Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs:
Final Series Day 1
Saturday, June 10

Saturday Results:
NZL wins Races 1 and 3, SWE wins Race 2, Series now 2-1 for NZL. Scroll down for race reports and more.

Race Program
Saturday's Races:
First Race start set for 2:12 pm local time
(Start times subject to change)

F R1: SWE vs. NZL (W) 2:12 pm
F R2: NZL vs. SWE (W) 2:51 pm
F R3: SWE vs. NZL (W) 3:30 pm

The Louis Vuitton Playoffs Final is a best of nine (first to five points) match race series. The winner challenges Oracle Team USA for the America's Cup starting June 17.

Weather:
Saturday: Wind SSW 12-18 kts becoming  8-12 kts and veering WSW at race time, temperature 79d F, overcast. (ACEA).  Wind SW 9-11 becoming WSW, overcast but no precipitation during the race window (WindGuru). Winds SW 14 kts (Wunderground).  Sunday Outlook:  Southerly winds 10-12 kts, but possible thunderstorms at race time.

Saturday Preview:
It's hard not to like Artemis Racing's momentum coming off of four wins in a row to climb into the Louis Vuitton Playoff Final.  The boat looks faster, tacks and gybes are being executed smoothly, and Nathan Outteridge and company know how to apply all those factors aggressively against Match Racing opponents. They leave no doubt that they deserve to be in these finals, which is a nice vindication after the frustrating results of the 2013 Challenger selection which saw the Swedish team, recovering from catastrophe, miss the Rounds Robin and struggle to even get their AC72 on the water in time to be eliminated by Luna Rossa in the Semi-Finals.

The light winds today, dropping to under 10 knots around race time according to forecasts, might be expected to favor opponent Emirates Team New Zealand  The Kiwis have shown an extra level of proficiency in light air mode during the two previous rounds. They have also had Friday to give them more time to go over the boat following their capsize and other damage earlier this week. Do they have any upgrades to roll out, too?

SWE vs. NZL is a prime Finals matchup, with the hot hands on the helm in Outteridge and Peter Burling, representing the younger end of the sport, the guys who came into the America's Cup multihulls from success in fast and physical small boats. Outteridge is a four-time 49er World Champion with teammate Iain Jensen, twice Moth World Champion, and an Olympic Gold Medalist in the 49er in 2012. Burling, with teammate Blair Tuke, has won four 49er World Championships as well, plus the Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympic Games (and the 2012 49er Olympic Silver Medal).  Both helmsmen are comfortable in "fast twitch" situations, flinging the boats around at speed, as Nathan memorably showed us on Thursday. Indeed, when they come up against Jimmy Spithill in the America's Cup match, the defender will be sailed by the old man of the group.

Aside from the sponsor promotions and broadcasting opportunities, the challenger selection series is supposed to be about choosing the best challenger for the America's Cup, and making them a better challenger in the process.  A good pairing like SWE and NZL should be able to seriously test abilities to race and win in foiling cats, and learn and improve as they go.  The defender will be taking some notes, too.

Finals Race 1:
Artemis Racing leads back to the line, ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand, both late, and about 130m lead for SWE at the start. 8 second delta at the first mark. NZL gybes early, SWE covers.  Artemis will make the downwind gate on this track, NZL probably chose to gybe early to get the right hand side, thinking ahead to the upwind leg.  Wind here is light, under 9 knots.  SWE denies NZL the chance to split, gybes for the righthand side of the gate themselves. Five second delta at the first downwind gate as both start out on a starboard tack. NZL tacks early, SWE goes to the boundary and tacks.  Upwind now, both on port, but separated, lead less than one boat length. NZL hits the right hand boundary, tacks. SWE tacks in their path and ahead.  Artemis is slower to get up to speed and NZL pulls up right on their weather hip. SWE can't tack until the rules change at the boundary. Will SWE try to luff before then? No.  NZL tacks better at the left boundary, on the port layline, SWE goes right to the edge, gets a boundary penalty.  SWE trails NZL into the first windward gate, delta is nine seconds as they turn right and head downwind.

Downwind, a 200m lead for NZL stays steady. Only two gybes to make the bottom gate and no change, the boats staying almost exactly in phase. NZL turns left, probably overstanding slightly. SWE a slightly shorter path, and the margin is only11 seconds at the gate.

On the final upwind leg, SWE tacks early after rounding the bottom gate. NZL stays in phase, both now on starboard. The lead is about 60m. Both tack at the left boundary,  but then SWE soon tacks back to starboard to get away from NZL, likely positioning for the wind approach to the gate.  Both tack again and NZL's lead has grown a bit. NZL to the port layline, coming back to the gate, looking to box out SWE. NZL goes for the right hand turn, well ahead. SWE has lost ground, they go for the left turn. Delta is now 23 seconds on the final downwind leg. Distance is about 300m Though position for Artemis now, little room left to catch up. Emirates Team New Zealand wins Race 1. Delta was 47 seconds.

 

Race 2:
SWE starts slightly ahead and to leeward. Luffing move by Artemis on the first leg, SWE uses it to lead to the first mark. With a small lead, SWE heads for the left side of the downwind gate. NZL follows. Delta is 6 seconds.  New Zealand tacks first, early, SWE stays in phase right after. Both on starboard now, upwind. NZL tacks just short of the left hand boundary, SWE crosses them and tacks just above their track. NZL can't roll past, but SWE has to bear off a bit in completing the tack and accelerating.  The boats barely 20m apart, SWE direct to WW, they head to the right and NZL tacks underneath SWE. Artemis keeps going nearly to the boundary. Lead settles in at about 50m when they are up to speed. SWE find a higher angle without losing pace, gains a bit. Both to the port layline, NZL tacking first, SWE tacking ahead. 80m lead for SWE going into the first upwind gate, both heading for the right hand side, and bearing away.  Delta is 9 seconds.

Wind in this race is 12 kts or so, a step up from Race 1.  SWE holds on, extends slightly on downwind leg, wins Race 2 by 15 seconds. Series is not tied 1-1.

Race 3:
Artemis with a light lead all the way around the course until the top of the final upwind leg.  A bad tack by SWE coming off the port layline lets NZL keep their speed up, crossing ahead on starboard at full speed, and bearaway, turning left, into a solid lead onto the final downwind leg.  Man over board (Outteridge) from SWE after the tack and they are now undermanned and downspeed. Winds have improved to 15-16 kts. 300m ahead as the last leg begins, and a better angle keeps paying off for NZL. No chance now.  Emirates Team New Zealand wins Race 3. NZL now leads the series 2-1. Racing resumes tomorrow, weather permitting.

See Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs Finals Results and Standings

Nathan Outteridge, the skipper, was the Man Over Board (MOB) from Artemis. He was changing sides of the boat at the time, lost his footing and slid of f the port side of the boat as they tacked near the port layline. Crew Luke Parkinson, a grinder on SWE, eventually took the helm.  Under the Racing Rules (RRSAC) a competitor may continue racing despite a MOB, but in a practical terms being a man down on the ACC boats is uncompetitive in most situations. Even when it's not the skipper.

The MOB situation is covered in RRSAC 47.2.  While a crew person is not permitted to leave the boat intentionally in most cases, there is no penalty if they fall off accidentally and the boat may keep racing. The MOB, however, may not return to the boat or be replaced by anybody else.

It's particularly thankful, too, that Outteridge appears uninjured in the incident. There is a serious chance of injury in a MOB due to the sharp foils on the daggerboards and rudders which can easily impact a person who falls off a boat moving at 25-30 kts or more. Franck Cammas, skipper of the French challenger team, nearly lost his foot in 2015 after falling overboard while training on a smaller foiling catamaran and being struck by the rudder (Read Story at Yachting World).

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs:
Final Series Day 2
Sunday, June 11

Sunday Results:
SWE wins Race 4, NZL wins Race 5 and 6. Emirates Team New Zealand leads the series 4-2, one point from advancing. Racing resumes tomorrow with Races 7, 8, and 9 scheduled. Scroll down for today's race reports and more.

Race Program
Sunday's Races:
First Race start set for 2:12 pm local time
(Start times subject to change)

F R4: NZL vs. SWE (W) 2:12 pm
F R5: SWE vs. NZL (W) 2:51 pm
F R6: NZL (W) vs. SWE 3:30 pm

The Louis Vuitton Playoffs Final is a best of nine (first to five points) match race series. The winner challenges Oracle Team USA for the America's Cup starting June 17.
See Results and Standings | Regatta Format

Weather:
Sunday: Wind SSW 5-10 knots, heavy rain showers in the morning clearing in the afternoon. (ACEA).  Wind SSW 12-13 kts, gusts to 15-16. Lingering precipitation possible (WindGuru). Winds SW 8-9 kts (Wunderground).  Showers and thunderstorms are occurring mid-day, possibly clearing in time for racing. (Bermuda radar) Monday Outlook: Wind SSW 5-6 kts, very light.

Finals Race 4:
Even start, but Artemis is faster on Leg 1. Wind about 16 kts. 3 second lead at Mark 1. NZL gybes first, SWE gybes at the boundary.  Artemis hits 45 kts downwind. SWE leads at first downwind gate, TNZ buries bow. After rounding, NZL tacks first, SWE covers. NZL tacks to port 100m from the boundary.  Artemis follows suit. Outteridge stays dry. NZL heads right, Hoping for a starboard advantage when they cross. New Zealand loses on the right. Artemis ahead about 60m at the cross. Both tack near the port layline, Artemis lays the gate, Emirates needs one more tack. They split right, trailing 10 seconds at Mark 3.

Onto the second downwind, Leg 4. Artemis gains on port gybe. Much better speed, out to 270m lead.  20 seconds at the second downwind gate. On the final upwind leg, SWE is well in the lead.  They aren't covering NZL. New Zealand gains on the left now. Bad tack for Artemis, boat skies and then plunges into the water.  TNZ is right on them now, they luff SWE, protest them, no penalty.  NZL tacks to port. SWE lays the gate, NZL does not, and split to the left. 9 second delta at the final upwind gate.

Big gain for Artemis, showing nice speed. Lead is up to 170m with one mark and one finish leg to go. SWE doesn't gybe smoothly, but the finish is right there.  Artemis Racing wins Race 4. The series is tied at two points apiece.

 

 

Finals Race 5:
New Zealand support doing some checking on starboard hull innards, systems. Seems good to go.  Artemis raced well, good speed on their foils for mid-range.  Wind lighter, 12 kts., will it make a difference? 

Clean start. Artemis starts to leeward of NZL, sails high, gets to Mark first. Three seconds ahead. NZL gybes first. SWE round first downwind gate, turning left, NZL splits. 12 seconds. Coming together upwind, SWE leebows NZL, lead is 7m for SWE. NZL trying to point and bounce Artemis away. Protest, but no penalty. Artemis tacks away. New Zealand gains. They approach the upwind gate, NZL lays the righthand side, leads by 100m.  SWE lays the lefthand side, turns left, delta is 13 seconds.

NZL extends downwind. Artemis has trouble gybing. NZL turns right at the final downwind gate. SWE will have to follow. Wind below 10 kts. and dropping. NZL looks like they have the right foils for the lighter wind, pointing higher, SWE not foiling as well. NZL rounds the final upwind gate, now 39 seconds ahead.

Emirates Team New Zealand wins Race 5. They now lead the series 3-2. 

SWE chose not to finish. Possibly they want to gain time to adjust the boat for the conditions before Race 6 starts in 20 minutes. They may be having problems with the system that cants the port daggerboard.

Finals Race 6:
Start 3:30 pm. NZL protest SWE on the way to the starting line, no penalty. SWE leads around the first mark and through the first downwind gate.  Big shift as they are rounding, NZL closes in on SWE upwind. Dial down by SWE, Artemis still leads. Approaching the upwind gate, NZL crossing with starboard, on the layline, but SWE into the circle gets rights. NZL leads three seconds at the first upwind gate.

Nearly even downwind. Big split, they come back, NZL getting pressure and gaining, easily ahead of SWE and now leading. Into the bottom gate, NZL gybing slowly, SWE coming fast, both turn right. SWE is gaining, 2 second delta at the downwind gate. Wind has been shifty, the teams separate upwind. Coming back, NZL crosses ahead, still leading. SWE goes for the left side of the course. NZL covers, stays in phase. They are sailing a bit higher on the upwind legs. NZL turns left at the final windward. SWE follows. They anticipate a left shift. Last downwind leg.  NZL nearing the finish line, appears to have technical problems. No hydraulics, not foiling. Sweden is about to pass them at the finish, but NZL manages to somehow get across first, about 1 second ahead of SWE. Emirates Team New Zealand wins Race 6. NZL leads the series 4-2.

The easing and shifting wind for the second two races of the day played into the foil selection by the Kiwis, who had better VMG on the upwind legs.  Nathan Outteridge noted that the wind was particularly softer and skewed right at the upwind end of the course as the day went on.  Downwind, Artemis had fewer issues, but generally the performance is following the example of the semis and rounds robin, where winds under 12 knots increasingly favored the Kiwis. in winds 15 kts and up Artemis appears even and sometimes dominant. Monday's forecast currently is for very light winds.  Too light to race? Or just right for New Zealand?

Racing is set to resume tomorrow with the final three races of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoff Finals scheduled, as needed, and Emirates Team New Zealand on match point.
 

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs:
Final Series Day 3
Monday, June 12

Monday Results:
Emirates Team New Zealand wins Race 7, wins the match 5-2 over Sweden's Artemis Racing, and becomes the 35th Challenger for the America's Cup. Scroll down for daily report.

Race Program
Monday's Races:
First Race start set for 2:12 pm local time
(Start times subject to change)

F R7: SWE vs. NZL (W)
F R8: NZL vs. SWE (not necessary)
F R9: SWE vs. NZL (not necessary)

The Louis Vuitton Playoffs Final is a best of nine (first to five points) match race series. The winner challenges Oracle Team USA for the America's Cup starting June 17.

NZL leads the series 4-2.
See Results and Standings | Regatta Format

Weather:
Monday: Wind southerly 5-10 kts and variable. (ACEA).  Wind SSE 7-10 kts (WindGuru). Winds SW 8 kts (Wunderground).

Monday Preview:
Match Point for NZL
Light winds, if suitable for racing, would be expected to favor Emirates Team New Zealand. They have usually shown speed in light conditions that is head and shoulders above the other teams. This isn't the wind to look for Artemis to sweep three races, as they will need to do to become the challenger. The Swedish team did take four straight to win their semi-final, so if anybody can do it, why not Artemis? 

The Race Officer needs to see a measurement of minimum 6 knots average to start a race, and the wind needs to be solid enough in direction and strength that the race would be a fair test of sailing.  Afternoon forecast has improved since yesterday, so racing seems likely.

 

Finals Race 7 (Attempt 1):
Light and shifty winds to start. SWE with early penalty trail NZL. Boats are not foiling well in light winds. The race, though started, faces a 25 minute time limit, as specified in the Sailing Instructions.  With the finish in doubt, the Race Officer shortens the course as permitted under the RRSAC. Still not enough and Race 7 Attempt #1 is abandoned.

Finals Race 7 (Attempt 2):
Awaiting time for start. Artemis Racing leads briefly, but Emirates Team New Zealand sails slowly but surely ahead, continues to extend around the race course, and goes on to defeat SWE.

Emirates Team New Zealand wins the challenger selection final, properly known as the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoffs Final, by a score of 5-2, and becomes the 35th Challenger for the America's Cup!

NZL will face the representative of Golden Gate YC, Oracle Team USA, starting next Saturday and Sunday, and continuing the following weekend.