Emirates Team New Zealand made history & man, was it so sweet. That's it we did it! The America's Cup still belongs to New Zealand! Elation! Absolute elation! Look at them aboard their yacht, they're losing it, you can just see the pain, when it's close it hurts & much more, look at their elation! Pandemonium! Absolute scenes! Me oh my I have enjoyed that, yes boy!
Well, for the 2nd time in history (And 4th time overall), Burling's men in black (And red) of Emirates Team New Zealand (Which had competed since 1986/87 after Australia's success by winning the Auld Mug in 1983 as the New Zealand Challenge in the Louis Vuitton Cup then Team New Zealand in 1995 in which was successful in San Diego & now ETNZ since 2007) has completed the ultimate job, the America's Cup (Which is the sport's oldest prize as well as the pinnacle in international sailing & one of world yachting's most prized possessions) is still ours after beating Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the epic 10th & final race of the 36th America's Cup match (Both races have been originally scheduled but only one was required to claim yachting's ultimate prize yet again just like in Bermuda 2017 because it has been a familiar & similar story to all Kiwis (And I mean what a victory, what a great victory) to remember by 46 seconds at the city of sails of Tamaki Makaurau in Auckland in front of a huge flotilla of boats on race course A (The one in the Hauraki Gulf that Team New Zealand were able to follow it up from San Diego way back in 1995 in Auckland in 2000 then they failed to defend it in 2003) that we used to claim the series at 7 - 3 on St Patrick's Day (AKA Green Day) today on the 17th of March 2021 (We first did it on the 13th of May 1995 (Mother's day back in New Zealand on the 14th of May in 1995) when we 1st won the America's Cup against the Dennis Conner led Stars & Stripes (Whose boat was slower but had found a new way of twisting the rules when they allowed to use their rivals boat which is Young America) in San Diego then we did it again on the 2nd of March 2000 when we defended the cup against the Prada Luna Rossa Challenge of Italy in Auckland, then we once again did it on the 26th of June 2017 (It was on the 27th of June New Zealand time in 2017) by winning the America's Cup against Oracle Team USA after 17 long years in Bermuda & now, we have done it again today by following up our success from Bermuda in 2017 by defending the cup against Pitbull Jimmy (Spithill) & co of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in Auckland meaning that Emirates Team New Zealand is now a 4 time champion of the America's Cup (The 1st non-American syndicate to win the America's Cup then defending it twice) but I was like oh my word when ETNZ crossed the line to take the win & defend the Auld Mug (Well, I was over the moon & had been getting goosebumps when I watched the America's Cup programs I recorded it on TV when we triumphed yet again on home waters (Well, at least we didn't give up the fight during the series but I wonder the headlines would probably say: THE AMERICA'S CUP REMAINS IN KIWI HANDS or more like: THE AULD MUG STAYS IN AOTEAROA) & we did follow our legacy when we retained the America's Cup way back in 2000 because I am so relieved about it) so here's the live updates provided by Newshub (It'll be the 1st time that I'll be doing live updates of the America's Cup):
Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the America's Cup series between Emirates Team NZ and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli off Auckland.
Defenders Team NZ are poised to retain the trophy, after building their match advantage to 6-3 on Tuesday, needing just one more win to raise the 'Auld Mug' aloft.
While the first six races of the best-of-13 series were shared between the rivals, the Kiwis have swept the last four and established some dominance over the Italians, who must now win all the remaining races to snatch the Cup.
More importantly, Team NZ have well-and-truly broken the early trend of leaders at the first mark continuing on to win the race. They achieved that again yesterday, when they rode a puff of wind near the top gate to pass Luna Rossa on the penultimate leg and held that advantage to the end.
While Tuesday's action took place on Course C - the spectator-friendly 'stadium course' - race director Iain Murray has created a hybrid of Courses A and B - the northernmost tracks - to capture the expected northeast winds.
The best spots to view racing from the shore are Cheltenham Beach, Narrow Neck Beach and Takapuna Beach Reserve, Takapuna Beach, Milford Beach and any of the other East Coast Bays.
Like yesterday, the breeze is expected to be in the 10-15 knots range for today's first race, but dropping later.
Team NZ helmsman Peter Burling always appeals as an ice-cool customer, but his team will not want to take this contest into a final day. They need to finish it today, or the spectre of Jimmy Spithill and his 2013 San Francisco comeback will weigh heavily on them tonight.
First race is due to start at 4:15 PM, with the second scheduled for 5:15 PM if needed.
3:20 PM: Beautiful day on Auckland harbour and crowds were dribbling into the viaduct area early today to celebrate St Patrick's Day. Can you imagine the celebrations tonight, if Team NZ can seal the deal?
Mayhem!
3:26 PM: Conditions very still out on the course, but expected to pick up later. Maybe we only get one race again today...
Wind reading at the head of the course of seven knots, barely above the 6.5 threshold.
4:01 PM: Team NZ are already out on the course and up on their foils, so that's hopeful. Weather experts out on the course are hoping for 12 knots of wind.
PRE-START: The Italians will have port entry for the first race today and the chance to dictate terms in the start box, although that has now become less important than it seemed earlier in the series, when every race went to the port entrants.
Eight knots on the start-line and wind building outside the course, so looks promising for a timely start.
Race committee has postponed the race, due to light winds shifting to the right, so new start time is 4:30pm. Will we get a second race today?
Officials are shifting the course, so the wind blows directly up the course. This happened last night, when we ran out of time for a second race.
4:26 PM: Race delayed further until 4:40pm, just to add to the tension.
But the wind has arrived, gusting to 13 knots, and both teams are now reviewing what size sails to use in these changing conditions.
We're basically just to match the course orientation with the wind direction now.
4:28 PM: Fan fact, Luna Rossa have won three of the four races on Course A during this series, so they feel at home here.
Race committee pushes race out to 4:45pm.
4:38 PM: Wind at 12 knots on the start-line, and the course seems to be aligned and ready to go.
Another fun fact, there have been no passes on Course A during this series, so the start becomes important again.
START: Race committee has completed wind sampling and the race is live (Well, from my point of view according to the race committee that the breeze sampling has been complete meaning that there is live racing).
Remember, Italy first into the start area. They arrive on time, Team NZ follow and turn to track their rivals to the right boundary.
Italy tack at the boundary and NZ turn the other direction, closer to the start line. Luna Rossa may try to cut them off here...
Both boats trying for the right side of the line.
Team NZ has the right and immediately tack that way.
1ST LEG: Italy have a slight lead, as they head to the left side of the course, NZ to the right.
Both tack back towards the centre and Team NZ seem to have the advantage by 100m.
The Kiwis have 50 has the cross in front and immediately tack over the top of Luna Rossa, who immediately tack back left to split.
As they head to the right boundary again, NZ have 90m on their opponents.
The boats are still wide apart, but Italy have their noses in front now, leading by about 20-30m.
They cross again and NZ are ahead by 10m. Luna Rossa continue right, NZ left.
Team NZ will round the top gate first, aiming for the right mark. Luna Rossa will take the left mark seven seconds back.
2ND LEG: Team NZ head down the left side of the course at 43 knots downwind. Their lead reaches 250m, before the tack back towards the centre.
The boats will cross again, with NZ 130m ahead. Both content to sail their own races, NZ heading right and Italy left.
Team NZ jibe back left, where the better wind is, they still lead by 100m.
Luna Rossa arrive at the boundary and jibe right. They will cross 100m behind, but Team NZ immediately jibe to cover them.
Team NZ jibe late to take the left mark at the bottom of the course, with Luna Rossa only nine seconds behind.
3RD LEG: Both boats heading to the right side of the course, with Italy in the wind shadow right now. NZ lead now 250m.
The Italians tack right and Team NZ continue a while, before following to cover.
Both boats continuing to shadow one another back and forwards across the course, NZ 260m up.
Luna Rossa tack back to the right of the course and the margin grows to 300m.
Italy reach the right boundary and tack back to centre, Team NZ are now heading right and will cross 300m ahead.
Team NZ will lay for the top mark from the right and tack on the lay line now.
Luna Rossa will lay from the left, but the Kiwis beat them to the gate, rounding the left mark at halfway. Italy continue to the right mark, now 27s back.
4TH LEG: The Kiwis' lead is now 400m and the shore crew must be loosening the corks on the champagne.
Team NZ travelling at 41 knots downwind, where they are strong. The lead stretches to 500m.
Both boats heading right now, but Luna Rossa arrive at the boundary and jibe. They are now 630m behind.
Team NZ lay for the bottom gate, taking the right mark and heading upwind for possibly the last time this regatta.
5TH LEG: Italy follow at 37 seconds behind. The lead is 470m on the water.
Both boats heading across the course to the right, Team NZ just covering their opponents to make sure they can't find something different.
They tack left, but Italy are making no headway into the lead, which holds steady at 490m.
Luna Rossa tack right, but Team NZ may continue to lay from the left.
They tack on the lay line and line up that top gate for the last time????
NZ round the right mark and head downwind towards the finish - and the Cup!
6TH LEG: NZ sail past Luna Rossa, who are still heading for the top gate, powerless to make an impression, now 49 seconds behind.
The margin is 650m on the water and Team NZ are steaming.
Jimmy Spithill looks forlorn on Luna Rossa, as he falls further behind.
FINISH: There is nothing more for Italy to try to steal victory - they can only take their hats off to the Kiwis.
NZ hit the left lay line and head to the finish...
They win! Team NZ have retained the 'Auld Mug'! (That's it, Emirates Team New Zealand take the victory in race 10 & the party has started for Team New Zealand! Flawless execution).
Now they can celebrate (''The America's Cup remains New Zealand's Cup!'')...Luna Rossa trail home 46 seconds behind.
RACE 10
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli v Emirates Team NZ
Team NZ win by 46 seconds, win series 7-3 (''Sailing's most treasured prize, the Americas Cup, stays in New Zealand!'' (As said by Sky NZ's Stephen McIvor on the world feed commentary along with former America's Cup helmsmen from America & Australia respectively, Ken Read (Ex Stars & Stripes) & Nathan Outteridge (Formerly from Artemis Racing), Olympic gold medalist Shirley Robertson & INEOS Team UK's David 'Freddie' Carr)...''The Auld Mug is Aotearoa's again!'' (In the famous words of famed rugby, cricket & now sailing commentator (Who used to work with Sky NZ before joining Spark Sport & TVNZ in 2019) Scotty J 'Sumo' Stevenson on TVNZ's coverage of the 36th America's Cup (Stevenson was with former Kiwi America's Cup sailor Peter Lester, foiling expert & SailGP skipper Phil Robertson & reporter Jesse Tuke (Brother of now twice America's Cup champion sailor for ETNZ, Blair) as the other commentators).
And what went right for Emirates Team New Zealand to win an America's Cup like this? Because consistency was the key & it was a motivating factor of winning the final race (Imagine the last race of the Americas Cup is like a final of a soccer, cricket or rugby union world cup because the America's Cup race is sorta like a soccer, cricket or rugby union match (Soccer last 90 minutes (There are 2 45 minute halves as well as stoppage time) while cricket has 3 traditional formats of the game (A test match lasts 5 days (There are 2 innings per side), a one day international lasts 50 overs (There's just a single inning per side) & T20 lasts 20 overs (Same as ODI with 1 inning per side) & rugby union lasts 80 minutes (And there are 2 40 minute halves) but the partying has just begun yesterday in Auckland & the rest of the country here in New Zealand on St Paddy's Day celebrating in honor of the tremendous & glorious win by the Kiwis from our perspective who had to sign off the 36th America's Cup match in style with a faster boat called Te Rehutai against the Italians who had to give it their all during the competition (Well same story but same result for ETNZ just like in 2017 which injected new blood (And at least we were rejuvenated) such as the dynamic duo by Olympic silver & gold medalists Peter 'Pete' Burling & Blair Tuke (The perfect or should I say the best New Zealand sporting pair since the days of Hamish Bond & Eric Murray which dominated the rowing world from 2009 until the last Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 & there was Joe Sullivan who was once an Olympic champion with Nathan Cohen in rowing in 2012 but decided to retire from the sport to pursue a career in firefighting & is now a twice an America's Cup champion with Emirates Team New Zealand (First he was a cyclor in 2017 then a grinder this year) & the other crew members I barely remember apart from Glenn Ashby (Now a twice America's Cup winner along with Burling & Tuke) was Ray Davies (Who is the coach aboard the New Zealand yacht & back-up helmsman to Peter Burling), Guy Endean, Steven Ferguson (Son of Olympic kayaking legend Ian who was originally tried out a a swimmer then took up kayaking & is now a sailor), Finn Henry, Marcus Hansen, Carlo Huisman (The Dutchman), Josh Junior, Mike Lee, Andy Maloney, Simon van Velthooven (Olympic bronze medalist in cycling in London 2012) & Marius van der Pol (Ex military officer) in Bermuda where we had to write all the wrongs after the pain & agony in 2013 which resulted in a ultimate comeback by Oracle Team USA dubbed as the miracle of San Francisco (We tried to win on match point just days before the comeback from Oracle had happened but we were robbed because the time limit had been expired) & I mean, what a way to finish for our very own defenders Emirates Team New Zealand to end an America's Cup like this, what a race for our viewers right around the world (Although the penultimate race of this years America's Cup match was arguably the best race ever during the 2021 edition when Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli were leading during the race then they lost the lead to ETNZ who overtook the Italians before the penultimate leg & we crossed the finish line to be on match point (Well, to start with, the America's Cup was at stake going into race 10 when Team New Zealand dominated the race after trailing at the start meaning that the oldest trophy in international sport, the Auld Mug, stays in New Zealand) compared to the worst race of America's Cup 36 which is race 8 in what was to be the weirdest, bizarre race of all time in the history of the America's Cup after Emirates Team New Zealand fell off our foils while attempting to go for the lead of the race handing Luna Rossa a huge advantage before their hopes of victory had taken away when they fell off their foils (And at least they were fallen flat when they lost the lead) & got penalized for sailing outside the boundary line not once, not twice but 3 times by the umpires when ETNZ found puffs & got back up to speed before we surely won that infamous race when race 8 was reduced to 5 legs from the original 6 according to the race committee & I love the last 3 races of the America's Cup but I prefer race 10 by the way as my favourite race of this years America's Cup match when Team New Zealand won & completed our 2nd successful defence of the Auld Mug just like in 2000 we were we able to follow that legacy & to follow up our victory in Bermuda in 2017 (Our 3rd America's Cup win in Bermuda in 2017 is just like our 1st America's Cup success in 1995 in San Diego (And from San Diego 1995 to Auckland 2000 & now Bermuda 2017 to Auckland 2021) & that surely is the stairway to yachting heaven...What a day out at the Hauraki Gulf.
And here is the article about Emirates Team New Zealand's remarkable victory according to today's Whanganui Chronicle newspaper:
Cup Holders
Team NZ flawless as they lock up the cup yet again
Early in the America's Cup match, Peter Burling came under fire for his performances in the pre-start in their clash against Luna Rossa. But yesterday afternoon on the Waitemata Harbour, Burling produced a superb pre-start to seal a famous Cup victory. The more comfortable Team New Zealand got in a racing environment, the better their all-round performance got &, in what was the final race of the series, Burling had the number of his Luna Rossa opposite Jimmy Spithill in the starting box. Claiming the preferred side of the race course out of the start, Team New Zealand went on with the job to claim the America's Cup for the 4th time. As Team New Zealand celebrated, Spithill addressed the race committee & thanked them for the event, before addressing his counterparts. "Pete, if you can hear me, congrats, mate, to you & the whole team." Spithill said after the race. "We need to go have a beer with the Kiwis" added the Aussie co-helmsman. From the beginning of the race, it was clear both teams were trying to set up an entry onto the course on the right-hand side. A superbly sailed start & well executed tack immediately after the starting line saw the Kiwis take that desired side of the course & protect it on the opening leg of the race - tacking in the face of Luna Rossa when the first cross came. While the right-hand side was preferred from the start, the shifty conditions meant it was a matter of connecting the best puffs to try & make gains. Luna Rossa sailed a good second leg, reading the conditions well & gaining ground on Team New Zealand. But while they were gaining some ground in terms of metres, Team New Zealand found two seconds more on the second leg. Neither team rounded the gate particularly well, but with Luna Rossa sailing in the dirty air of Team New Zealand coming into the bottom mark, Team New Zealand were able to put some space between the two vessels. Before long, a lead of less than 100m expanded to more than 300m midway through the third leg as Team New Zealand began to put the hammer down. That showed in the gap between the boats at the halfway point, with Team New Zealand extending their lead threefold. That lead only grew on each of the next two legs, with the defender locking away the Auld Mug in impressive fashion.
Gate margins
Gate 1: NZ 7sec
Gate 2: NZ 9sec
Gate 3: NZ 27sec
Gate 4: NZ 37sec
Gate 5: NZ 49sec
Final: NZ 46sec
And finally my last thoughts before I wrap this blog up? It was fantastic! Absolutely incredible! Well done Peter Burling (New Zealand's America's Cup hero now during the modern era (Because Russell Coutts was the original Kiwi America's Cup hero) as well as being the self proclaimed America's Cup master during modern times) but the age of Burling continues as well as the dynasty of Emirates Team New Zealand lives on due to our success in the America's Cup which happened on Wednesday but I'm going to remember race 10 of America's Cup 2021 for a long time) & the one who hoisted the Auld Mug aloft during the post race presentation ceremony meaning that the America's Cup is still in New Zealand's hands while his teammates sprayed champagne whilst celebrating). Go Kiwi! (See you in possibly 2023 (They must take place a year before the Paris Olympics in 2024) when the next America's Cup takes place, not in Auckland in New Zealand (Because of the syndicates think that it's expensive to come down under) but elsewhere like Cowes in Portsmouth but INEOS Team UK representing the Royal Yacht Squadron might be Emirates Team New Zealand's new challenger of record taking over from Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli representing Circolo de la Vella Sicilia).
So that is my 406th blog of the year 2021 (MMXXI) & my 26th of this year.
P.S. And me, Pops & Carole went to Thai Villa for a celebratory dinner as a result of our incredible victory in the sailing today because we had a korero there & had the satay noodle stir fry which I quite enjoyed & had a wonderful time there to wrap up the day.
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