USA edge New Zealand to keep title hopes alive
HAMILTON — America’s Cup defenders Oracle Team USA edged Emirates Team New Zealand on Saturday to seize a vital first victory in tense racing on Bermuda’s Great Sound.
Team USA, skippered by Jimmy Spithill, beat New Zealand by 11 seconds in the second race of the day — halting the Kiwis’ run of five straight wins.
New Zealand still lead the firstto-seven points series 4-1 — having opened with a one-point deficit thanks to the USA’s topping the qualifying round-robin.
But the improvement in the US boat, and tough talk from Spithill, can’t help but remind the Kiwis of their crushing defeat in 2013, when they led 8-1 in San Francisco only for Team USA to roar back to a 9-8 triumph and retain yachting’s most coveted prize. “It does remind me of San Francisco,” Spithill said. “Once the guys see the boat is faster, then you start building some momentum.”
Peter Burling, the 26-year-old New Zealand helmsman, was undaunted by the prospect of a resurgent USA. “I was happy to see some fight out of these boys,” Burling said, prompting the muttered response from Spithill: “It’s only just beginning, mate.”
“When we entered this we felt like we were in for one hell of a battle,” Burling continued. —