The first race of the 2013 America’s Cup has been won by Emirates Team New Zealand. But it wasn’t easy. The Kiwis led off the line and into the first mark. But ORACLE TEAM USA made a pass on the upwind leg, before the Emirates crew regained the lead for good on the second half of the beat.
34th America's Cup - Oracle vs ETNZ; Day 1 Racing© ACEA/Photo Balazs Gardi
Emirates Team New Zealand extended on the final run to win by 36-seconds.
“What we saw there was one hell of a yacht race,” said Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker. “It’s nice to sneak away with a win.”
Race 1 Performance Data
• Course: 5 Legs/9.71 nautical miles
• Elapsed Time: ETNZ – 23:30, OTUSA – 24:06
• Delta: ETNZ +:36
• Total distance sailed: ETNZ – 11.7 NM, OTUSA – 11.4 NM
• Average Speed: ETNZ – 30.07 knots (35 mph), OTUSA – 28.58 knots (33 mph)
• Top Speed: ETNZ – 43.54 knots (50 mph), OTUSA – 42.51 knots (49 mph)
• Windspeed: Average – 16 knots, Peak – 21 knots
34th America's Cup - Oracle vs ETNZ; Day 1 Racing - Photo credit to ACEA/Abner Kingman
The winner of the 34th America’s Cup will be the first to win 9 points. For the Kiwis that means nine race wins and for ORACLE TEAM USA it means 11, due to a penalty imposed by the International Jury. Racing is scheduled for Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with two races per day scheduled to start at 1:15 and 2:15 pm PT.
