AMERICA'S CUP QUALIFYING ROUND - DAY 3

Tough loss for Artemis Racing, a welcomed win for Softbank Team Japan

Race 13 – Land Rover BAR vs Groupama Team France

In the first race of the day, Ainslie and Land Rover BAR matched up against Cammas’ team on Groupama Team France. BAR had the advantage from the start and seemed to be running away with the race, until Groupama came back with impressive speed in Leg 3 – it took nothing but a shaky rounding from BAR for Groupama to the steal lead. Before the next gate BAR had closed back in on the Frenchmen, hitting a fascinating 40 knots boat speed, but still a boat length or two behind. Groupama managed to hold them off and ultimately secured a lead of 53 seconds at the finish, claiming their 2nd race in two days.

Race 14 – Emirates Team New Zealand vs Artemis Racing

Next, in the most action-packed race we’ve seen so far, Emirates Team New Zealand and Artemis Racing faced off in the second match of the day. Over seven legs we saw nine lead changes, starting and finishing with a penalty. Artemis Racing punched the start a half-second early, and ironically fell victim to another penalty around the final mark – a close call initiated by the Kiwis, asking for more room to round. From the looks of it, Artemis gave way to the inside boat, but according to Pete Burling on ETNZ more room is needed when approaching a rounding at speeds up to 40 knots. Otteridge and crew were unable to exonerate the penalty before the finish, seeding the win to Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand. Note: America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM), the independent organization that oversees the rules of the America’s Cup, shed light on the umpires decision here.

Race 15 – Groupama Team France vs Softbank Team Japan

In Race 3, Groupama Team France aimed to continue their winning streak when they faced off with SoftBank Team Japan. Unfortunately for Groupama, the Japanese pulled off a beautiful start and crossed the line to windward, with about 10 knots more pace on. Barker and Softbank Team Japan crushed ahead with boatspeed hitting 38 knots, and maintained 100% fly time until a slight nose dive in Leg 5. A comfortable, yet welcome win for SoftBank Team Japan.