Brits, Kiwis advance
Emirates Team New Zealand, determined to atone for its soul-crushing loss to Oracle Team USA in the 2013 America’s Cup on San Francisco Bay, took a big step forward Thursday when it clinched a spot in the challenger semifinals on Bermuda’s Great Sound.
Sir Ben Ainslie of Britain also earned a spot in the next round, but only after a humbling moment in which technology failed one of the world’s best sailors. Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR was leading Emirates Team New Zealand early on the first downwind leg when it attempted a gybe and the 50-foot catamaran came crashing off its foils, burying its hulls in the turquoise water.
The onboard microphones picked up Ainslie saying, “What happened? What happened? It’s just killing us. It’s absolutely killing us.”
The British never recovered. The Kiwis, showing good speed in light, shifty conditions and exceptional maneuvering, sailed so far ahead that when they crossed the finish line, Ainslie still had nearly a full lap of the course to complete. Ainslie radioed in to the race committee that he was withdrawing.
“We had a pretty big wipeout and stuffed the bows in and killed all of the speed and lost a huge amount of ground,” Ainslie said. “It was a frustrating moment for us.”
Ainslie and the team’s engineers and technicians were able to fix the issue in time for the day’s last race. The Brits and Groupama Team France swapped the lead on every leg, with Ainslie making a nice move near the finish line to win by 23 seconds.
There are huge expectations back home in England, which has failed for 166 years to win back the silver trophy it lost to the schooner America in 1851. Ainslie would love to become the first Englishman to hoist the Auld Mug in victory, but he’s been plagued this spring by speed issues and collisions.
Ainslie was knighted several months after winning his fourth straight Olympic gold medal, in home waters in 2012. Ainslie helped Oracle Team USA rally from an 8-1 deficit to beat Team New Zealand in the 2013 America’s Cup before starting his own campaign, which has the backing of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Two-time defending champion Oracle Team USA, which came in with one bonus point, leads the qualifiers with seven points, followed by Emirates Team New Zealand with six and Land Rover BAR with five.
SoftBank Team Japan has three points and Sweden’s Artemis Racing and Groupama Team France have two apiece. Those three teams will fight for the final two spots in the challenger semis.
On Thursday, Oracle overcame a penalty at the start and passed SoftBank Team Japan to win by 32 seconds.