Bermuda Shorts: Highlights and oddities from the America's Cup

Emirates Team New Zealand battle it out against SoftBank Team Japan on Bermuda's Great Sound.

Love tap of the day

Not an on-the-water clash, thankfully, but from the official press conference after yesterday's sailing.

Former Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker - now racing for Team Japan - had a subtle dig at BAR skipper Sir Ben Ainslie for his unapologetic stance over a frightening crash which saw the two boats collide and BAR cop a penalty on Sunday. The Herald's Dana Johanssen reports from Bermuda that Barker joked in the press conference Ainslie should perhaps send the Team Japan shore crew a universal peace offering for the trouble he caused.

"I think the shore crew are looking forward to Ben bringing some beers down for them. He didn't do it last night, he'll probably do it tonight," said Barker.

Ainslie clearly was not impressed by the comment, remaining stony faced and storming off stage and out the side door once the conference wrapped up shortly after.

Ainslie is reportedly furious he has been portrayed as a reckless and hot-headed helmsman. He believes Barker was the main aggressor in the pre-start, and the accident was more a result of skittish nature of the foiling catamarans.

TV quote of the day

American commentator Ken Read raved about Emirates Team New Zealand's moves during yesterday's second race, describing Kiwi Peter Burling as "the most talented multihull sailor on the planet". No pressure then!

Tweet of the day

From the America's Cup official account: "Very impressive display from @EmiratesTeamNZ who ease to a second win out of two from the day, beating @LandRoverBAR by 1 minute and 28 secs"

Term of the day

Luffing. According to Wikipedia, luffing - in reference to sailing - when "a sailing vessel is steered far enough toward the direction of the wind ('windward'), or the sheet controlling a sail is eased so far past optimal trim, that airflow over the surfaces of the sail is disrupted and the sail begins to 'flap' or 'luff' (the luff of the sail is usually where this first becomes evident). This is not always done in error; for example, the sails will luff when the bow of the boat passes through the direction of the wind as the sailboat is tacked.

"A sailboat can also be 'luffed' slightly without completely de-powering the sails. Often this occurs on the point of sail known as close hauled, this is sometimes referred to as pinching or 'feathering' and is sometimes done deliberately in order to make a more direct course toward an upwind destination or to 'de-power' a sail on a windy day to maintain control of the sailboat. Luffing can also be used to slow or stop a sailboat in a controlled manner. To offset luffing at the top of the sail one should move the sail 'lead' forward until the point where the 'telltales' break evenly."

Get up for the Cup

Today's Team NZ sailing action starts at 5.37am and tomorrow the team is on the water at 5am or thereabouts. Listen live to sailing guru Peter Montgomery's call of the Team NZ race on Newstalk ZB or Radio Sport, and join us for live blog coverage - and all the news that follows - to stay up to speed with what's happening on and off the water.

Day two results

Groupama Team France beat Artemis Racing. Oracle Team USA beat Land Rover BAR. Emirates Team NZ beat Softbank Team Japan. Artemis Racing beat Oracle Team USA. Emirates Team NZ beat Land Rover BAR. Oracle Team USA beat SoftBank Team Japan