The fifth race day of the 27th America’s Cup and Emirates Team New Zealand face a new scenario with INEOS Britannia having put two wins on the scoreboard.
DAY 5 RACE NEWS UPDATE:
Emirates Team NZ finish day 5 with 6 – 2 lead.
Wind conditions, 10-12 kts for Race 7
Wind conditions, 12 kts, gusts 17 kts for Race 8
14:10 BST – AC37 Race 8 – Close start, Ineos Britannia take RH end, but Emirates Team NZ middle of line start to lead with 125 metre cross.
Gate 1 – NZL lead by 15 sec and 270 metres
Gate 2 – NZL lead by 25 sec
Gate 3 – NZL lead by 41 sec
Gate 4 – NZL lead by 36 sec
Gate 5 – NZL lead by 23 sec
Gate 6 – NZL lead by 27 sec
Gate 7 – NZL lead by 50 sec
FINISH 14:42 – Emirates Team NZ win by 55 sec, 1049 metres.
MATCH SCORE – NZL 6, GBR 2
13:10 BST – AC37 Race 7 – Ineos Britannia looked to have the start, but NZL tack to RH side and get strong shift to take 200+ metre lead.
Gate 1 – NZL lead by 12 sec and 250 metres
Gate 2 – NZL lead by 13 sec
Gate 3 – NZL lead by 24 sec
Gate 4 – NZL lead by 29 sec
Gate 5 – NZL lead by 53 sec
FINISH 13:37– Emirates Team NZ Win by 1 min 13 sec
MATCH SCORE – NZL 5, GBR 2
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With the score now 4 – 2 , the race to complete seven race wins and claim the 37th America’s Cup has a new, revitalised feel.
The New Zealanders still have the upper-hand and will want to regain their early momentum, and move forward again after the error strewn performance Wednesday.
While the British team will be looking to prove that the two wins Wednesday were no fluke, and that they have lifted their performance and are genuine contenders for the Auld Mug.
To do that they cannot just level peg with the Kiwis, they need another double-win day to square the match, before real hopes can be raised . . . Every win from here is uncharted territory for the British team.
As ever the starts will be crucial, with winning the first gate rounding a significant – some would say essential – race winning indicator.
So much so that New Zealand Cup reporter, Richard Gladwell suggested that home based Kiwi supporters could head back to bed if Emirates rounded the first mark ahead, safe in the knowledge that the race was won!
Live View Here – Refresh page for race news updates
Day 5 Racing is scheduled from 13:00hrs UK (14:0 CST) Frisday 18 October.
Barcelona weather synopsis
Driven by a large scale pressure gradient, the offshore wind conditions remain over Barcelona Friday morning. In the afternoon winds expected around 7 to 12 knots from the West. Gusty and shifty conditions expected.
In the afternoon waves of 0.8 meter from the South at 5-second interval expected, waves not aligned with the wind.
AC Weather Forecast 18 Oct for 12:00 BST:
Wind – Westerly 7 knots increasing to 11 knots.
Note: Wind at 13:44 BST was 7 knots
Sea State – South 0.8m at 5s period
Temp – 18 deg Cloudy
The British team is lead by Ben Ainslie, the New Zealand team by Peter Burling.
