America’s Cup Final 2017 @Bermuda: New Zealand 1 vs Oracle 0 (2-0 for TNZ on the water)

All images ACEA Live / Sander van der Borch / Ricardo Pinto & Gilles Martin-Raget – Video sent by TNZ .
First day of the 2017 America’s Cup Final at Bermuda. It was all Kiwi today in 8 knts of wind average.

– R1 Light wind conditions for the race, not much action in the start but Spithill is having a good gap to start ahead of Burling,  as many of us expected. The only little problem , he is over the line.
Penalty for Oracle and New Zealand creates a gap of 12 secs already at the reaching mark.

The rest not much to comment. TNZ showed their usual light wind Turbo mode and they were untouchable the whole race. Oracle wasn´t that much slow in final speed.

Last gate Burling stopped helming., once more,  thinking the race ended there. For God’s sake, don’t repeat that on coming races. If Oracle was a bit closer, it could have been a given race like the one they almost lost to Artemis.
Glad enough TNZ was way ahead.

R2 – Close Start at the line but a gap established by Burling already at the reaching mark. From then on TNZ gone again.

This race shows a real serious difference in speed.  Untouchable in 8knots average of wind.

Last upwind Slingby got all the right shifts , and surprisingly Oracle got back to a  3 secs diff at Gate 5. Close racing finally, only until first gybe where  TNZ was smooth as usual but Oracle had a full floating one. Kiwis were gone once more.

Slingby was the best asset Oracle had nailing every decision in last upwind.
Win for TNZ for  +1min gap.

Untouchables in terms of pure boat speed in this light wind conditions. Oracle not slow, but clearly not as fast today.

2-0 for Emirates Team New Zealand for the Day.
On the bonus point Oracle got in the Round Robin Series.

 AC Final is now  New Zealand 1 vs Oracle 0.
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Spithill & Burling Press conf below