Here we go, 20-21 knots of breeze, JPN very aggressive at the start!


Mike

I hate that one of these boats is going home today, what an awesome first upwind leg!!!

Mike

Game over, day over, semi-finals over. SWE moves on after one race today.

Barker made a critical error on the first beat, SWE took them up, passed and never looked back.

Mike

Very surprised to see Barker tack on top of SWE. He typically doesn't make those kinds of mistakes.

Speculation is that JPN hit something hard with their boards on the way out to the course, but it didn't seem to affect their boat speed

Mike

SWE looks very fast in heavy air and their consistency is improving.

I suspect the "Kiwi biker gang" v "singing swedes" (man that boat makes noise!) will be a true display of the question regarding outright speed vs. consistency.

Although I think Nathan really read and understood the rule book... I have no doubt that Barker is taking note of that.


Now that JPN is out, can they two-boat test USA with it?

Nathan and Dean's Press Conference

Racing Saturday

14:00 Bermuda
Challenger Playoffs Final Races 1-3

First team to win 5 races is the Challenger.

Lighter winds in the forecast

Awesome presser, two really likeable guys.

Mike

Forecast for 10-12 knots at the start of the first race, dying breeze later today. Apparently a front came through and the breeze is all over the map (in terms of velocity).

Nathan says he's using light air boards, and thinks NZL will be using heavy air boards. Ought to be interesting.

Mike

SWE port entry, on time. NZL a few seconds late into the box. Lots of floating in the uneventful pre-start, SWE on foils first and won the start by a bunch!

Mike

SWE led to the first leeward gate, NZL doesn't split. They just tacked, but SWE didn't cover right away. Neither boat did a foiling tack.

Mike

SWE may have just royally screwed themselves. Leading across on port, they tacked to leebow instead of crossing and going for the next starboard advantage.

And now, as I'm typing that, they just sailed past the boundary. Yikes...

Mike

1-0 NZL

Race 2 start (NBC ran ads over the first half of the pre-start????!!!!)...

Very aggressive by both boats, NZL defended against a hook, came in too early, tacked away to gap off. SWE first to the line, NZL tried to roll, but SWE luffed them away, led all the way to the leeward gate.

Split at the bottom, SWE tacked to cover. This will be a critical leg.

Mike

Both boats tacked over to port, SWE in good controlling position at the moment.

NZL tacked to stbd early of the boundary, SWE went to the limit.

Mike

SWE holding a good lead, tacked on top of NZL coming into the top gate. Very well done.

Kenny said both boats changed some crew members between races. Looks like SWE may have changed tactics as well?

Mike

NZL didn't go for the split. Interesting...

SWE doing well, they just need to stay clean and fast. NZL may have gained on the run.

Last beat, NZL followed SWE to the right side of the leeward gate. Very odd.

Mike

Percy talking about hitting them hard on the next tack (close cover). Finally, the light bulb has come on...

Mike

Setting up for a split at the final windward gate, SWE should have one fewer tack to make.

Split at that gate. SWE setting themselves up for a port crossing further down the leg. Oh boy...

Mike