Key events
Team Emirates New Zealand win the America’s Cup
Team New Zealand have successfully defended the America’s Cup after beating Ineos Britannia 7-2 in Barcelona! This is their third America’s Cup win in a row and there was little doubt after they came back from a nervy start in race seven.
Leg 5 of 6: Ineos Britannia close the gap again. Team NZ cross as they click into a right hand shift and then tack on top of their opponents. The Defender are at the port marker at 43 knots with a lead of 17sec.
Leg 4 of 6: The gap has widened again and there is a big right hand shift at the bottom of the course. Ineos Britannia are still in this but they need to pick up the pace because, right now, Team NZ are two legs away from winning the 2024 America’s Cup.
Leg 3 of 6: Ineos comes back on starboard with the lead down to 50 metres and the Kiwis tack immediately on their bow. The Defender are forced to … well defend, and there is just enough room for them to maintain the lead. It’s a drag race to the top gate with only 10m between the two boats.
Leg 2 of 6: The gap now goes up to 325m and a third of the race distance is done for the Defender. Many predicted that the slower conditions would favour Ineos Britannia but Team NZ are proving that is not even remotely the case.
Leg 1 of 6: The Brits are a bit faster at the start and the two boats go back in forth a bit but Team NZ then gain a healthy lead of about 250m. Ineos Britannia end the first leg 0:19 behind the Defender.
The race committee has just confirmed that race nine is a go. The wind has finally picked up to gusts up to 11 knots but in the lull areas it’s only at around five – the two teams will have to be careful to avoid those areas. We will be off in a few moments!
An email to keep up company while we wait! Andy writes:
I tuned into the live feed a little late and was delighted to see Brittania in the lead. With some gentle fist pumps I switched to the Guardian live blog … only to find I was watching the replay from Wednesday.
All I can hope for now its some foreshadowing and that Brittania keeps the contest alive, at least until the second race.
Indeed, we are now watching a replay of race 6 and judging by the chat alongside the YouTube live feed and viewers on X, you are not the only one Andy!
Race 9 delayed
Wind has yet to pick up 10 minutes after the scheduled start time and the sailors are now being told that race nine has officially been delayed 30 minutes.
Start is slightly delayed due to the calmer winds, but the meteorologists are confident that conditions will pick up. The wind is now only at about 6 knots. The teams are already on the water waiting on their boats.
Let’s take a quick look at the weather. The offshore wind from the north-west is still present but by midday it should subside and leave light conditions for the early afternoon. Sea state will be calm and the sky should clear up. It should be sunny with temperatures of up to 21C.
Their backs are against the waves wall but Ben Ainslie has not given up yet.
There’s no second chances. We’ve got to win every race from now on in. In some ways, that helps the scenario. The siege mentality really kicks in and you’re in the ultimate fight. We still think we can go further in this competition and we’re determined to do that.
The story of the America’s Cup so far this year is Team New Zealand’s ability to start fast and make the right decision when it comes to how best to utilise the win.
From Andy Bull’s report yesterday:
Emirates Team New Zealand tacked right into the stronger wind down the side of the course and swept ahead into an insurmountable lead. By the start of the last leg of the race, they were almost a kilometre in front.
Read the full verdict from Barcelona here.
Preamble
It is do or die for Ineos Britannia in Barcelona today. They are 6-2 down in a first-to-seven race for the 2024 America’s Cup and now need to win every single race ahead of them in order to become the first team from Britain to win the Auld Mug.
The Defender, Team Emirates New Zealand, cruised to wins in yesterday’s two races. They started strong in both and there seemingly was no questions about who would cross the finish line first.
But today’s a new day! Can Ben Ainslie and his crew defy all the odds?
Start time for race nine is scheduled for 1.10pm BST. Let’s get to sailing.
