The defending champions were desperate to get their first point after the 2-0 loss in the opening race on Sunday, but they didn't stand a chance. Emirates Team New Zealand also had Oracle Team USA firmly under control on the second day of the 35th America's Cup duel. With the faster boat and better manoeuvres than on the previous day, the Kiwis once again showed great sporting cinema on the beautiful sailing stage off Bermuda - which leaves nothing to be desired as a sailing area. The decisive realisation after four encounters so far: The American "17" cannot keep up with the New Zealand "Aotearoa" in the currently prevailing challenging, shifty and gusty easterly winds of around nine to twelve knots.
After races 3 and 4, the two helmsmen of the Cup teams answered questions at the press conference in Bermuda. Spithill admitted that the New Zealanders currently have the advantage, while Burling remained level-headed despite four wins in a row
"It all seems like 1995 here, not 2013," said an American journalist in the tone of a funeral oration after another clear defeat for Oracle Team USA. In 1995, the Kiwis had snatched the America's Cup from America for the first time. And how! The significantly faster New Zealand "Black Magic" had swept Dennis Conners' "Young America" off the course 5:0 and sailed into the history books as the third nation to lay hands on the ornate silver jug. In 2013, on the other hand, the Kiwis with helmsman Dean Barker had led 8:1 in the duel with Oracle Team USA, but lost the dramatic battle 8:9 after the Americans' comeback of the century. However, because the regulations in the current 35th America's Cup are more restrictive than they were four years ago, fewer experts now believe that the Americans will be able to turn the tide as they did in 2013 off San Francisco.
A look at the statistics of the first four encounters in the 35th America's Cup match underlines the dominance of the New Zealanders: the average speed of the Kiwis in Race 1 was 22.61 knots, that of the Americans 21.38 knots. In the second race, New Zealand's speed was 23.21 knots compared to 21.23 knots for the Americans. In race three, the Kiwis achieved an average of 28.63 knots and the USA an average of 27.58 knots. In the last duel so far, the New Zealanders won with 27.28 knots against the Americans with 26.71 knots. The speed dominance of the Kiwis is clear.
Spithill commented at the press conference: "It's just obvious that these guys are(looks at Peter Burling) are faster than us. We now have to put everything on the table and check it during the upcoming five-day break. Nothing will escape our eyes. Everything is up for discussion." When asked whether his team could learn something from the Kiwis, Spithill said: "Sometimes you learn the most when you look over the fence. Fortunately, we also have enormous depth in the team. We've shown before that we can come back. We have the five most important days of this campaign ahead of us!" That's how long both teams have off. The duel will only resume on 24 June (Saturday) with races 5 and 6 when the score is 3-0 in favour of Emirates Team New Zealand.
If the Kiwis continue to dominate the Cup duel, the match could come to an end as early as 25 June. Seven plus points are required for triumph. As the New Zealanders started the series with one minus point, they need to win as many as eight races to bring the silver jug back to Auckland to the purpose-built safety room in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Hundreds of thousands of people in New Zealand cheer on their sailors, getting up at 5 a.m. on race days to watch the live broadcasts. "It's incredibly motivating," said Peter Burling.
When asked by YACHT online on Sunday evening how team founder Larry Ellison was dealing with the four consecutive defeats, Spithill replied evasively but confidently: "I haven't spoken to him yet after the race, because we're right here(to the press conference) came to spend time with you. I think Larry was an important reason for the last comeback. He never lost faith in us. He believed that we could come back and do it. I have no doubt that he feels the same way right now."
New Zealand's 26-year-old helmsman Peter Burling remained cautious on his Cup debut: "We've won four points - we're still four short. We cleaned up a bit after the first two races and sailed much better today than yesterday. But we are still a long way from sailing perfectly. We can't afford to stand still, because then these guys would(looks at Jimmy Spithill) get us." Olympic 49er champion Burling also proved to have a sense of humour. When he was asked whether the New Zealand catamaran harboured any secrets, he lived up to his nickname "Pistol Pete" and shot back with a smile: "Then we'd hardly be sharing them here..."
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
