New Zealand win America’s Cup as Britain’s challenge falls short

Ineos Britannia’s challenge for the America’s Cup is over. Emirates Team New Zealand won the ninth race and with it the match, 7-2. It means Team New Zealand, and their skipper, Peter Burling, are the first crew in modern history to win the Cup three times in succession, and that Britain’s 173-year wait to win the Auld Mug will go on for who knows how long. “A huge thank you to our team, and to everyone who supported us,” said the Ineos Britannia skipper, Ben Ainslie, “and a huge congratulations to New Zealand, in my view they’re the best team ever in the America’s Cup.”

Ainslie had promised to fight all the way, and was as good as his word. The conditions were calm, the swell low, and the wind light as the breeze from a paper fan, which suited the New Zealanders much better. But he manoeuvred his boat superbly through the pre-start, and came off the line with a slight advantage. It didn’t last. Taihoro swept into a 200m lead over Britannia by racing down through the stronger wind on the right side of the course. In those moments, the race looked as good as over.

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But Britannia fought back over the third leg, when Taihoro left an opening that allowed Britannia to get out on the right side of the course themselves. All of a sudden the gap started to close, from 200m, to 100m, to 20m, to 10m, until there was only one between them as Taihoro came into the third turn halfway through the race. But that was as close as they came. Team New Zealand pulled away again on the downwind leg, and by the end they were more than 500m in front. Ineos Britannia’s challenge was over.

“We had our moments in the finals, but at the end of the day the better team won,” said Ainslie. He promised they will be back to try again next time.