Yachting: Team NZ win dramatic event

Team New Zealand in action during the final day of Act 6 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo /ETNZ

Emirates Team New Zealand has won the latest event of the Extreme Sailing series today in Istanbul in the dramatic final race of the regatta.

After 30 races, Dean Barker and his crew - Glenn Ashby, James Dagg, Jeremy Lomas and Edwin De Laat - waited for the final double points race to leap frog The Wave, Muscat and take home the trophy.

Both teams, along with 2014 series leader Alinghi, dominated throughout the day, each grabbing valuable points from race to race.

Going into the final race, the Wave had a lead of six points. Emirates Team New Zealand had to beat The Wave by at least three places to get enough points to pass them and take the win.

"We knew that if we put together a really solid race we would have a good chance," said skipper Dean Barker.

In blustery 20-23 knots with reefed mainsail, Barker and his crew saved the best for last with a dominant start, leading the fleet around the first mark and leaving The Wave battling its way around the race track in the thick of the fleet.

A glance behind after crossing the finish line in first place and taking the 20 points from the race, Emirates Team New Zealand could see The Wave, embroiled in a private battle with Alinghi, had dropped into 7th place and the regatta was theirs.

Relief for Barker and crew: "You never know what the result is going to be until the race is over, and it was just great the way it worked out.

"It's nice for the team to bounce back the way we did. It was a long, hard week, very close all the way through the regatta, I don't think there was ever more than 10 points separating ourselves and The Wave. So to come here and win the regatta showed a lot of character and the result is really pleasing."

Extreme Sailing Series Istanbul standings
1st Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 210 points.
2nd The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 204 points.
3rd Alinghi (SUI) 188 points.
4th Oman Air (OMA) 169 points.
5th SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 154 points.
6th Groupama sailing team (FRA) 148 points.
7th J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) 143 points.
8th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 142 points.
9th Realteam by Realstone (SUI) 135 points.
10th GAC Pindar (AUS) 130 points.
11th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) 126 points.
12th TeamTurx (TUR) 85 points.

Extreme Sailing Series 2014 overall standings
1st Alinghi (SUI) 55 points.
2nd The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 54 points.
3rd Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 43 points.
4th Realteam by Realstone (SUI) 36 points.
5th J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) 29 points.
6th SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 24 points.
7th Oman Air (OMA) 23 points.
8th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) 23 points.
9th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 23 points.
10th Groupama sailing team (FRA) 20 points.
11th GAC Pindar (AUS) 6 points.