NZL 92 wins race 3 by 25 sec
27/06/07
Drama in race three of the America’s Cup today when NZL 92 snatched a thrilling win as they closed on the finish line.
It was a race in which significant lead changes occurred three times and had the many thousands of spectators afloat and on shore absolutely enthralled.
Emirates Team New Zealand has now won two races to Alinghi’s one. Race four will be held tomorrow.
Today’s breeze was light and the sea lumpy from a swell left from an overnight storm. The race always promised to be difficult, tricky and tense. And it was as the wind shifts and small differences in pressure called the shots.
The pressure on both afterguards was immense as they battled with the patchy breeze.
Grant Dalton: “The afterguard and weather team was superb. The weather call on the first beat set us up for a win if we sailed well, covered and kept our cool.
“But as so often happens in these conditions nothing is ever that simple. The trouble we had at the leeward mark let them back into the race and we paid the price.
“On the second run Alinghi allowed a wide separation and we got a shift and a little more pressure and we were back in the race. It was a stressful day.”
It was also an action - packed day:
• NZL 92 wanted the right in the pre-start and was prepared to pay for it, crossing the start line 8 seconds after Alinghi. SUI 100 took an early lead of two boat lengths.
• NZL 92 held on in the right and picked up the anticipated right-hand shift, eroding SUI 92’s lead and then getting in front, quickly building a comfortable lead as the shift continued to pay.
• At the top mark NZL 92 had a margin of 1min 23sec.
• Downwind, SUI 100, picked up some more pressure from the left and cut into NZL 92’s lead. Then NZL 92 got into the same breeze and extended to more than 300 metres, staying in phase with SUI 100 when they gybed.
• At the leeward gate, the wind shifted as NZL 92 approached and they switch from the left gate to the right. Then a further shift meant the right gate was not an option ….. Bowman Richard Meacham went into the water briefly but got himself back on board and as the spinnaker was dropped, the sail became entangled with the clew of the jib.
• NZL 92 rounded the mark 1min 2sec ahead of SUI 92.
• SUI 100 closed the gap as NZL 92 sorted out the problem with the spinnaker. As the second beat progressed SUI 100 was able to close in and take the lead. NZL 92 fought back and regained the lead but SUI 100 was able to snatch the lead and round the mark 15 seconds ahead.
• Downwind a separation of close to 1300 metres developed and NZL 92 went left then right and retook the lead again in the right, opening a 40 metre gap only to lose it when the breeze went left. The advantage line swapped several times, first to NZL 92 And then to SUI 100.
• As the yachts charged to the finish, NZL 92 again took the lead and crossed 25 seconds ahead.
Quotes from today:
Navigator Kevin Hall:
“I tell you my heart rate would be doing about 180 right now but it’s nice to be towing in and looking at them back there instead of in front of us like they were in the second beat.
“We said half way up the first beat it could be a tough race.
“We chose the left gate down on the bottom for pressure on the right on the beat and we ended up a little thin on the lay line and lifted so we decided to switch to the right gate and start left, which would have been fine. But just as we were about to commit to the right gate we got a shift and the right gate ceased to be an option, and we had to scramble to get around the left gate. It wasn’t as pretty as we would have hoped but it wasn’t so bad that we couldn’t stay in the race and get the job done later.”
Final run.
“It was a shifty run with lanes of pressure and often just staying on the long side is a safe bet and that’s what they chose. We flicked over the inshore side of them and towards the end of the run we saw some good pressure and a pretty big shift for the separation that we ended up with.
“It probably hasn’t happened very often that you see three passes in an America’s Cup race. It’s a testament to the strength of both teams.”
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