MUSIC America's Cup, sports oldest international trophy. 16 kim to
Bermuda, only one will arrive with. Leave with the prize. Now we are at
the challenger final stage. The holders are waiting for the winners
of the clash. Day one, so three races hotly contested out here on
the great sound. But it all ended in dramatic style.
Swedish helm slid out of the boat, splashing down into the water, efek
lively handing New Zealand the third race of the day.
Earlier the teams had shared a race each. The Kiwis claimed race one.
The Swedes, including Ian Percy, producing a fine display of
head-to-head match in race two. New Zealand have the edge, as we head
into three more races on Bermuda's Great Sound.
It's not the normal weather we are used to here. As you can see, it is
raining it is also very hard to predict what's going to happen
today. All the teams have the world's best meteorologist working
with them. They have to make a decision by 9am about which foils
they will use. Only time will tell in the racing who's got that right.
Welcome to the unpredictable Great Sound, for this the second day of
the challenger finals, the L-shaped racecourse has a two minute silence
followed by the high speed reach to mark one. A 15 knots South westerly
breeze and then off to the American Cup's village. So Louis Vuitton
challenger play-off finals under way. First of five race wins becomes
the challenger. Conceivably the Swedes could be eliminated by the
end of the day. Three wins for the Kiwis and they would confirm their
place in the match. OK, these guys, at this stage, 45
seconds ago don't really look like they want a piece of each other.
But here we go... Are we going to try and go for the big hook if you
are Nathan Aterridge. He's screaming at these guys to go around New
Zealand. He's pushing and pushing. Can he get underneath? There they
go. They will gap off for a high-speed start. Only 19 seconds to
go. I am not sure they are not late. So difficult getting this timing
right, isn't it? We have seen it time after time. The complications
in slowing up a little bit. Because they are heading at 35 knots or so
that is a real issue here. Away they go. There's nothing in it at the
start. They were just slightly early on Artemis Racing. Come from that
higher speed favoured end. Remember Artemis is probably started one boat
length further away from Mark 1 than emirate's Team New Zealand. Can they
use that mark and get over the top? It looks like they'd do it again.
Certainly looks as if their speed is too much for the Kiwis in that
opening reach. We know the Swedes are quick.
That isn't the issue here. The issue the issue is boat-handling
and whether they can maintain the consistency with a familiar pattern
for the fourth race running between these two, Artemis Racing have got
the best start and the Kiwis have to play catch up. Set themselves up for
a split at the second break. What about the foils used today.
Conditions are tricky because the wind speed is varying a huge amount.
These look certainly and we are trying to get confirmation right
now, but certainly much shorter foils on Artemis than there is on
emirate's team New Zealand. You have to imagine that inherently the
breeze is just winder than it was meant to be right now. You have to
believe that has to be a favouring Artemis at this stage, just from a
pure boat speed standpoint. The Swedes hammering it and keeping it
very tight to the gate. Trying very hard not to lose too
much boat speed. The New Zealanders are there or tlobts but not the
cleanest of -- or thereabouts but not the cleanest of roundings. Look
at this though, from New Zealand - not the stability we are used to
from them. But a good enough recovery. Good recovery. That is
right. Minimising what could be a disastrous mistake.
Keeping it close. This is the Emirates Team New Zealand we are
familiar with. Keeping it close and keep the pressure on the boat ahead.
They've been in this scenario countless times in the last two
weeks. It just does not phase them. Doesn't phase them. They literally
don't say anything on board. It's just, it's really, it's an
incredible form of noncommunication. I I guess anybody could do that,
couldn't they? Hard at work. This, the only team that have their
grinding system operating like that. Generating the power with their legs
rather than their arms. The hybrid system adopted by the
Americans. Maybe we will see a show down between those two systems in
the match itself. The Swedes will have other ideas, though. All action
across the platform. Nathan was talking yesterday about
the need for grip to help him out. He was going to take things steadier
after his impromptu swim yesterday. The Kiwis took an advantage on that
shift. It is wet out there. These boys are wet out there, not from
just getting fire hose from the boat, but it is pouring rain. I
think these guys are used to getting a bit moist out on board.
Let's bring in Paul who is on the water for us. What have you spotted
in the opening exchanges? Artemis definitely changed boards from
yesterday. They are on high-speed boards. That gave them the pace off
the start. They are up wind here. They are fast. You saw last time
they tacked on the Kiwi's face and controlling. They look like they
want to protect the left. I would say Artemis faster today, with the
high-speed boards. That's the big change so far.
Right now there's more wind than the forecast. So it is working out for
Artemis. The wind speeds we were expecting around eight to ten knots.
We have been up to 17 I think Artemis is sailing really well. They
have pushed the Kiwis into the right corner. They set up the split here
at the weather mark, pushing the Kiwis back in that corner. When
these guys keep those big mistakes away, they have always looked
spectacular. The Kiwis are doing their Kiwi thing. They keep it
close, as solid as a rock and just wait to pounce. Percy definite lid
chose the correct side here. Less pressure. A little less landmass up
the side of the racecourse that Artemis Racing went to.
Nice little leg by Artemis here. Iain Percy did a good job, he
thought it would be better pressure. And they extended.
Swedes cruising away and looking pretty comfortable at this point.
But when Peter Burling is on your tail I am not sure anything is a
given. So a healthy lead at the moment for the Swedish boat under
Nathan Outteridge. Incredible physical activity and
still having to make the right decisions tactically. Spotting wind
shifts. Working out what the best possible options are.
The Kiwis do not go away. It was almost 200-plus metres.
Oh dear! That is a monster nose-dive from the Swedish boat. What will
that cost them? Something there, out of control on board Artemis.
I think they fouled Emirates Team New Zealand. They are the wind-ward
boat. Emirates Team New Zealand has pushed their button. Let's wait and
see. It's in the hands of the umpires again.
So they are looking for a penalty. It has not been awarded. So a
lifeline to the Swedes. But a dramatic development with only, what
a leg-and-a-half before the reach to the finish. And now battle really
is... Look how tight they are to one and other. Again the Kiwis
protesting against the Swedish boat once more. It was a little loft
there. It was unclear whether there was an overlap or not. Why did
Artemis lose control there? Completely lost control there for a
second. After the tacked they get quite high. Right here and they just
skid side ways. And then this is where it got weird.
All of a sudden the boat went off, really high, flies. Team New Zealand
bore off because they thought they'd have Artemis in their lap. I have to
admit, I am surprised that wasn't a protest. That was a scary situation
there. Pivotal moments and rounding Gate 5,
they are heading downwind for the last time in the race. It's
anybody's at the moment. The Swedes have just about managed to keep
their noses in front. But it is incredibly tight. Very marginal
still. That wasn't too far removed, Ken,
from what we saw the Kiwis doing last Tuesday, when their boat ended
up upside down. The height it got. Before plunging. That is a very fair
point. It is also not too far removed from that Japan Land Rover
BAR land start, when BAR overflu and skidded side way -- overflew and
skidded side ways into Japan. Seems like many moons ago. He looked like
he lost control for a couple of second and set up what could have
been a dangerous situation. So a drive from the Swedes. Goodness,
they have to consider themselves really very fortunate still to have
this lead at this point. I mean, normally a mistake of that
magnitude, Ken, it costs you the lead and it hasn't on this occasion.
We'll have to go back and look at that again. I mean, Artemis, when
they kind of went coulding off away from -- scolding off away from...
They were not going upwind any more, they went off, seemingly losing
control for a sec, I tell you what if I was Peter Burling I would have
done the same thing. I would have been doing that to get out of the
way because I would they would be sitting on my lap in a split second.
It is a fascinating turn of events, of which they have obviously
recovered. Artemis is in a fast layline into
this. Mark, that I'll have a faster angle than Emirates Team New
Zealand, even though they have made the gate. Artemis will come ripping
over this finish line. They will come over, winning just a
handful more metres to go. Recovering so well from what looked
like, well if not the end, then close to the end. But, the Swedes
across in race one of the day. Race four of the final.
At 40 knots and claiming the victory over Peter Burling's New Zealand
team. Level at 2-2 in the challenger play-offs final.
Dramatic turn of events. And when you consider those circumstances,
they will be thrilled, elated and I am sure enormously
What a close finish. There is no shortage of drama out here on the
Great Sound. Race two coming up. Before then, let's look at one of
the newest sites here in Bermuda. The New Zealanders have swapped the
traditional grinders for a bank of cyclists. It is always difficult to
talk specifically about the power that a cyclist can put out over a
set period. It is unusual for cyclist to be pitting out a constant
wattage. They are trying to have a continual output. A typical would be
70 kilos in body weight. Putting out between 400-450 watts on average for
25-30 minutes. However, our world class sprinters can put out powers
of up to 2, 500 watts over short periods. Normally only 10-15
seconds, but averaging about 1,000 watts over a kilometre of the track.
Very interesting to see it on the team New Zealand boat. It is not
unusual. It was expected. In fact, when they looked at trying to
generate these powers, it was one of the areas that some of the sailing
cyclists talked about at length. One of the most surprising points was we
did expect to see one or two of them perhaps in a rekum want position,
rather than in a standard upright more traditional cycling position.
As a sailor and a cyclist it is almost certainly going to be what we
will expect to see coming forward. It probably is what we might call a
game-changer. Clearly the more power that you have available, the more
opportunity you have to use that power in terms of controlling your
win, moving the different elements of the wing at different rates or
moving them more finely or more regularly. And so, therefore, it
would appear that the more power you've got, the more options yo you
have. That is before -- the more options you have. That is before we
go into the aerodynamics, not having arms waving up in the air and
keeping low, so those at the back doing the tactics and the steering
have a better field of view, better line of sight, both for the
competition and the bow as they are steering through the conditions. The
cyclists in short numbers can actually create an incredible amount
of power over a short period of time. Arguably, significantly more
than a similar number of arm-grinders could create.
Particularly during or out of tacks, when we see certain members of the
crew on one side of the hull and others transferring to the other
side. So, through tacks if there was a significant power usage, then
arguably cyclists may be able to maintain, top up or generate that
power with specific efforts and bursts through a cycling that maybe
that's harder through the arm grinder. If Emirates Team New
Zealand end up qualifying for the America's Cup itself, I wonder
whether the cumulative fatigue they may have used using arm grinders may
be less when they are using the cyclists and put them into a
position where they are not as fatigued as they would have been for
having two weeks of racing before meeting Oracle USA in the Cup match
itself. There's the starting line at the top of the screen. 28 seconds to
go before the start. Pretty far away. Is this actually time and
distance back to the line right now? Neither of them are altering course
by any means. Artemis may be slightly, thinks they
are slow, but only 10 seconds to go. Think think is a clean start with
Artemis clearly in the advantage right now. Can New Zealand make that
better angle stick? Away they go. And again it is the
Swedes who are just about in front. But rather than before, there's not
a huge amount in it. And the Kiwis this time on the outside lane, so to
speak. Have you seen this move before? We have seen the move
before, where Artemis will keep them up above the mark. See the mark, in
the left-hand corner, way down there. They are sailing above the
mark. They will try to extend the way. There they go. They peel away
first and try and make a little extension.
Ripping over the water at 42 knots and beyond.
The Swedes keeping it tight to the mark.
Downwind they go. For the fifth race running it is
Nathan Outteridge who has made it to the first mark in front. Across the
couple of weeks we've had here in Bermuda, that has made a big, big
difference, if you take all the teams, as a whole, but the Swedes
have not been converting their leads in quite the same way they would
have liked. We are now 50/50 in this series alone. I believe it is 66% of
the time the Swedes have actually made that first mark lead stick on
to the finish. Interesting the way the course is
set up. The boundary isn't even a fact on this first run.
Let's go down to Paul, and that first reach Artemis made, the kind
of unfavoured speed side worked that time. Clearly the high-speed boards
are better on that first reach, aren't they? Exactly. So far again
it is a tale of the boards. I just wonder how much, even at this
early point, the Kiwis would be concerned about it. Whenever he's
asked about it Peter Burling doesn't seem perturbed by the starts because
he has so much confidence in the boat speed subsequently and their
manoeuvring, as we are seeing here, which is almost second to none.
But if they were to go through, you have been saying repeatedly Ken,
haven't you that Jimmy Spithill will take advantage. I have noticed he's
out here since Japan were eliminated he's been doing practise with Barker
every single day. You know what's in their mind. There's no doubt about
that. I have been in tough spots like
Peter Burling. We have all go through streaks, every other sailor
in the world, where you lose confidence in your starting ability.
There's no doubt about that. It's one thing to lose confidence. A
slight slip up on the tack. You lose confidence in your starting ability,
but you constantly gain confidence in being able to dominate your
opponent if they make one little mistake. Artemis tacked a little
early, off the line of New e New Zealand and they pounced right away.
That was incredible. 99% of his Max heart and every
percentage is counting as they try and push the oil around the system.
This is where we might see a degree of tactical savvy coming into play.
What are the options for the two helmsmen? The option was for Artemis
to tack on top of Team New Zealand order go to the other gate if you
think you are a faster boat. They are paying for it.
So the Kiwis protesting at the path of the Swedes.
That's going to be a Green Flag, I think. The Kiwis did a huff on this
racing world, right into attack. They both did what they had to do in
this situation. Artemis Racing set themselves up to get past, with
really just a bad tactical move. They didn't tack in the right spot
after a leg ago. Watch Burling. He pushes the button before they even
get close. They did what they have to do. Art
myself New Zealand, both likely lying the gate. This is where it
always gets interesting. Looks to me that New Zealand might
get across here. If they get across... Easy cross!
They are really hammering their way up to the gate.
Having come from behind. Something they seem remarkably adept at doing.
Again, look, those hulls are barely moving from the height that they
started the mark rounding at. Inch-perfect. We have a split
course, with the Swedes heading in the other direction. Who is going to
find the better wind pressure Which side of the racecourse looks better?
We have a nice split Usually the side that Artemis is on has a little
more pressure. A little less land to wind-ward of it. I think the kiwis
will come out. They Road pretty comfortable, I think. Artemis made a
mistake, as you said, they are paying for it.
You give these guys any sniff and they extend, a faster boat always
extends like this, you know, and certainly those light air boards
don't seem to be affecting them very much right now, with regard to pace.
Is about 10.5 knots of wind speed on the water right now.
No sign of the I stability really from the Swedes that we -- the
instability really from the Swedes that we saw in that previous race.
They have looked pretty solid. Having been overtaken, they are
facing a real job here. Just a slight little right-hand
shift. I think this is a puffy day. This is as much about the pressure
and where these pressure lines are coming from. They are kind of
scattered all over the racecourse. Rain coming through still. Dark
clouds. Little patch of blue sky. It is a very interesting day for the
weathermen, that is for sure! Kiwis in the mean time, making
serene progress. The average wind speed dropping down to 10.5 knots.
Certainly going to see the Kiwis getting a little bit better as it
gets lighter, as reported. They definitely seem the most
comfortable in the lighter air, don't they? Even when we were in the
round-robin stage, the qualifying stages, they were the ones thriving
when the wind speeds were only at six, seven knots. Right at the
bottom of that. That is when the Kiwis strike fear. In the rest of
the fleet they seem to have more stability in that bottom edge wind
range. One more downwind leg for the New Zealanders to navigate. They
look to have plenty of clear water between themselves and the Swedes at
this point. The Kink in the booshd, that is what we have -- in the
board. That is what we have talked about for a while. It couldn't be
more different than the straight boards of Artemis Racing. You look
at the design and it's really quite interesting and quite strange. These
guys, they round the mark and start going five, eight, sometimes ten
knots faster than the boat going upwind. How it expands so quickly
for that boat that's ahead. 600 metres now. It is a procession
for the Kiwis from here. Not sure that is the word he's imagining at
this moment. I don't think the's seen any of the race yet. Somebody
suggested maybe they said paint some road markings in front of him so he
feels more at home. What is going on with the forearm? And iPhone type
device, we are looking on the forearm here, a lot of boats now
have wireless heads up display is that key instrumentation and
whatever, I don't even know who that was, whatever that position is you
will have key instrumentation critical to your job, it could
display hydraulic pressure, it could display true wind direction, how
many laps you have got, it could be anything when it is a vital piece of
information, whoever that was, they needed at a moment's notice. One
more gate to navigate and then the bus to the finish but Emirates Team
New Zealand to have been displaying all their proficiency in this race.
Another masterclass, really. Get them in front and they are launched.
RADIO: There will be heading for home. How many legs we are still on,
they were saying it is six legs and then to the finish. Always good to
be discussing that as you are a couple of hundred meters from the
finish line. Something is wrong with the Swedes. They are going very much
in the wrong direction at this point. Trouble. We did at this
point. The Kiwis back in front in the play-off final. Their boat speed
is so impressive. And another really good example of their calm and
composure in chasing down opponents, so they lead by three points to two
and the Swedes have officially retired from the race. I wonder if
this is significant in terms of some kind of technical problem? Nathan,
we understand you have dagger board issues, how major is the problem, do
you think you can fix it in the time you have? We should be able to get
it fixed in time, we are fault-finding at the moment, these
boats are pretty complicated, several bits and pieces and once you
work out which part is malfunctioning it is a pretty quick
change, so you can see people having a look at the moment, we will be
good for the race, I'm sure. You have got your nose is back in front,
another excellent race and another example of you having to surrender
-- happy to surrender the lead, I'm sure happy is not the right word,
but at ease chasing? Definitely wasn't our best start but that
configurations we always knew if the bottom half is in good shape we
would have a good crack, there were similar things to what they have
done in the previous race. What a commanding performance from
Emirates Team New Zealand, they are now 3-2 ahead, two more races and it
will be them facing Team USA in the America's Cup.
COMMENTATOR: A pre-start dance well underway between the Swedes, led by
Nathan Outteridge, who of course had trouble in that second race with his
dagger board. Prevented them from finishing the race. The Kiwis, under
Peter Burling, who are just remarkably consistent. Looks like it
is game on out of hare because -- game on out there because these two
are coming together pretty tight. There is a protest from the New
Zealanders. They had overlap, the chief umpire did not think they had
overlap. He is the guy with a final say. Only 20 seconds to the start,
this will quickly turn into time and distance. Emirates Team New Zealand,
though, this time, going from that higher speed side of the line. Looks
like they might have timed this really nicely, the New Zealanders,
they are up and onto their foibles and they are in front. But the
Swedish boat speed is picking up quite drastically on the inside of
them. Beyond 40 knots. There is no doubt, Paul called this earlier,
there is no doubt that these lighter aerofoils are slower to reach. They
might be better point, they might be OK downward, but on a reach... These
guys are sailing off the right now, of the racecourse. It has become a
real strategy of Artemis Racing. Push them way away from this line
then try to stretch out their gap. I'm sorry, but this could be a rerun
of pretty much every race we've seen so far. They are driving the Kiwis
further and further away from the first mark at this point and you get
the impression they know they have got to make hay, they have got to
build as big a lead as they possibly can to keep the Kiwis at arms length
because the New Zealanders will feel they can reel them in from pretty
much anywhere, this kind of distance will be nothing for them in their
mind. Paul, on the water, why do you think that the longer foils of New
Zealand show up on a deficiency on that first weeks but seem not to
underrun, you would think they had similar modes the dagger boards. As
you know, the run, you take it down, not quite as high-speed as you are
on the 100 degrees reach, said that is the highest speed of the whole
race. That is where the Kiwis are paying for it the most. The wind is
still at 11 knots over also lets see how the rest of the race pans out.
Right at the transition where most of these teams toss a coin over
which ones to use. The Swedes in front, setting the pace, setting the
agenda, they have to make sure they keep their foot on the throat of the
Kiwis. That has proved a very difficult thing for them to achieve.
This is getting close, left-hand ship going up this lake. Artemis
Racing starting to dial down. The Kiwis got back into it on a bit of a
left-hand wind shift. The Kiwis did a big dip thinking they would get
dialled even harder and gave up a bit of distance, gave that distance
right back again. There is a great race brewing here,
you feel. Very little in it, decent wind speed, great boat speed. I tell
you, the Kiwis, either they are playing the wind shift better or
they are flying, because they seem a little higher and a little faster on
this leg. Go back and look at this, the Kiwis tapped port tack,
immediately Artymata styles right down at them, 90 degrees, the Kiwis
actually come off their foils a little bit there and gave up eight
or ten boat lengths on the dial down so very effective dial down
manoeuvre by Nathan Outteridge and Artemis Racing. Still not much in
it, though. Tacking right on top, wing wash will come into effect here
for sure. So this is where the Swedes try to spoil the air of the
New Zealanders alongside them in the slipstream, looking to try to ensure
that they don't get a clear run at it, but the Kiwis are not
interested. It is not like car racing where you can do a little
bump and it is not affected being behind. The Kiwis are going to
think, we are just simply click a point, let's keep this close and get
them on the next upwind leg. Keep it close if you are a Kiwi fan, that is
what you are thinking. Pretty big split here right now, though. Big
split on the racecourse. Wind shift, when the boats get this far apart,
absolutely magnifies the situation. There go the Swedes. Tacking one
final time, the New Zealanders have done similarly on the other side of
the course. There is not going to be a huge amount in this as they headed
to Gate 3. But it looks like the left-hand mark at the top of the
gate, Wright appear, is closer, so we'd will be interesting to see if
art is tax forward or continues all the way across. They are crossing
the ahead of New Zealand but it sure looks like the wind has shifted on
the racecourse and both going around these mark that very similar
moments. Almost exactly the same turn time. Nip and tuck between
these two. Paul, has there been a general trend to the wind going in
one direction or another? It looks like the racecourse is tilted right
now? Yes, you are right, the wind is skewed to the left of the axis a
little bit but I'm also pretty impressed, I think the Kiwis are
going really fast because they went the right corner on that last part,
right behind the highest land around and I thought they might get light
over there but they didn't. Yes, the course is skewed that the Kiwis are
fast. The Swedish boat unquestionably our noisiest boat in
the fleet, not just because of the communications on-board, the
talkative nature of the crew, but it tends to make a high-pitched howling
noise. They have made a big gain on this side of the racecourse so not
only did that spit at the top work in so far as getting the Kiwis
around the gate Martin almost identical time but here they make
yet another pass. Upwind and downwind they are going really fast
right now. Neat and tidy on the gybe for
Artemis Racing. The Kiwis really flying up the far end of the course.
Hulls out of the water, on the foils all the way. We thought this would
happen as we went along. The boat speed is becoming more into play.
100% on both boats means nobody has really made that fatal mistakes boat
speed is thing that takes over. These guys gybe directly in front.
Will Artemis split to the other side or follow them in? They will have to
make that play right here, right now. They are following them around.
So, so tight on the tail, the Swedes. Within two meters, going 25,
30 knots. Bearing away on the tax, the Swedes.
The New Zealanders, just this very slick, well oiled machine, totally
confident in their boat and their boat handling. The way everybody
interacts. Both boats going very similar speeds through the water but
I am maintaining that the BMG is much better the team New Zealand
right now. We just saw at tack on Sweden but both boats are going a
similar boat speed through the water. Let's wait for these two
tacks to happen, the bottom number on both sides is the key number,
once the boats settling, let's see who has a better the MG towards the
mark. 1.5 lengths of this race remaining.
Look at the Kiwis there. Keep an eye on the bottom number, it was picking
up from New Zealand perspective. As the boat settled in on the tacks,
they were three or points faster. Paul, a tenth of not is a beautiful
thing, with these guys are talking four, five knots! It is a whole
different ball game, Fisher! Attempt the knot was a huge deal in our day!
-- one tenth of a knot. You look at the angle that team New Zealand...
They are just pointing higher all the time than Artemis Racing. Are we
now at the stage of the race where the Swedes are going to have to hope
them Kiwis make a mess of my? It is not something the red boat is out to
do very often, we have seen that throughout this entire series so
far. It is a fine line between waiting for the guy in front of you
to make a mistake and pure desperation, and as a tactician you
have to make that call at some stage. You have got to try something
or, let's just stick with it. Getting towards make or break time
for the Swedish crew. This could really change things, this race. The
New Zealanders leading 3-2. The difference between a 4-2 lead
overnight and three points apiece if the Swedes pull it off is just
enormous. So much pressure coming to bear on Nathan Outteridge and the
rest of his team at this point. These dagger board choices have just
become such an integral part of this America's Cup. Slower on that first
reach, behind every single rate at Mach number one for Emirates Team
New Zealand so far. Right now they are cruising to a 4-2 series lead.
Really kind of unheard of. Gate 5. Downwind. For the last time
in the race. Time running out for Artemis Racing here, the Kiwis have
set the agenda, they forced the pace of the race is pretty much from the
outset. Certainly chasing down the Swedes to very good effect. They
have got them where they want them, hard to see them tripping up from
here. When the Kiwis get ahead, they just extend. Always the sign of a
quick about. One more tack. Let's go back out to Paul for a second. If
you are Sweden, what do you do? There is not much, they can only
hope for some kind of a breakdown. It is going to be one drive and in
probably Sweden. They will have to regroup tonight, come out swinging.
An old boss of mine told me a long time ago, hope is not a strategy you
want to rely on! The effort is still going in. But the hopes are fading
and fading fast at this stage. The New Zealanders so well organised, so
well drilled, so confident, and cruising across the top of the
water. As we have discussed through the opening fortnight here, it might
just be one of a number of different ages adding up to the excellent in
the water. One more gybe through this gate and it looks like they
might have the gybe couple of times to get to the finish line. The
finish line is dead downwind from this gate, from this final gate.
Without a big mishap by Emirates Team New Zealand, this race looks
pretty over. The final gate, they are cutting it pretty fine, that is
just about as animated as you will hear Peter Burling. Are they out of
hydraulic pressure to be able to do these two jibes very quickly? Only
15, 16 knots now for the the Kiwis. Artemis screaming up from behind.
And now it is anybody's, would you believe the Swedes are right back in
the hunt from out of nowhere! Will the New Zealanders managed to hang
on? There is absolutely nothing in it! New Zealand tearing across, they
are just about going to knows that! Oh, my goodness, what are breathless
finish! Protest from the Swedish boat. Is that going to make a
difference at this point? A bit of a desperation protest, I didn't see
anything on the monitor that the Kiwis did wrong there. Still no
decision on the penalty. We will wait and see what the decision is
from Richard Slater, the chief umpire. The Kiwis are celebrating.
There is no penalty, we understand, so the New Zealanders win the race,
they have won it clean and they are now in pole position in the
Challenger play-off final, pivotal race. Sweden now match point down
and one more race will do it for the Kiwis. It just shows that every time
we sit here and say, yes, looks good, this team will win, out of
nowhere the Kiwis actually make an unforced error, something that we'd
just so rarely have seen during this event. So, results today, two wins
for the Kiwis, having lost the first they bounced back. The Swedes in
flying form in the opening race of the day. The Kiwis' starts need a
bit of work but the handling is first class. So, the challenger
play-offs' standings, with the New Zealanders leading 4-2 in this best
of five contest, and maximum of nine races, so three more to come, the
Swedes need all three. You cannot relax for a moment in
this America's Cup, what a nail-biting finish in that final
race. That win puts the New Zealanders tantalisingly close to
challenge Oracle for the cup. Just one more win. For the Swedish team,
they now cannot afford to put a foot wrong. Here are the skippers' takes
on the day. Much talk this morning about having the right foil
combination for the conditions. How did you feel you set up, perhaps not
as high as you hope to? The first race we were gusting around 20
knots, the Artemis guys definitely had a slightly more upper range
configurations and ourselves. It changed how we went about the day,
just about hanging in on the first reach and run, taking opportunities
but I think the boys did a great job today producing heaps of power so we
could keep manoeuvring and hammering away and generate opportunities to
pass. Managing to come back from the loss in the first race to take 2-1,
a really good day. It feels like, watching it, that even when it is
not a perfect conditions you have speed to burn, you can always come
back. How confident are you and your team that you are on pace? We are
really happy with the pace, a lot of today was about generating
opportunities to use the pace and get back into the lead. Full credit
to the Artemis guys. Reaching downwind and also upwind, they
really pushed us today. The boys were up for the challenge. Nathan, I
have to start with the photo finish in the final race! How did you gain
so much pace, what was it like? It was probably one of the closest
races I've ever had in terms of the finishing line. We managed to avoid
giving an additional gybe on that run, New Zealand had to do three, we
got to do one, and coming gym doing 35 knots overland, really tight
finish and unfortunately they just got ahead of us. You were so
dominant in all of the starts, talk to us about that medal race and just
how hard it is to keep these guys behind you? It is incredibly
difficult, either you start your own race and go boundary to boundary,
let them catch you, or you take it on and try to load them down. The
upper winds go quite a bit longer than the downwind so even though we
are quicker on the reach and downwind we probably spent more time
up win so we will have to look at what we can do better tomorrow. Are
they unstoppable? They are definitely beatable, we have
12-macro races off them so far, consistently winning the starts, and
the races we have one have been through good tactics and great
failings and if we can keep winning those starts, making their life
difficult, one race at a time, it is a big task but we did that in the
semifinal and we are looking forward to the challenge tomorrow. Joining
me is an Olympic sailor Stevie Morrison. Today, conditions were
tricky and it seems like the teams were struggling to stay under
control? It was very changeable weather and I think you saw how hard
the boats can beat a sale. I don't think for one minute they can be not
adjusting the foils to keep those boats flying sap so through the tack
we saw art is flying out of the water and we heard they had a
problem with the control buttons, it is crazy to think they are
controlling both with buttons, systems like that, it shows how on a
knife edge these boats are. It looks like the New Zealanders, they are
not keen to engage in the start box, is that a throwback to the capsize?
I saw Pete the day after and definitely shook up the guys on the
boat. It is a very different control system with their boards where Peter
is steering the boat and Blair is flying the boat. I wonder if at slow
speed if they have a slight issue in that communication, I am sure they
are a bit nervous but I also feel they are pretty fast and think, if
we stay out of trouble we can win a yacht race after the start. They are
fast, they can get out of trouble, whatever is thrown at them. Do you
think anybody can take them on, can anybody be to them? You would never
let against Oracle from what we have seen before, you would never bet
against Iain Percy or Nathan Outteridge, so it is all on
tomorrow. The Kiwis were at match point a few years ago for an awful
long time said they will be feeling some nerves to finish it but their
boat looks very impressive and I would like to be going out of the
race tomorrow in their boat rather than any other.
Thank you. Join us tomorrow for the climax of the Challenger final, when
we will know who will go head-to-head against Oracle Team USA
for the America's Cup.