective course, but in completely different ways. Both times the New Zealanders were in front of the finish line, now lead 5-3 against the Italians and need two more wins to defend the cup. For the first time, they were also able to convert their clear speed advantage on the course into a change in leadership.
Races 7 and 8 in the repetition
Race 7
The Italians start better in the windward direction of the New Zealanders. Peter Burling is a little early with the New Zealand boat, cannot drive full speed, would be too early at the leeward mark. Directly at the signal, the Italians are seven knots faster, the New Zealanders slide forward to windward until both are somewhat parallel.
The start of race 7: The Italians are faster
Burling luffs, like Jimmy Spithill before the Italians, to give them a penalty for evading too late or even to get them off the foils. But the Italians can assert themselves, the windward maneuver costs the New Zealanders speed, the Italians are ahead in windward direction. The turnaround that is now due due to the course limitation is cementing the event. The Italians can turn leeward ahead of the New Zealanders, they are only just above their wake and sink to leeward. It is actually a hopeless position.
After the fall of the Wall, the New Zealanders are almost in the wake of the Italians
But for the first time it becomes very clear that the New Zealanders have a speed advantage. They sail significantly deeper than the Italians, but also faster and can thus free themselves from their downdraft. As a result, they manage that the lag at the windward gate is only eight seconds.
The New Zealanders can't catch up on the downwind, but they don't lose either, passing the Leetor just ten seconds behind. The race decision is made there. The Italians ahead decide to round the left mark and sail to the left side of the course. The New Zealanders also turn left, but immediately roll into a turn and sail to the right. For the New Zealanders it is the logical attack maneuver. The Italians don't turn around immediately, it's the crucial mistake; retrospectively, they should have applied immediately. Perhaps they were too impressed by the speed of the New Zealanders from the close wind course and didn't want to risk them pulling out leeward and instead opting for a wind advantage.
The New Zealanders turn immediately at the Leetor, the Italians don't go
"In such situations, the decision is made based on what your own boat speed is and what the wind will do," said Italy's co-helmsman Jimmy Spithill. Apparently, his team speculated on a left-handed man, but that came later. "We'll take another look at the situation and learn from our mistakes."
Once escaped from the control of the Italians, the New Zealanders can use their speed advantage of almost two knots of wind, and they also have the luck of a slight wind shift to the right. At the next meeting they are just ahead, but now with a clear wind and freedom of choice and simply sail away from the Italians. Even before the wind they are around two knots faster, at the finish line 58 seconds ahead. It was a very impressive performance.
The New Zealanders can sail a lead on the right
Apparently, the fact that the New Zealanders had set a smaller headsail with the Genu3 than the Italians with the Genu1.5 contributed to the speed advantage. In the second half of the race this decision turned out to be correct in winds of up to about 12.13 knots, since the smaller sail creates less resistance with sufficient pressure.
The statistics of the 7th race: The New Zealanders were faster
Race 8
The Italians are under pressure. They stay with the large genoa, the New Zealanders with the smaller one. Apparently the weather advisors of both teams have different opinions about the wind development in the second day's race. The Italians should be right, from around ten knots at the start the wind will subside to just over six knots, which should cause a dramatic development. "It was the wrong sail for the second race," said New Zealand's foil controller Blair Tuke.
Jimmy Spithill explains the difficulty in deciding which sail to choose: "You can't wait until the start, you have to decide 15, at least ten minutes before the start. You look at how the wind will be on the first close-hauled course You can hardly see the future."
This time the New Zealanders start in the windward direction of the Italians, both at full speed and tied. Apparently the Italians wanted to start on the left to maintain the left side of the course, which should actually prove to be better. Immediately they engage their so-called high mode, with which they sail higher but also slower. The New Zealanders react immediately and turn away. When the Italians turn around shortly afterwards, they benefit from a left-handed maneuver and, despite a slight disadvantage in speed, can maintain the lead in the next encounter. They keep these up to the windward gate.
Start of the 8th race
The New Zealanders are turning away immediately
At the next turn, the Italians lead
The drama begins on the first downwind passage. The Italians apparently have a problem with the operation of the genoa, it cannot be potted properly. The New Zealanders come up. Both sail on starboard tack. The New Zealanders have to decide whether to sail upwind over the Italians or leeward through them. The windward option carries the risk of not getting free from the Italians up to the right course limit, one would be trapped. The way to leeward would be blocked by these, the course limitation would force you to jibe in their control.
The New Zealanders opt for a jibe on the stern of the Italians. But the wind has subsided, oscillating between just over six and eight knots, and they also have to jibe directly into the downdrafts of the Italians. The result: the boat falls off the foils. Not bad, you might think, but not with this wind. New Zealanders just can't get their boat out of the water. The Italians fly away, a little later almost lead one leg of the train. When the two boats meet again, the Italians are on the closewind course, the New Zealanders are still on the downwind course, but at least they are back on their foils. The Italians have a lead of 2500 meters, everything seems to be going well.
The jibes of the New Zealanders through the downdrafts of the Italians
The New Zealanders fall off the foils
Encounter: Italy on the closewind course, New Zealand still ahead of the wind
But anyone who went to brew their morning coffee by now has missed the best. In the last third of the second close-hauled course, this time the Italians fell off the foils after a turn. And just as before the distance meter for the Italians counted up at breakneck speed, the numbers are now tumbling again. The New Zealanders fly in from behind, past the Italians, who are still trying to get back into flight mode, crossing the course limits several times and getting penalties, are about to be disqualified.
Touchdown with the Italians
When asked about the so-called take-off behavior of the boats, i.e. which comes out of the water faster in these light wind conditions, Blair Tuke said: "We are very satisfied with our boat, especially when you consider that we had a smaller foresail. which was a clear disadvantage. " Francesco Bruni, co-helmsman of the Italians, adds: "I don't think there is much difference. We need about the same wind to get on the foils."
At the last Leetor, the New Zealanders are now leading with over 2500 meters
When the Italians finally fly again, the New Zealanders are leading at over 2000 meters. Nevertheless, it remains exciting until the finish line. Any turn that the New Zealanders still have to make can cause a so-called touchdown, which would put the Italians back in the game. At every turn you look intently at the speed information and the underside of the hull to see whether it is touching the water or not. If the speed falls below 20 knots, the touchdown can hardly be avoided. "We knew: one mistake and the Italians would be over again," said Burling.
But the New Zealanders survived their maneuvers and crossed the finish line with a large lead. They saved their genus when the Italians crossed the finish line, almost four minutes behind.
It is now 5: 3 for the New Zealanders, the Italians are under a lot of pressure. The New Zealanders were able to win twice by a clear margin and also showed speed advantages. It's now three wins in a row for New Zealand, which means an additional psychological advantage. The winner of the 36th America’s Cup could already be determined tomorrow if the New Zealanders manage to win two more. However, very weak winds are forecast again and there could be another day off.
And the Italians want to fight. "It's not over yet, not before the trophy is handed over," said Jimmy Spithill. "I am absolutely confident that we can fight back."