Well, in light of success of Emirates Team New Zealand's America's Cup campaign in Auckland 2 months ago against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, I have decided to do a blog about the live updates of races 8 & 9 of America's Cup 36 according to Newshub but 1st it's the live updates of race 8 which was considered the worst race of the 2021 America's Cup as well as the weirdest, bizarre race, in the history of the Auld Mug:
4:44 PM: Next race is scheduled for 5:15 pm.
START: Now is the time for Team NZ to go for jugular and become the first crew to win consecutive races in this series.
They will have the favored port entry for today's second race.
The course has been rotated to match a left hand wind shift in that last race. Neither team seem to have changed their jibs from the first contest, but the wind may drop for this one and Italy may retake the advantage.
Race committee has given the all-clear to race.
Team NZ are in the start box, Luna Rossa enter from starboard and turn to follow the Kiwis towards the right boundary.
The Italians could not turn as quickly as they liked and NZ have undercut them in their turn back towards the line.
Both boats early for the line and have to kill time.
They hit the line together and start the sprint...
1ST LEG: Luna Rossa get their noses in front and force the Kiwis to tack away right.
Luna Rossa have a 100m lead, but tack from the right boundary. As the boats head back together, the margin is 70m.
Team NZ continue left and Luna Rossa right, as the margin continues to shrink.
They actually take a lead of a few metres, but arrive at the boundary and have to tack back. Italy grab an immediate 100m lead.
Both boats sailing right, 150m apart, Luna Rossa ahead.
They reach the right boundary and tack left, NZ first.
Both heading to the left, but Luna Rossa may be laying for the top mark...
No, both will have to tack again, Italy lead around the right mark and Team NZ follow 16 seconds behind.
2ND LEG: Both boats head left, but jibe at the same time to head right.
Luna Rossa are 170m up and the difference is coming down as Team NZ hug the left boundary.
Team NZ are jibing back and forwards and make up ground.... but fall off their foils and that's the race right there!
The margin is 600m and growing fast. The Kiwis are dead in the water.
Conditions have become very fickle and there's a chance Italy could still fall off too.
Team NZ are mowing the lawn, trying to get back up on their foils, but they're now 2km behind.
Italy heading for the bottom gate now and only need to stay up to win.
Team NZ are back up and travelling at 35 knots, but their only hope is for Luna Rossa to also fall off their foils.
3RD LEG: The boats pass close, with Team NZ still completing the second leg. They pass safely.
The Kiwis finally arrive at the bottom gate 4m & 8s, which is about 1.7km on the water.
The wind is still soft at the other end of the course and Luna Rossa must still stay on their foils...
Italy tack left and stay up, but they'll need another before reaching the top gate.
They tack again and touch down - this is the chance Team NZ needed!
NZ achieving 28 knots upwind, Italy eight, but they're now floating around the top gate - the lead is down to 1.4km.
4TH LEG: Now Luna Rossa are mowing the lawn, just trying to generate enough speed to get back on their foils. Team NZ closing fast... but race committee has shortened the race to five legs.
Italy have incurred a boundary penalty - it's cleared.
The Kiwis have continued to foil upwind and are now arriving at the top gate, while their rivals continue to sail backwards and forwards on the spot.
Team NZ round the mark 4m 27s behind.... and they stay on their foils and take the lead. Wow!
This race could still go either way, if NZ fall off again, but Luna Rossa have another boundary penalty.
The Kiwis are now racing away... 800m ahead.
They're sailing at 33 knots downwind, well down on what they've managed in previous races, but their advantage is growing by the second.
The lead is now 1.5km.
Italy have another boundary penalty, Team NZ now 2km ahead, but Luna Rossa are back up on their foils. This isn't over yet.
Both boats are at 30 knots now.
Team NZ round the bottom mark and head upwind towards the revised finish. At some point, they will hit that soft air again...
5TH LEG: Team NZ need to maintain 25 knots to effectively tack on their foils - they're at 31 right now.
The advantage is coming down, but still easily controllable. That margin is irrelevant - if Team NZ can stay on their foils, they will win, but if they don't, it could still turn to custard.
Luna Rossa now just 2km behind - if 'just' is the right word and - round the bottom mark 4m 6s behind.
That lead continues to come down, but Team NZ are only a couple of tacks away from the finish.
Team NZ within 600m of victory, just under 2km ahead, but here comes the crucial tack...
FINISH: Team NZ go wide right to maintain speed in that tack and nail it.
They cross the line to win a dramatic race that swung one way and then the other, now leading the series 5-3.
Luna Rossa finish 3m 55s behind and must now regroup to keep this contest alive tomorrow. That's got to be gutting!
RACE 8
Emirates Team NZ v Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
Team NZ win by 3m 55s, lead series 5-3
5:59 PM: Two wins tomorrow would see Team NZ defend the America's Cup.
And finally here is another one which is the live updates of the penultimate race of race 9 of the 36th America's Cup match according to Newshub in one of the best races ever of America's Cup 2021 being billed as the greatest, classic America's Cup contests of all time:
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.
After meandering along for about three months without much real action, Monday's events more than made up for that, producing a couple of heart-stopping races that became instant classics.
Somehow, for the first time in this series, one team swept both and now Team NZ lead 5-3 in the race to seven wins and find themselves in a position to close out their defence of the 'Auld Mug' today.
Among yesterday's highlights was the Kiwis performing an actual mid-race pass to break the overwhelming trend that saw the boat leading at the first gate continuing on to win that race.
When the wind died and both yachts fell off their foils, Team NZ repeated the feat, recovering from a 2km deficit to win by 2km - an eight-minute turnaround that had everyone on a rollercoaster of emotions.
Two more wins today would see Kiwi fans celebrating tonight, but the weather and Luna Rossa helmsman Jimmy Spithill may yet have something to say about that.
Today's racing will take place on Course C - known as the 'stadium course', because it's the most spectator-friendly of the six available.
Located off Auckland's waterfront, the track is best viewed from North Head, Orakei, Bastion Point or anywhere along Tamaki Drive.
But with light winds forecast, the chances of completing two races today appear slim and the ability to stay airborne may again prove crucial.
3:10 PM: Looks like we may have enough wind for a couple of races today, with about 12-13 knots out on the harbour.
3:28 PM: Wind update, 15 knots at the head of the course, so looking good.
3:53 PM: Latest update, the wind is strong enough, but race directors may need to reorient the course to match wind direction.
PRE-START: Team NZ will have port entry in today's first race, but that no longer seems to be a relevant omen for who will win the race.
The course is set up for westerly winds, but we have south westerlies, so racing has been delayed, as we wait for the winds to change. If that doesn't happen soon, the course will be turned to cater to the prevailing direction.
Probably looking at a 4:30 pm start for now...
One of the problems with rotating the course will be clearing spectator boats that haven't lined the boundary and now have to move back from the new course. Hopefully, it won't come to that, but it has delayed racing before.
Race is further delayed to 4:45 pm, which is narrowing the window for completing two races today. The second race must start by 6 pm.
The course is being shifted closer to Course D, further out of the harbour and closer to St Heliers.
START: Race committee is happy for this race to start, so here we go...
Overhead observers say right side of the course is "light and flaky", so left is preferred.
Team NZ into the box, Luna Rossa enter from starboard and follow the Kiwis right to the boundary.
Both boats sailing away from the start, but Italy cut back first.
Team NZ end up at the port end of the line, which is the preferred end...
1ST LEG: The Kiwis have a small early lead as both boats head to the left boundary.
They tack simultaneously and head across the course to the right, still the Kiwis by a few metres.
Just flat out boat speed right now, neck and neck, although the Italians now have their noses in front.
NZ eventually tack away, gifting Italy a small lead. They may actually be laying for the top mark, while the Kiwis will need another tack.
Team NZ lay from the left and pass 30m behind Luna Rossa, heading for different marks. Italy lead around by one second.
Both boats seem to overshoot the lay line and then cut back sharply - Luna Rossa round the bottom gate eight seconds ahead.
2ND LEG: NZ cruising downwind at 43 knots to the left of the course and they have taken a 50m lead.
Italians cross 40m behind, as they head left, the Kiwis right. Luna Rossa get their noses back in front, but tack right to follow Team NZ.
Team NZ tack left and the lead is about 60m for Italy as they converge. The Kiwis cross behind as they head to the left boundary.
3RD LEG: Italy continue down the left, Team NZ split to the right and concede a 200m lead.
Both boats sailing towards the centre of the course from opposite directions, but Luna Rossa tack to cover the anticipated Team NZ course, but the Kiwis tack back right.
Italian lead is now 100m upwind.
The Kiwis eating into the lead, now down to 30m. Lots of talk off the boats.
Neck and neck now, as both boats sailing side by side only a few metres apart.
Both tack away to the right, Italy with a 60m lead.
Luna Rossa arrive at the top gate and round the left mark first, nine seconds ahead.
4TH LEG: This is probably the best actual race we've seen so far and still anyone's to win, although Italy are now out to 100m.
Team NZ are supposedly stronger downwind, so this is a chance for them to force a pass.
Both arrive at the left boundary and jibe right - the margin is 80m. NZ sailing perhaps 2-3 knots faster, but sailing in bad air.
They jibe left and the lead is 100m.
Luna Rossa have built a good margin now as they approach the right layline, Team NZ laying from the left.
Italy round the left mark, NZ the right and they are only three seconds back, as they split.
5TH LEG: Team NZ head down the left of the course, Luna Rossa down the right and as they tack back to the centre, they're back on parity.
Italy will cross ahead and the margin is 40m, both boats continue to opposite sides of the course, NZ to the right.
Italy still have a 80 m lead, as Team NZ arrive at the right boundary and tack back.
Both boats hit the centre of the course, Italy leading by 70m, but they tack away, NZ back to the right.
Luna Rossa choosing to protect the left side of the course, but that seems like a bad choice, as the Kiwis find a puff and build a 100m lead, heading into the bottom gate.
Team NZ round the left mark first, Luna Rossa 18 seconds behind.
6TH LEG: The Kiwis are steaming downwind at 40 knots towards the finish and their advantage has quickly grown to 400m.
Both boats heading to the left boundary and tack back, but Italy need to do something different - time is running out for them.
Team NZ may be heading for the right lay line now, now 500m ahead.
FINISH: Team NZ cross the line and are now on match point in the America's Cup, after another masterful performance to overhaul the Italians.
Luna Rossa cross 30 seconds behind, their backs hard against the wall now.
RACE 9
Emirates Team NZ v Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
Team NZ win by 30 seconds, lead series 6-3 (Match point)
So that is my 418th blog of the year 2021 (MMXXI) & my 38th of this year.
P.S. And it has been a week since I last saw my old friend Leon Benbaruk & his new partner Michelle Johansson (Although both of them live in Auckland now since Leon's marriage with Hanne ended abruptly last year) when they came to stay here at our place until last Sunday when they left to go home (We went to Mint for brunch where I had the big breakfast & Frank Bar for dinner (I had a pizza there (The last time I ate a pizza was last week so we're having pizza with salad for dinner) because Caroline's was full (We did go there yesterday with Carole (Who I haven't seen her since yesterday because I always tell Pops about it) where I had a warm marinated chicken salad (Next time when I go to Caroline's for lunch I'll be having catch of the day).
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