America’s Cup 2017 @Bermuda, Louis Vuitton Final: TNZ 2 vs Artemis 1

All images ACEA / Ricardo Pinto & Gilles Martin Raget – Finals Day 1 Video sent by Team New Zealand check their written report here, 2nd Video: Day 1 review by Artemis Racing, their own report here. –  3rd vid: Nathan’s Wipeout video by ACEA –

America’s Cup Louis Vuitton Finals 2017 Emirates Team New Zealand vs Artemis Racing
R1- Better start for Nathan way ahead with Burling being too conservative. Artemis controls downwind through the downwind gate. Split for TNZ and the tractor starts its drive towards the Swede AC50 pairing together towards  the left  boundary  Artemis manages to go high mode to defend their speed deficit.
Reaching course limits TNZ tacks , Artemis continues some mtrs to ‘score’ another boundary penalty… that hurt plenty.
From then on cruise control for the Kiwi for 1-0

R2-  More wind for the second race, good start for Outteridge again who seems to be getting  rhythm in this key aspect of  Match Racing.
Nathan controls Burling  towards the reaching mark to establish 2-3 boat lenght, enough to keep TNZ behind at gate 2 by only 4 secs. TNZ goes left side of the course, Artemis covers.
Iain Percy is not grinding that much now trying to concentrate on tactics, 1 down already no more room for unforced errors.
Both team nail their foiling tack , Artemis keeps the pace in front and heads to opposite boundary where New Zealand tacks earlier , Percy decide to let them go and Artemis continues towards course limits.
Moves pays off as Nathan founds more pressure and establish a bigger gap over Burling.

Good 150mts for the entire  2nd downwind leg for SWE.  Covering tactics for the Swede Team. TNZ has better speed but Nathan can keep high mode to compensate.
200 Mtrs for the windward mark (gate 5) and Artemis let the Kiws to split once more showing confidence on their tactics . 12 secs ahead Artemis guards the advantage obtained on pure perfect tactics and boat handling. Percy is delivering a Master Class on Match Racing and even with a velocity handicap.

That’s the level you need to achieve to grab a race for Team New Zealand as shown also by Ben Ainslie.
TNZ finish 15 seconds behind.
Loui Vuitton Final tied 1-1 , and this Cup keeps getting better and better.

R3. 12.5knots of wind , more pressure than the two previous races. Even start , only at the line , cause Nathan accelerates from windward rolling over TNZ with superior speed. Third consecutive win for Nathan over Burling for the start procedures today.
40knots of boat speed at the first reaching mark, Artemis ahead by only two secs., wind around 14 knots now.
More wind and more pumping to fuel hydraulics required but Percy continues monitoring the course leaving energy generation to the other 3 grinders.
Split at the first downwind gate, TNZ going left side.  Tacks for both teams and first crossing, TNZ behind about 2 boat lenghts.  Percy calls to continue without covering the Kiwis , as Artemis looks for more pressure, (needed as air to breath when having less final speed).

Next crossing , a snapshot shows 26knts for SWE and 31knots for TNZ.
Minimum gap at the first windward gate , another split for the downwind.
Kiwis are faster , but Nathan keeps pointing better to compensate along Percy’s tactics, Artemis manages to stay ahead of the Flying Tractor V2 Turbo…
SWE still ahead second downwind gate.

Last upwind leg, SWE continues tight control crossing ahead both around 30knots upwind. Reaching the last windward mark….and man overboard!! for Artemis as they complete their last tack towards the mark.

First glance salor on the water has a mic on the helmet, the blue AC50 continues, but is clear after the bareaway , Nathan was the unlucky sailor on the water, unbelievable accident, not that cannot happen, but more on the moment where Artemis was sailing another a perfect race.

No one at Artemis can continue to helm the boat fast and safe, and the Kiwis receives an enormous race as gift.
2-1 for New Zealand.

One note on this situation is that if this happens to TNZ, I have no doubts Ashby can complete the task. This should not happen but having that alternative might give or take an Americas Cup.

So tough to see Artemis losing this way, Nathan , Percy and the entire team did so good today, they deserved a bit better luck.

Nothing defined yet, and as we wrote earlier today, New Zealand has a speed margin , but Artemis will put on a fight. A difference with BAR is that the Blue AC50 is fast, so they have the tools to for another comeback as they did 1-3 to 5-3 vs Japan.

Great Racing at Bermuda, and a joy to watch these great sailors handling and racing the AC50s weapons.

Louis Vuitton Finals 2017 Results Day 1
R1. TNZ 1 vs SWE0
R2. SWE 1 vs TNZ 0
R3. TNZ 1 vs SWE 0 (Helmsman overboard for Artemis)

Overall
Emirates Team New Zealand  2 vs Artemis Racing 1
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