Team New Zealand Te Rehutai and INEOS Team UK Britannia in race one of the Christmas Race. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Team New Zealand Te Rehutai and INEOS Team UK Britannia in race one of the Christmas Race. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Team New Zealand will have to wait to reach the Prada Christmas Cup final – after a truly bizarre race over Ineos Team UK on Sunday.
The race wasn't finished – as it exceeded the 45 minute time limit, after the breeze dropped at the start of the fourth legfor the Kiwis.
At that stage the Ineos Team UK were already out of the contest, trailing by more than five kilometres, after spending most of the race off their foils.
It had echoes of 2013, with the New Zealand syndicate way ahead of their rivals but all for nothing in the end, as they were a few hundred metres short of the line
The two teams will race again after the second semifinal between Luna Rossa and American Magic.
No one expected the beleaguered British to get close to the local syndicate, but the manner of this race would have been impossible to predict.
In light breezes, that died as the race progressed, Team New Zealand were set to finish the course, which was shortened to four legs, before the British had even completed one lap.
Both teams were completely becalmed in the last period of the race.
When the race was called off, Team New Zealand were ahead by more than 5000m.
Team New Zealand Te Rehutai and INEOS Team UK Britannia in race one of the Christmas Race. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Earlier INEOS Team UK had spent much of the race outside the course boundaries, trying in vain to find some breeze to get up their foils.
It was mostly fruitless, and their worst showing of what has been a difficult, last few days.
It turned into a Sunday cruise for the Kiwis, who enjoyed a mostly clean race, but had absolutely no pressure.
Earlier, it was a noticeably different pre-start. Rather than jousting, the main priority was staying on the foils, after the issues of yesterday.
The British looked confident for a while, before it all fell apart again. They were forced into a late, late tack at the far end of the start line, which took them off the foils.
After two minutes – and one tack – Team New Zealand were already ahead by 500 metres.
When Team UK finally got back up on the foils, they went outside the boundary to incur a penalty.
It soon turned into kind of Shakespearean farce – as the British disappeared off the course in search of wind to find some flight.
It meant that Team New Zealand passed the second mark before their opponents had reached the first mark, but worse was to come.
The British took almost 20 minutes when they finally crossed the top mark, before the wind completely died for both teams, who were left to drift helplessly up the course.
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