Emirates Team New Zealand concluded a historic chapter, winning the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup after an epic final showdown in Barcelona against the Challenger of Record, INEOS Britannia, in a single race that ebbed and flowed from the outset but ultimately saw the Kiwis secure victory by 37 seconds.
On a day where the Barcelona waterfront was treated to the spectacle of a record breaking 350 Patí Catala catamarans on the racecourse before racing, the British came out looking for a pre-start fight. In a shifting breeze of 7-11 knots on flat water, they entered on starboard before gybing immediately onto the Kiwi line to trail them out to the far-right boundary of the box and the race was on.
Emirates Team New Zealand were first to gybe down the boundary but found INEOS Britannia, who had gybed inside, right on their bow. On the lead back to the line, the New Zealand crew tried to wriggle free with two tacks, but these were matched deftly by the British.
