MORNING BRIEFING - DAY 3
Two days into the 36th America’s Cup and with the scoreboard sitting at two races apiece it continues to be hard to separate the Challenger and Defender on the water.
For each of the four races, starts have been crucial and have played a big part in shaping the final result in each case. Getting the upper hand as they cross the start line has pushed both teams even harder with each race. The pressure on both to gain control early on is increasingly rapidly.
In addition, the steady breezes have offered few passing lanes and while this may have reduced the tactical opportunities, it has revealed just how close the two boats are when it comes to straight line speed.
In the build-up to the event the skippers told us consistently that they believed that two boats and teams are evenly matched.
Such comments are often seen as a way of deflecting attention from the key aspects of a team’s performance and tactics. Indeed, many any prefer to be seen as the underdogs. Yet so far in this Cup the teams’ public comments on their prospects along with their relative performances are being played out day after day on the race course. What they say is what we get. But today could see a change as racing moves to a new arena and more confidence builds in the weather.
A high-pressure system centred over the south island continues to block the path of breezier, wetter weather coming in from the west, but it is also keeping the wind speeds low here on the north island. As the day gets underway and the land heats up the gradient breeze is expected to be enhanced by a sea breeze that will gradually alter the wind direction.
“We are expecting 9-13 knots from the northeast,” said regatta director Iain Murray at the morning briefing, “and so we have decided to race on course A.”
As we have seen so far, in contrast to many Cup that have gone before these lightweight flying machines only need a small window to deliver an exciting race and Day 3 of the America’s Cup looks set to be little different.
So as the event continues and the pressure increases, Emirates Team New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling summed up where that pressure is heading.
“It’s all about winning the last race, not the first one.”