The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup came to a dramatic conclusion on Saturday off Barcelona, Spain, when Defender Emirates Team New Zealand notched match point against the Challenger INEOS Team Britannia, solidifying its place in modern Cup history. They are now officially the first continuous team to win the America’s Cup three times in a row.

“This has been an amazing challenge, and I am so proud of our team,” said New Zealand skipper Peter Burling, who bested the British with a score of 7-2. “We are looking forward to hoisting the trophy, as it is a very special moment. We had amazing conditions today and we really enjoyed that last race. Great Britain can also be very proud of all they have achieved and how far they have come.”

The final race featured the light air conditions that are typical of Barcelona in October, and a delayed start meant that up to 5,000 Kiwis along the beaches and on spectator boats waited patiently while being equally matched by a large contingent of passionate British fans, many of whom traveled to Barcelona overnight to get a chance to watch their team in what would be its final challenge to the Defender.

Finally, after an hour delay, the arrival of 6 knots of consistent breeze soon set the stage for the final race. INEOS Britannia dominated the pre-start. Yet the Kiwis managed to take full advantage of wind pressure on their side of the course just after the start and took an early, slight lead. As noted in a media release after the finish, “It was a master class of wind-reading and sailor’s intuition, with Burling, Nathan Outteridge, Blair Tuke, and Andy Maloney sharing information effectively between them and reacting accordingly.”

Despite the next six legs being a textbook-style match race with extremely close racing, the British could not seize on an opportunity to pass the Kiwis, although the teams were neck-and-neck on their way to the downwind mark near the end of the race with zero seconds separating them.

“We saw that moment as our chance to get around them. But it was not to be. They maintained their advantage,” said skipper and co-helmsman Sir Ben Ainslie. “Each and every time we race these boats, we are one step closer, while I must give credit to Team New Zealand on their amazing performance. They are the best team in the modern history of the America’s Cup.”

Although the British team went down fighting, the final race did give the Defender a chance to showcase the sheer speed and control of their AC 75 and their boathandling mastery. INEOS Britannia has also shown great speed skill throughout this event, and true to form they remained super fast downwind and got close to taking the lead. But the Kiwis skillfully and without error held their lead in the boundary style racing and finished 37 seconds ahead.

Burling put it in perspective as he struggled to take in just what he and the team had achieved, saying, “It’s a pretty surreal feeling, it’s still definitely sinking in. In the America’s Cup you’re all ready for a long battle, but to be able to get it done today in just beautiful sailing conditions with a little bit of shift in it and just so many people cheering us on was amazing.”

Although the British team felt that they were dominating the pre-starts, they did agree that they needed another week or two to get an advantage from that point on.

“As a challenger the deck is always stacked against you, but we have progressed a long way and they will be scared of us next time,” said co-helmsman and Olympic medalist Dylan Fletcher of INEOS Britannia.

“We learn so much and this is now our third time challenging for the Cup,” added Ainslie. “They sailed immaculately. When you get beaten by a team at that level you just must take your hats off to them. It’s no surprise really. They have been at this for 30 to 35 years and every time they do it, they get stronger.”

October 2024