ORACLE TEAM USA stages massive comeback to win 34th America's Cup
by 34th America's Cup 26 Sep 2013 08:09 BST
25 September 2013
ORACLE TEAM USA won the 34th America's Cup in a winner-take-all 19th race, defeating challenger Emirates Team New Zealand by 44 seconds in today's clincher. Led by 35-year-old skipper Jimmy Spithill, ORACLE TEAM USA won by the score of 9-8.
This is the second America's Cup win for ORACLE TEAM USA and Spithill, which won the 162-year-old trophy in Valencia, Spain, in February 2010. Then 30 years of age, Spithill became the youngest to ever skipper a Cup winning team.
In the past week ORACLE TEAM USA has steadily improved its boatspeed to the point where it could hydrofoil upwind at 30-32 knots, incredible performance never seen before in the America's Cup.
"It was a fantastic race. We wouldn't have it any other way," said Spithill, the two-time Cup winner. "We came from behind, the guys showed so much heart. On your own you're nothing, but a team like this can make you look great... We were facing the barrel of a gun at 8-1 and the guys didn't even flinch.
"Thanks to San Francisco, this is one hell of a day," Spithill said.
ORACLE TEAM USA's victory marks one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of sport. The team won 11 races to score the 9 points required for victory due to a penalty imposed by the International Jury. Just last Wednesday, Sept. 18, ORACLE TEAM USA trailed the series 8-1. With the challenger on match point, the defender closed out the series with eight consecutive victories.
This was the third time in the history of the America's Cup with a winner-take-all final race. Previously, the defender won in 1920 and the challenger won in 1983. Both times the winner rallied from a multi-race deficit, but never anything amounting to eight straight wins.
"This was a wonderful match of teams," said Regatta Director Iain Murray, who's been involved with the America's Cup since 1983. "In the case of a boat coming from behind, 3-1 down as was the case with Australia II in 83, the shoe is on a different foot this time around.
Then it was the challenger behind and this time it was the defender. But in the end we had great competition between two great teams, evenly matched, battling it out to the end."
One million fans visited the official America's Cup venues at Piers 27/29 and Marina Green since they opened on July 4, and hundreds of thousands more lined the shores of San
Francisco Bay to catch a glimpse of the flying, foiling AC72.
34th America's Cup Standings: (first to 9 points wins)
- ORACLE TEAM USA – 9 (11 wins; ORACLE TEAM USA was penalized its first two victories by the International Jury)
- Emirates Team New Zealand – 8
Race 19 Performance Data:
- Course: 5 Legs/10.07 nautical miles
- Elapsed Time: OTUSA – 23:24, ETNZ – 24:08
- Delta: OTUSA +:44
- Total distance sailed: OTUSA – 11.9 NM, ETNZ – 12.2 NM
- Average Speed: OTUSA – 30.55 knots (35 mph), ETNZ – 30.55 knots (35 mph)
- Top Speed: OTUSA – 44.33 knots (51 mph), ETNZ – 45.72 knots (53 mph)
- Windspeed: Average – 18.2 knots, Peak – 21.3 knots
- Number of Tacks/Jibes: OTUSA – 9/7, ETNZ – 9/7
34th America's Cup Race by Race:
- Race 1 (Sep. 7): Emirates Team New Zealand d. ORACLE TEAM USA by:36
- Race 2 (Sep. 7): Emirates Team New Zealand d. ORACLE TEAM USA by:52
- Race 3 (Sep. 8): Emirates Team New Zealand d. ORACLE TEAM USA by:28
- Race 4 (Sep. 8): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:08*
- Race 5 (Sep. 10): Emirates Team New Zealand d. ORACLE TEAM USA by:1:05
- Race 6 (Sep. 12): Emirates Team New Zealand d. ORACLE TEAM USA by:46
- Race 7 (Sep. 12): Emirates Team New Zealand d. ORACLE TEAM USA by 1:06
- Race 8 (Sep. 14): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:52*
- Race 9 (Sep. 15): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:47
- Race 10 (Sep. 15): Emirates Team New Zealand d. ORACLE TEAM USA by:16
- Race 11 (Sep. 18): Emirates Team New Zealand d. ORACLE TEAM USA by:15
- Race 12 (Sep. 19): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:31
- Race 13 (Sep. 20): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:1:24
- Race 14 (Sep. 22): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:23
- Race 15 (Sep. 22): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:37
- Race 16 (Sep. 23): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:33
- Race 17 (Sep. 24): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:27
- Race 18 (Sep. 24): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:54
- Race 19 (Sep. 25): ORACLE TEAM USA d. Emirates Team New Zealand by:44
* ORACLE TEAM USA's first two victories don't count towards is scoreline as part of a penalty issued by the International Jury.
ORACLE TEAM USA wins 34th America's Cup (from ORACLE TEAM USA)
Completing what many thought an improbable comeback, ORACLE TEAM USA won Race 19 to successfully defend the 34th America's Cup on Wednesday in San Francisco. Skipper and helmsman Jimmy Spithill guided the team's AC72 past Emirates Team New Zealand to win by 39 seconds and retain the America's Cup trophy.
"This was the most magnificent spectacle on the water," said Larry Ellison, ORACLE TEAM USA founder. "These 40-plus knot catamarans are amazing. By going to catamarans we tried to make sailing a bit more extreme, friendlier for the viewing audience. A lot of people weren't interested in sailing, and now they are.
"This regatta has changed sailing forever. More people watched the first race of this America's Cup than all of the America's Cups in history, so I think it's a success," Ellison said.
The winner-take-all final race started under clear skies and 18 knot winds. Both teams were off the line clean, but ORACLE TEAM USA dug its bows in around the first mark to push them 7 seconds behind Team New Zealand. After gaining ground on the second leg, the teams split the second gate with ORACLE TEAM USA improving to 3 seconds back.
Following a pair of lead changes on Leg 3 of the race, ORACLE TEAM USA took control and maintained the front spot for good. The team continued to extend on leg four and around the final gate to win by 39 seconds.
"I'd like to congratulate Emirates Team New Zealand. They are a tough team, a champion team, and we had a lot of great battles," Spithill said. "It's always tough when it gets to a winner-take-all scenario because it's been such a great battle that it's almost a crime that there has to be a winner and a loser."
The Race 19 victory was ORACLE TEAM USA's eighth consecutive win and 11th overall. One week prior, the score was 8-1 in favor of Team New Zealand. Spithill and crew finished with a final score of 11-8, securing the extra two points required for victory due to a penalty imposed by the International Jury.
"There was an energy and a 'never give up' attitude throughout the team," said Spithill. "Everyone just wanted it and would fight all the way to the end, and that is what produced the boat speed.
"We honestly didn't think too much about the end result today – all we thought about was keep fighting back, we can do this and don't give up," Spithill continued. "It's really been a privilege to be part of this group."
The win marks the second straight Cup victory for ORACLE TEAM USA, having also captured the trophy in Valencia, Spain, in February 2010 in the 33rd edition of the event.
Racing onboard alongside Spithill on the San Francisco Bay were tactician Sir Ben Ainslie, grinder Shannon Falcone, off side trimmer Rome Kirby, wing trimmer Kyle Langford, grinder Jonathan Macbeth, jib trimmer Joe Newton, grinder Gilberto Nobili, strategist Tom Slingsby, grinder Joe Spooner and grinder Simeon Tienpont. John Kostecki was tactician for the first five races of the regatta.
It's over (from Emirates Team New Zealand)
The America's Cup will stay in San Francisco. Oracle won the final race today. Emirates Team New Zealand started well and led around the first two marks. Oracle found more speed on the beat, took the lead and held on to the finish.
It has been a long regatta - 19 races over 2 1/2 weeks. New Zealand started the regatta well, and was dealt some cruel blows by the weather. Twice racing was stopped when upper wind limits were reached when NZL5 was in a strong position.
Then when NZL5 was leading Oracle by 1500 metres, the race was called off because to time limit for the race had been exceeded.
That's history now. The regatta is over. Oracle won and Emirates Team New Zealand fought an epic battle.
About the America's Cup
Defender ORACLE TEAM USA and Challenger Emirates Team New Zealand are contesting the 34th Match for the America's Cup on San Francisco Bay, Sept. 7-25. The America's Cup is named after the schooner America, which won a race around the Isle of Wight on August 22, 1851, against a fleet of British yachts. The America's Cup is sailing's pinnacle trophy and the oldest trophy in international sport, pre-dating the modern Olympics by 45 years.
Only four nations have won the America's Cup in its 162-year history: the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland. ORACLE TEAM USA won the 33rd America's Cup in Valencia, Spain, in February 2010, and selected San Francisco as the host city for the 34th America's Cup.
www.americascup.com