34th America's Cup - Race 17
by Mark Jardine 24 Sep 2013 22:52 BST
24 September 2013
The 34th America's Cup saw its first contact between boats as Emirates Team New Zealand got caught high and early on the startline of race 17. The resulting protest saw them receive two penalties and an instant 400 metre lead for ORACLE TEAM USA.
Both boats looked seriously quick around the racecourse, with Ben Ainslie and Tom Slingsby calling impeccable tactics for Jimmy Spithill on the American boat to keep them ahead of the Kiwis, taking a 27 second victory.
Dean Barker and Ray Davies need to tighten up their starting as they're currently get trounced by Jimmy Spithill and Sir Ben Ainslie. If they manage to get a good start then they've got a chance of ending ORACLE TEAM USA's 6-race winning streak and lifting the America's Cup.
Race 18 coming up live on the www.YachtsandYachting.com homepage at 22:15 BST.