4:0 sounds like strength and superiority. That's the clear lead Emirates Team New Zealand has so far in the 37th America's Cup match against the challengers from Ben Ainslie's Team Ineos Britannia. Is that it yet? Will it go on like this until 7:0? Or can the British still turn the tide in their favour? Memories of the most impressive comeback in the history of the America's Cup keep coming back to Barcelona these days. In 2013, New Zealand had already led 8:1 against Oracle Team USA before San Francisco and had eight match points to their name.
When the US defence shocked the Kiwis
Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill's appearance in the press conference at the time when the score was 1:7 against his team was legendary and unforgettable: "I think the question is this: Imagine the boys losing from now on? What a nuisance that would be. When they've pretty much got it in the bag already."
After this statement, the US team led by Jimmy Spithill conceded one point to make it 1:8. Then, after another rest day on 19 September 2013, Oracle Team USA returned to the course like a new team. Race 12 saw a start-to-finish victory with an obviously much-improved boat. With a 31-second lead at the finish, the Americans shocked the Kiwis and their helmsman at the time, Dean Barker.
On board the American AC72 catamaran eleven years ago alongside Jimmy Spithill: Ben Ainslie as a substitute tactician and Tom Slingsby (in the current America's Cup cycle helmsman on the US yacht "Patriot", which was eliminated in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final) as strategist. Together, the trio, the crew and the technical team on land managed to turn a 1:8 into a 9:8 race after race. The sensation was perfect on 25 September 2013.
"Phenomenal" America's Cup comeback
US commentator Gary Jobson, himself an experienced America's Cup sailor, described the US winners as having a "vertical learning curve" with their boat. "They fired the jet engine," said Jobson when asked where the US yacht's sudden gain in speed came from in the duel with the previously dominantly faster Kiwis. The beaten New Zealand skipper Dean Barker called the speed gains of the Americans "phenomenal".
Ben Ainslie recalls the elation of the triumph in his podcast "The Inside Track": "It was an incredible final against Emirates Team New Zealand. To be 8-1 down at the time - and to win it 9-8, that was a fantastic time." His team, which he had only joined in the last twelve months, had gone through a series of technical problems as a defender. "We had already dug ourselves a deep hole," Jimmy Spithill also knew in 2013, before his team rose from it like a phoenix from the ashes.
"Luckily," recalls Ben Ainslie, "we were already in the final as defenders and had the time, the resources and the experience to understand how far behind we had fallen. And to do something about it." The turnaround back then, which was due in part to hugely improved Amwind speed, made a big impression on him. Ainslie recalls: "People were all talking about the sailing side of things back then, but it was actually more the designers, the technicians, the engineers and boat builders who worked day and night shifts to make the modifications to the boat. They allowed us to achieve this extra performance."
Is a turnaround now possible again?
Now Ben Ainslie could do with another "turnaround" in the 37th America's Cup. His team Ineos Britannia is 0:4 behind. The New Zealand rivals are still two points short of the first match points, but the team's zero-zero record so far is putting pressure on the British camp. In Barcelona and in the design offices in Brackley near London, the search is on around the clock for answers to New Zealand's strong Cup campaign.
They obviously had a strong start, but we can recover from that." Ben Ainslie
Ben Ainslie is sticking to his motto in the face of headwinds: "We will fight to the end, never give up." For his team, it is now about finding out "how we can achieve some performance improvements to beat them". Ainslie said: "We have our strong moments, but there are also times when things don't go so well. And I think that makes all the difference. We will keep at it until the end."
Ainslie's co-driver Dylan Fletcher agrees: "I think people doubted us from the start. But we've proved people wrong all the way. We feel we can hold a candle to them and we'll see how it goes on Wednesday. The result is disappointing, but we firmly believe that it's not over yet."
Kiwi announcement: "Not yet at the performance limit"
The sailing world is looking forward to America's Cup races 5 and 6 scheduled for Wednesday (16 October). Could the Brits use the rest day to improve their performance and finally attack successfully?
So far, the Kiwis have been like Swiss clockwork, with all the gears meshing perfectly. For example, they are noticeably faster out of the tacks than the British. They achieve higher average speeds and sail with their settings almost as perfectly as if controlled by a computer.
We have the feeling that we are getting better and better." Peter Burling
Before the rest day, Peter Burling had almost cheerfully announced after the 4-0 win: "We still have a few things to do on the boat in the boatyard. It's about keeping the pressure up. We have the feeling that we haven't yet reached our best performance. There's still a lot to come and we're excited about this challenge."
The America's Cup duel continues
On the subject of speed, Burling said: "Speed always plays a huge role in the America's Cup." Peter Burling answered the provocative question of whether his boat was like a "new boat" after taking part in the round robin opening rounds of the Louis Vuitton Cup and a month or so break from racing with new foils, a new rudder and heavily optimised with a smile: "We don't have a new boat. It's the same one we've always had. We can only build one."
Burling assured: "I think it's about solving the many details. There are so many little things that make a difference in the America's Cup. Until then, how the sailors deal with it and work with it." This will be on show on Wednesday from 14:10 in races 5 and 6. Click here for the link to the live broadcast from Barcelona on 16 October from 2pm.
The biggest comeback in America's Cup history:
