Day 12 Preview: What’s gonna happen today?
RELATED STORY: ORACLE TEAM USA victory forces Cup to 11th day
Emirates Team New Zealand remains on match point after narrowly missing a chance to wrap the series yesterday. The Kiwis were about 1 nautical mile from the finish line of Race 13 – and nearly 1 nautical mile ahead of the defender – when it was abandoned because the 40-minute time limit expired.
When it was re-sailed, ORACLE TEAM USA made a nice passing move on the first downwind leg, gaining a penalty on the Kiwis in the process, and sped away to a 1:24 victory, the largest of this series.
“We felt very lucky, but also felt for the Kiwi guys,” said ORACLE TEAM USA tactician Ben Ainslie. “We’ve all been in a position where you have a hand on the trophy and have to come back and do it all again. We felt fortunate. We’ve had a rough time so we’ll ride our luck with that one.”
“Luck’s a great thing. Luck beats skill every time,” said Emirates Team New Zealand tactician Ray Davies at yesterday afternoon’s press conference. “The odds are firmly in our favor at the moment. We have to go and execute like the first race (yesterday). We have to go out with the same sort of thinking.”
Races 14 and 15 (if necessary) are scheduled for 1315 and 1415. In the U.S., the America’s Cup Finals will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network. Replays will be available on the America’s Cup YouTube channel.
Internationally, the America’s Cup Final can be viewed in more than 170 territories. All racing is also live on America’s Cup YouTube channel (subject to territorial restrictions).