AC35 Match: Race 5 – Kiwi's go up 4-0

HAMILTON, BER – Incredibly OTUSA are OCS again today (over the start line early) and so they have to take the go slow penally until they are two boat lengths behind ETNZ. On the first run OTUSA look quicker than in the past, and actually haul in ETNZ, and OTUSA round through the Leg 2 gate just astern of ETNZ. Upwind OTUSA, on starboard, actually cross ETNZ, just after a big dial-down, but on the next cross the Kiwis are ahead, and on starboard, and they dial down OTUSA big time, protest OTUSA for not responding enough, and the umpires, once again, penalize OTUSA – their second unforced error of this race.

At the Leg 3 gate ETNZ are leading by 26 seconds. Up Leg 4 the Kiwis extend, and then OTUSA crash off their foils and lose another 250m in a matter of seconds. At the Leg 4 gate they are almost a minute behind, 57 seconds and over 500m.

Is someone other than Jimmy "flying" OTUSA's boat today (i.e., adjusting the foils)? Their foils look sticky up and down. Did a mod to the foils affect that? Perhaps OTUSA shaved their foils to make then thinner and that has caused them to be sticky or problematic in some other way?

Regardless it doesn't explain away two unforced OTUSA errors that resulted in penalties.

I think the final delta was 2:04, but it's not indicative because OTUSA were well behind, but dialed back after ETNZ finished to save themselves for the next race.

The crucial cross that resulted in OTUSA being penalized for port-starboard. After that it was race over. Kiwis go up 4-0.

Peter Burling after the race talking with the TV commentators. The Kiwis even high-fived each other after the race.