Match Racing Championship:
Regatta Day 5 - First Day of Qualifying

Kiwis flew today, finishing 4-2-1 in Fleet Racing before beating James Spithill and Oracle head-to-head.
Photo:©2011 Gilles Martin-Raget/americascup.com

ETNZ defeats Oracle4 in Match Racing.  Oracle4, Artemis, and ETNZ all win Fleet Races. 

Scroll down for race reports or click to See Results and Standings

Outlook Wednesday, Aug 10:
First race start expected at 4:00 pm Cascais/11:00 am ET US. Scheduled start postponed from 2:10 pm to at least 4:00 pm for weather. Winds: S becoming SW, light and variable, followed late afternoon by W to WNW sea breeze 10-15 knots, Oracle.

Today's Race Program: 3 Fleet Races and 3 Match Races, modified to 3 Fleet Races and 1 Match race to fit time constraints after postponement.

Cascais Results | Regatta Format

Match Race Complete:
Oracle4 (Spithill) versus ETNZ.  Match is a best of 1 Race.  Start at 10 minutes past the hour.  The first AC45 match racing in earnest.  Entry sequence starts at minus two minutes, the boats are in. 

Gun goes off and we are match racing!  ETNZ to windward as the boats tack to starboard at the line, and the Kiwis get a nice jump and lead by a few lengths. At the first mark, Oracle jibes away for the right-hand side, ETNZ doesn't cover right away, and Oracle starts to gain, builds to a 70m lead down the first leeward leg.  ETNZ gets better wind though, and better angle, and comes back ahead by the first downwind cross.

ETNZ turns right at the bottom gate, has opened over 20 seconds on Oracle, who turns left. Cross coming, dial up attempt by Oracle on starboard, ETNZ goes down.  Boats come together again at the top mark, ETNZ on starboard, gets into the circle in time, has rights, and both boats round to the right and head downwind, very close, with ETNZ just ahead.

The boats split, and ETNZ opens a sizable lead by staying on the right-hand side.  At the bottom gate, it's a 56-second delta to ETNZ, with the Kiwis going for the right again, and Oracle going for the left.  Up the final windward leg, it's a big lead still for the Kiwis, who round the top mark and head for the finish with the match in the bag.  ETNZ will win the match racing solidly over Oracle, but the finish delta of 1:37 disguises the fact that there was some very good action in this race.
 

Catching a tiger. ETNZ sailed themselves back into Fleet Race 3 from the back of the fleet, and edged Korea for the win. Photo:©2011 Gilles Martin-Raget/americascup.com
 

Fleet Race 3:
Under 2 minutes to go.  Everyone trying for a port tack start near the RC boat.  Lots of OCS risk.  China, Oracle5, and ETNZ are over early.  Korea, Oracle4, Energy, and Aleph are into the lead heading downwind on the second leg.

Emirates Team New Zealand puts their top-two seeding for the day at risk with the OCS, but made big gains in Race 2, so it's not over for them.

Korea already at the bottom mark, will turn left, and take the right side of the course.  Energy second followed by Oracle 4.  Most boats turning left, except OR4 and OR5.  Korea still leading up the first windward, Energy in second, Artemis 3rd, Oracle4 has dropped to 4th.  ETNZ has closed to 5th, but if they give up more than 3 places to Korea or 2 places to Energy or Artemis, the Kiwis won't make the match race.

Top mark approaching, Korea around first, turns right, takes the favorite right hand-side of the course for the final leeward leg.  ETNZ has gained big, rounds second alongside Energy, both heading for the left, followed by Aleph and Coutts, everyone else to the right.  Team Korea's lead is up to 300m.  ETNZ and Spithill are neck and neck.

At the bottom gate, Korea turns right.  Up the final windward, their lead is shrinking.  ETNZ threatening to take the lead.  Energy in 3rd, Spithill in 4th.  The left doesn't pay for Korea, and ETNZ is clear ahead at the cross.

Around the top mark, ETNZ has a handy lead, followed by Korea, Energy, and Oracle 4 to the finish.  ETNZ wins, recovering beautifully from a slow start, and passes through to the match race for the day, along with Oracle4 (Spithill).

Energy notched two 3rds, finishing 4th in the standings Wednesday.
Photo:©2011 Gilles Martin-Raget/americascup.com

Fleet Race 2:
Start at 40 minutes after.  Warning gun at minus 5 minutes, pre-start begins at minus 2 minutes. Wind still spotty, but filling in. Under 2 minutes to go, boats setting up for the gun.

Oracle4 and Energy early leaders, penalty on Coutts. Penalty on Energy. 

On third leg, OR4, Artemis, Korea, and Energy. Top mark approaching, Artemis out to the right, will return on starboard to meet Oracle4 near the top gate.  But Artemis can't lay the gate, has to tack, Spithill gets there first, and they split the gates, Oracle going left, Artemis turning right.  China has a snafu at the mark, stops dead, gets passed by several boats.

On the final leeward leg, Artemis has done well on the right hand side, 30m lead over Oracle4 when they come back together.  Both turn right at the bottom gate, and head up the left side of the course.  Korea and ETNZ about 30 seconds behind, and taking the other gate, but look slow after rounding.  Wind is still spotty, but leaders Artemis and Oracle4 (Spithill) start to the left and cross to the right mid-way up.

Approaching the top of the final windward leg, shifts throw some curves into the leaders, Oracle can't lay the top gate, Artemis extends their lead, and gets ready to reach to the finish.  Behind them, Korea and ETNZ in a duel for third.

Artemis wins by 21 seconds over Spithill and OR4.  Korea is 3rd, ETNZ 4th, Energy 5th, Green Comm 6th, Oracle5 7th, China 8th, and Aleph 9th.

With Race 3 still to go, Emirates and Oracle4 are the favorites to meet in today's match race.
 

Fleet Race 1:
Everybody jockeying for boat end with 30 seconds to start. Oracle 5 and Artemis were over early and have to return.  Meanwhile OR4, Aleph, and Energy lead the fleet off to the races...

After the first (very short) leg, it's Oracle4 (Spithill), Aleph, Energy, and China in the lead.  Korea is in a wind hole, ETNZ rolls Green Comm after a slow start for the Kiwis and is gaining.  The wind remains erratic.

At the bottom mark, most of the boats turning right.  OR4 leads China, Energy, and Aleph, followed by ETNZ, Green Comm.  The OCS boats, Oracle5 (Coutts) and Artemis, lead Korea bringing up the rear up of the fleet at the bottom gate.

Oracle4 opens up a big lead on the upwind, and down to the gate again.  ETNZ makes big gains, holds a distant second place to the bottom of the leg, but Energy gets inside rights at the gate and is right on the Kiwis, close behind Aleph follows them up the left side of the course.  China takes the right.  Oracle4 keeps a 240m lead going up the final windward leg.  At the top, the boats will head to starboard and reach back to the start/finish line, a change from the first two days of racing which finished upwind.

Spithill rounds, and heads off to the line, winning big.  ETNZ is second by 1:20.  Energy 3rd (1:48), China 4th, Aleph 5th, Korea 6th, Artemis 7th, Green Comm 8th, Oracle5 (Coutts) 9th.  The top two boats after today's fleet races will match race at the end of the day.