The matter seemed clear: Emirates Team New Zealand had earned eight match points last Thursday to win their third America's Cup after 1995 and 2000. There was little doubt: the Kiwis would certainly convert one of them soon. But last Thursday now seems like an eternity ago. Since then, the defender Oracle Team USA and the forces of nature have apparently decided to form an alliance against the team from the small Pacific state. Two races have been cancelled since then, in which the New Zealanders had everything and almost the ornate silver jug under control. One of them with eye contact with the finish line. Psychologically, the twelfth race, which was cancelled shortly before the finish line, was certainly the cruellest blow of the past four days.
And that's how quickly a tide can turn in the wake of force majeure: Two more painful defeats for the New Zealanders on Sunday darkened the outlook of skipper Dean Barker, tactician Ray Davies and their crew, who still have four match points and were quick to point out that they had ultimately sailed into the pits from the disadvantaged starboard side in the two clear defeats. But the Kiwis' momentum seems to have switched sides. The Americans have everything at the moment: the better starts, the better boat speed and the momentum on their side. Races 14 and 15 on Sunday can be summarised in a nutshell.
What is more interesting is the state of the teams. James Spithill was brimming with self-confidence in the press conference after the two races. He was happy to show and verbalise this: "It was a great day! Tom (ed.: Slingsby) and Ben (ed.: Ainslie) have done a fantastic job! The guys worked like they were from another world. On a day like today, it's all about tactics. But they kept their cool. And man, we can always get more out of the old girl." This refers to the US catamaran, which mostly sailed faster than the "Aotearoa" on Sunday over the course characterised by unsteady winds.
Dean Barker, generally quieter and more reserved than Spithill, didn't shy away from the answer: "We didn't do our job as well as we wanted to today. But sometimes it's a question of millimetres. You make a tiny mistake and that makes your opponent stronger. We always knew it was going to be a battle. Now it's a battle for that last point. We weren't quick enough at mark one twice today. But we absolutely believe that we can win this one. We just have to put everything together properly."
One thing is already clear: The 34th America's Cup match is the longest in the history of the glittering trophy since its premiere in 1851, a record previously held by the duel between defence team New Zealand and the Swiss dream team Alinghi in 2003 with 16 days. Back then, nine lost days contributed to the Cup marathon. The 16th day of the 34th edition is now history. A glance at the current Cup homepage reveals on the front page that not even the organisers had reckoned with this "long haul": The "Summer of Racing" is still advertised there. Next to it is the date: San Francisco, 4 July to 21 September. The duel between defending champions Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand will continue on Monday, 23 September 2013.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
