"We have no regrets. We've had two great wins against great teams called Artemis Racing and Land Rover BAR. We are also counting on the support of our fans for our last match tomorrow!" The French Groupama Team France said goodbye to the 35th America's Cup in style and grandeur on Friday evening. Helmsman Franck Cammas and his men were unable to add to their two victories so far in the duel against Emirates Team New Zealand, who once again performed outstandingly and with unerring confidence, losing by a clear margin of 4:06 minutes - the end for Les Bleus of sailing. Franck Cammas may have looked a little more dishevelled than usual at the press conference, but he had hardly lost any of his mischievous charm. Neither he nor his team had been surprised by the end of the race. Cammas said: "We've made good progress as a team and we're proud of that. Two years ago we were nothing. Now we've been able to sail with the best in the Cup. We have achieved a lot with little money and little time."
One day before the end of qualifying for the 35th America's Cup, one thing is certain: Groupama Team France is the first team to have to abandon the sails. But who will secure the possible bonus point for the duel for the jug? What the helmsmen have to say
With the elimination of the French team, SoftBank Team Japan had secured fourth place in the semi-finals of the Challenger Playoffs, which begin on Sunday without a break directly after the last day of qualifying (Saturday). The Japanese team opened the sixth day of racing with their duel against Emirates Team New Zealand. With winds of around 13 or 14 knots, the action was much more respectable than some of the "flotsam" in the previous day's race crawl in the doldrums. However, the dominance of the Kiwis meant that there was no tension in the match against their former skipper and SoftBank helmsman Dean Barker. When the Japanese finally dived deep into the Great Sound with both hulls on the third leg, their chances in this encounter between New Zealanders and New Zealanders with Japanese-British reinforcements were over. By the finish line, they were 51 seconds behind the Kiwis.
The match of the day was the duel between Artemis and the American title holders. The Swedes had clearly recovered from their last three bitter defeats in a row. Even in the pre-start phase, they looked more aggressive, more demanding and more determined than last time. They elegantly outbraked Oracle in the pre-start phase according to all the rules of the art of sailing and already had a clear lead at the first turning mark. The fact that the Americans had to lament the breakage of their port rudder in preparation for this duel and had to make a last-minute pit stop for repairs may have thrown them off their stride a little in addition to Artemis' performance. As in the first-round duel between the Swedes and the Americans, Artemis Racing with helmsman Nathan Outteridge and tactician Iain Percy also won this encounter with the defending champions. Both the Scandinavian and American teams were able to see that the helmsmen are now pulling their catamaran projectiles around the tacks as roughly (and successfully) as New Zealand's Peter Burling. You could almost call it "Western style", because the yanking is reminiscent of cowboys who steer their horses in a new direction at a wild gallop by pulling hard on the reins.
The New Zealanders were most pleased with Artemis' victory from the sidelines, as their helmsman Peter Burling later indicated. "We watched the match with enthusiasm," said the 49 Olympic champion, who is not usually prone to emotional statements. This is easy to understand, as Artemis' victory over Larry Ellison's Oracle Team USA resulted in a change of leader in the qualifying rankings. Jimmy Spithill and his Oracle crew are no longer the leaders ahead of the final qualifying day, but the New Zealanders. With further consequences, because the two best Cup teams to date - no script could have invented it better - will meet on Saturday as if in a final match and wrestle for the qualification victory, which is linked to a valuable bonus point for the 35th Cup match.
The final victory for Artemis over SoftBank Team Japan made the day in Sweden perfect and finally put a smile back on the faces of the crew. Nathan Outteridge said after the races: "Today was an important day for our team. We went through some tough times but then had two days off. Today we were able to show what our team is made of." The fact that the Swedes have a fast boat was undisputed anyway. They should have worked off their share of bad luck for now.
The helmsmen's press conference after the races was particularly enjoyable thanks to the honest Outteridge, the fair loser Cammas and the good-humoured Dean Barker. However, the little banter between Jimmy Spithill and Peter Burling about the significance of their duel for the qualification win on Saturday turned into an endless loop that we have heard or had to hear many times before. One of them - Burling - even answered the question of how he would personally feel as the youngest on the podium alongside the experienced skippers with the apparently memorised phrases: "We are really happy with today's result. We feel like we've really learnt a lot..." The other - Spithill - once again promoted the Cup concept designed by his team and, when asked about the defenders' participation in this challenger qualifier, replied: "I think our participation has made the event better. It's definitely the future for the event." It is well known that the New Zealanders in particular have a different view to the current defenders. And so tomorrow will be a foretaste of the intensity of the clash, which could well continue in the 35th America's Cup duel.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
