Team New Zealand wave to family and supporters after winning both races on day five of the America's Cup. Photo / Photosport
Team New Zealand wave to family and supporters after winning both races on day five of the America's Cup. Photo / Photosport
Team New Zealand have finally let their emotions spill over after pulling off a stunning comeback to win race 8 of the America's Cup Match.
And America's Cup veteran Dean Barker says the Italians will be feeling equally emotional at the other end of the scale: "It will really, reallyhurt."
The rollercoaster race 8 on Monday was summed up by a Team NZ member aboard Te Rehutai who was heard letting out a relieved – and colourful – celebration as they crossed the finish line, after an eight-minute lead turnaround.
"I'm so f*****g stoked with it. F***," the crew member was heard saying on the broadcast.
Barker said the Italians, who were leading by more than four minutes at one stage after Team NZ came off their foils, were let down by one bad manoeuvre - a final tack into the top mark, when they dropped down off their own foils.
"The boat dropped in and the unfortunate thing for them is the top of the course had a lot less breeze than the bottom, so it was all about surviving those couple of manoeuvres in that part of the race course," Barker told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking.
"It will really, really hurt, I know from my own experience - not that I have been through an eight-minute lead change like that - but when you make one small mistake and it costs you dearly, I'm sure they're feeling hard done by this morning."
Two more wins today will see Team NZ retain the Auld Mug but Barker predicted another slow afternoon, with light breezes forecast again.
Barker described Team NZ's efforts yesterday as "unbelievable" and "incredible".
"I think it was unbelievable how good Team New Zealand's speed was. To come back from that start and to just basically sail away with the race, it was really incredible."
The drama in race 8 unfolded after Team NZ came off their foils midway through the second leg following a mistake by helmsman Peter Burling. Luna Rossa were handed a huge lead and looked like inevitable winners of the race.
But a twist came in the third leg when it was Luna Rossa's turn to come off their foils in the light and inconsistent conditions, allowing the Kiwis to not only catch up but cruise away to win by almost four minutes.
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American yachtsman and sailing commentator Ken Read said the emotions on Te Rehutai were unlike those seen before from the New Zealanders.
"That's emotion out of the Kiwi," Read said on the official America's Cup broadcast, after the swearing could be heard. "That was emotion like I've never seen out of a Kiwi."
"You think the fans are relieved? How about that crew out there," added fellow commentator Stephen McIvor.
After the race, Team NZ foil controller Blair Tuke was similarly stoked with the "unreal fightback".
"Yeah, wow what a race," Tuke said. "It's definitely one to keep. It was a pretty unreal fightback from the guys there.
Team New Zealand wave to family and supporters after winning both races on day five of the America's Cup. Photo / Photosport
"Obviously we made a pretty costly error gybing right behind them on the first downwind and came off the foils but we got it back up reasonably quickly, and then sailed a great race from there.
"They made a mistake in one of their tacks in the top mark ... and we never looked back."
When asked if he had ever sailed in a race like that before, Tuke said: "Probably not with this many people watching. That was unreal.
"Another great turnout even on a weekday here," he added. "Obviously we were finishing at the top mark so we were right in by the spectators underneath Motuihe. It was some race and we were on the wrong jib there in real bottom-end conditions, which made it even harder.
"All the boys went to the end there. When you have a race where you're doing a lot of take-offs like that and big control changes to the sails, it's tough for the boys. So huge effort by those lads."
Team NZ also took out the earlier race by a convincing margin, showcasing a significant speed difference and completing what was the first lead change of the regatta so far.
