Sailing website tips Team NZ v Oracle

Not everyone is sitting on the fence in Bermuda.

A new American sailing website with strong credentials has good news for Kiwi supporters: Sailing Illustrated says New Zealand will win the America’s Cup challenger series, although it won’t rule out skulduggery bringing Team NZ down.

Now for the bad news. SI has pushed the envelope out and predicted a score in the America’s Cup: Oracle Team USA will beat ETNZ by 7-4. In their detailed but offbeat analysis, SI states: “Most pundits are picking Artemis to win the Louis Vuitton, but we’re going with ETNZ.

“They’ve shed their arguably weakest link from 2013, Dean Barker. Unless the other teams gang up on them yet again, whether on the water [collisions] or off [more rule changes] Peter Burling and co should get through to the finals. “. . . it will be the Kiwis unless, again, the other teams pull a collective fast one on them.”

SI suggests, maybe tongue in cheek, that defender Oracle has been foxing.

“Practice capsize recovery? Or trying to make the news at 11 and promote their regatta? The much better assumption is that Oracle will have sized up the challengers during the LVC finals.”

“[skipper] Jimmy Spithill is the bomb, both on and off the water. Extremely confident, he absolutely crushed Dean Barker with mind games . . . then backed it up on the water. We wouldn’t say Oracle is heavy favourite, but they’re still leading the pack.”

As for the 35th America’s Cup itself: “As objectionable and unrelatable as much of AC35 is to the broader yacht racing public, we’re still holding out hope for a fascinating and entertaining event.”

SI is headed by Tom Ehman, a champion yachtsman and former America’s Cup executive.