The Bell Tolls for Ainslie, Outteridge and Barker to battle it out on Friday
by 35th America's Cup 9 Jun 2017 01:51 BST
8 June 2017
Sir Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR's quest to win the 35th America's Cup came to an early end on Thursday in Bermuda when Peter Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand sealed the British team's fate by reaching the magic five wins needed against Land Rover BAR to progress to the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals.
In the other Semi-Finals, Nathan Outteridge and Artemis Racing mounted an almighty comeback against their Japanese rivals, Dean Barker's SoftBank Team Japan, winning three races on the trot to take the score in their Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Semi-Finals to 4-3, meaning they will race again on Friday to decide the second Finalist.
For Ainslie and his team, they were ultimately beaten by Emirates Team New Zealand twice on Thursday, sealing their fate 5-2 and leaving them heading back to Britain without the America's Cup they were so determined to take home.
"I couldn't be prouder of the team. It has been an amazing journey for us," said Sir Ben Ainslie following Land Rover BAR's elimination from the America's Cup.
"Three and a half years ago three of us were sitting around a table in London with nothing more than a few ideas and some support from a few early investors.
"What we've achieved now is phenomenal really. We may have bowed out of the competition and ultimately failed to bring the America's Cup home but we knew it was going to be incredibly tough.
"We gave it our best attempt and certainly, where this team has come from, particularly in the previous few months, is a huge credit to everyone in the team."
Turning his attention to the future, Sir Ben Ainslie revealed that Land Rover BAR will be back for the next instalment of the America's Cup after agreeing deals with their major partners.
"To have that commitment already in place is a massive bonus for everyone and to be able to start our preparations for the next campaign already means we will come back that much stronger.
"I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us back home in the United Kingdom and here in Bermuda. We are a very proud British team and we will be back in the America's Cup."
For Burling and his crew, the incredible efforts the team made from Tuesday to Thursday to repair the boat that was so badly damaged in Tuesday's pitchpole were repaid handsomely, putting themselves into the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals as the first team to reach that stage.
"It was an incredible effort from our entire team to get back out on the water today," said Burling on his team's incredible recovery from Tuesday's spectacular capsize.
"To be able to reward everyone by confirming our progression (into the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals) today, is fantastic and is exactly what we set out to achieve.
"Our aim when we arrived was to win the America's Cup and we have definitely taken a big step on the road to winning the America's Cup."
Turning his attention to the potential opponent in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Final, Burling admitted he does not have a preference between Artemis Racing or SoftBank Team Japan.
"We don't mind who we might face in the Finals (Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals)," he added. "It will be a fascinating day tomorrow between Artemis Racing and SoftBank Team Japan and we are looking forward to seeing what the day will bring."
Heading into the first race of the afternoon (Semi-Finals 1, Race 5) trailing 3-1, Sir Ben Ainslie's Land Rover BAR knew they had to win at least two of today's scheduled three races over Peter Burling's Emirates Team New Zealand to keep their Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Final hopes alive.
Ainslie and his team's chances looked good in the early stages of their first encounter, as their rivals had a poor pre-start, allowing Land Rover BAR to gain an early 26 second advantage by the first mark.
That lead remained steady through the first four legs until a crucial cross on leg 5/7 between the two teams saw the tides turn, as Peter Burling's team seized the advantage.
There were questions over whether the Emirates Team New Zealand boat would be ready, heading into the race following Tuesday's spectacular incident, but if there were any lasting issues they certainly were not evident as Burling's team sailed perfectly, registering over 99% of the race up on their foils according to the BMW Flytime measurement.
Having taken the lead, the Kiwis would not relinquish it in the closing stages, flying through the final gate and crossing the line 31 seconds ahead of Land Rover BAR to take a 4-1 lead in their Semi-Finals, immediately rampling up the pressure on Sir Ben Ainslie's team ahead of their second race of the day.
Much like Sir Ben Ainslie, Nathan Outteridge knew that a repeat of Tuesday's two defeats to SoftBank Team Japan would see them eliminated from the 35th America's Cup.
However, it was SoftBank Team Japan's Dean Barker who, despite leading their Semi-Final 3-1, showed early nerves in the two teams' first encounter of the day as the Japanese team were handed a penalty for crossing the start line a fraction too soon.
That mistake handed Nathan Outteridge the advantage and it was one he took full advantage of, taking the lead and staying ahead throughout the entire race.
SoftBank Team Japan remained in hot pursuit of their rivals but there was ultimately nothing they could do. A faultless performance from Outteridge and Artemis Racing saw the Swedish team seal a 39 second victory and reduce the deficit in their fight to stay in the 35th America's Cup to 3-2.
With the hopes of Great Britain resting on his shoulders, Sir Ben Ainslie was at his combative best in the third race of the day, as Land Rover BAR kept their hopes alive with a must-win 20 second victory over Peter Burling's Emirates Team New Zealand.
Knowing only a win would keep them in the 35th America's Cup, at least for one more race, Land Rover BAR showed their intentions right from the start, racing off the start line ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand and seizing the early advantage.
In contrast to their first encounter of the day, Ainslie and his team did not crack under the pressure from Burling, keeping the Kiws at bay throughout the race.
Despite their 4-1 advantage it was Emirates Team New Zealand who looked more like the team under pressure. Small mistakes crept into their race and poor manoeuvres, in particular on the third leg, hampered their chances of another win.
In contrast, the British team remained composed, sailing faultlessly just when it mattered most, finally crossing the line 20 seconds ahead of their rivals, pushing the scoreboard to 4-2.
Turning attentions back to the other semi-final duel, and what a difference a day makes, particularly when you're Nathan Outteridge and Artemis Racing, who levelled the scores against SoftBank Team Japan with a second successive victory.
Just as they had in the two teams' opening encounter on Thursday, Artemis Racing timed their approach to the start line to perfection and took an early lead.
In stark contrast to Tuesday's poor performance, Nathan Outteridge and his team looked assured throughout the race, maintaining a slender lead over the pursuing SoftBank Team Japan.
While Dean Barker sailed an almost faultless race, Artemis Racing did not make the mistake the Japanese team would have been hoping for and Nathan Outteridge steered his team home with a 28 second victory, levelling the scores at 3-3 ahead of the teams' third and final battle of the day.
All eyes turned to Land Rover BAR and Emirates Team New Zealand, and the crunch match between the two Semi-Finalists.
Having given themselves a glimmer of hope of progressing with their earlier victory, Sir Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR's dream of reaching the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals was finally ended with defeat to Peter Burling's Emirates Team New Zealand in the fifth race of the day.
From the offset, the Kiwis were in a less than charitable mood, in comparison to the second race of the day, and they burst off of the start line, giving themselves an immediate advantage in their efforts to knock out the Brits.
The Emirates Team New Zealand advantage was extended to 13 seconds by the second gate, and extended further to 35 seconds by the fifth gate as the British challenge began to diminish.
Sir Ben Ainslie refused to concede defeat, but despite Land Rover BAR's best efforts, elimination looked inevitable as Peter Burling's team maintained a healthy lead.
Finally, with the British team looking helplessly up the racecourse, Emirates Team New Zealand crossed the finish line, sealing their progression into the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals and confirming Land Rover BAR's elimination from the 35th America's Cup.
While one battle had been settled, the other remained finely poised as Artemis Racing and SoftBank Team Japan faced off for a final time on the day.
Having won both of the day's previous battles, Nathan Outteridge made it a hat-trick of victories to turn a 3-1 deficit at the start of Thursday into a 4-3 lead at the end of the day.
Dean Barker narrowly won the pre-start battle, SoftBank Team Japan stealing an early march over Nathan Outteridge's Artemis Racing. However, the Swedish team battled back over the first four legs of the race and closed the gap completely heading into the pivotal and dramatic Gate 5 turn.
The two teams came into the mark and, in a dramatic flashpoint moment, almost touched, the result of which was a penalty handed to SoftBank Team Japan.
It was a decision from the America's Cup Race Management umpires that was to prove critical as Artemis Racing seized the advantage to race clear and cross the finish line well ahead of their rivals, sealing a third consecutive victory on the day.
That result leaves Nathan Outteridge in the driving seat heading into a mouth-watering day of racing on Friday, with Artemis Racing needing one more win and SoftBank Team Japan needing two more wins to confirm their place in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals, where either team will face Peter Burling's Emirates Team New Zealand.
"It was an awesome day for us and I'm incredibly proud of everybody involved in our team," said Artemis Racing helmsman Nathan Outteridge.
"We had an incredibly tough day on Tuesday and so as a team we looked back at what we had to do better. I think everyone saw not only an improved boat but a much needed improved performance from us as sailors.
"We were not particularly nervous heading into today. We know it could have been our potential exit today but we were all quietly confident.
"We could have lost confidence in the boat after Tuesday but everyone dug in deep and I'm just proud of what we achieved today.
"We went back to basics and it just showed how easy it can be to win races again.The aim is to do the same tomorrow and take another step towards winning the America's Cup."
In reply, SoftBank Team Japan Dean Barker is refusing to concede defeat.
"It was obviously a very disappointing day but everyone is remaining positive," said a determined Barker.
"It's never ideal to lose three races in a day and it is frustrating for everyone but we take a lot of heart from today into tomorrow.
"Small errors cost us today but we know we are still right in this contest and it will not take a lot to go out and win tomorrow.
"We are two very even teams and although we had a disappointing day, we will take all of our positive energy into tomorrow."
Race Results:
- Semi-Final 1 Race 5: Emirates Team New Zealand beat Land Rover BAR by 31 seconds
- Semi-Final 1 Race 5: Artemis Racing beat SoftBank Team Japan by 39 seconds
- Semi-Final 1 Race 6: Land Rover BAR beat Emirates Team New Zealand 20 seconds
- Semi-Final 1 Race 6: Artemis Racing beat SoftBank Team Japan by 28 seconds
- Semi-Final 1 Race 7: Emirates Team New Zealand beat Land Rover BAR by 46 seconds
- Semi-Final 1 Race 7:Artemis Racing beat SoftBank Team Japan by 1 minute and 46 seconds
www.americascup.com
We say goodbye to Ben, Artemis come back, and Emirates progress (from Nic Douglass, Adventures of a Sailor Girl)
To continue the pattern of an America's Cup that also provides your cardio work out, today we saw Land Rover BAR come back fighting in the second race of the day, only to go down and see Emirates Team New Zealand progress fiercely with a score of 5-2. Both teams sustained and recovered from damage over the semi, but the Kiwis proved to be exceptionally strong, and smooth yet again.
In the second pairing, Artemis Racing came back winning three races in a row against SoftBank Team Japan to flip the scores from 3-1 favouring the Japanese, to 4-3 to the Swedes. The final top mark rounding in particular following a dial-down was a jaw dropping maneouvre that paid off for Outteridge.
Interviews with the skippers - Ben Ainslie, Nathan Outteridge & Peter Burling
I said goodbye to Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR - what an amazing competitor. A big well done to the entire team on your efforts! I then congratulated Nathan Outteridge and Artemis Racing on three wins and spoke through the ins and outs of the racing against SoftBank Team Japan, and then spoke with Peter Burling about Emirates Team New Zealand's massive effort to be back out on the water, and progress to the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Play Off Finals on Saturday.
For all of the updates including live radio stream, photos, television shows and other videos so far for the 35th AC, head to www.nicdouglass.org/ac35
For more adventures head to www.AdventuresofaSailorGirl.com, or subscribe to "Adventures Weekly", and for live action, be sure to tune in to our social medial channels; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @sailorgirlHQ.
Land Rover BAR will continue the journey to Bring the Cup Home (from Land Rover BAR)
Land Rover BAR's first Challenge for the America's Cup ended today on the Great Sound, Bermuda, at the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Playoff Semi-finals. Despite the team's consistency on the start-line, and the rapid pace of development of their race boat, the team finished the semi-final 5-2 down to Emirates Team New Zealand.
A massive three race day concluded the Playoff Semi-Finals. The team sailed their race of the series, posting a win in race two and also achieving 100% flight, from start to finish.
It's just two days short of exactly three years since the British team – who have their home in Portsmouth – officially launched their long-term challenge to bring the Cup home to British waters. It's a vision that the team are as committed to now as they were at the official launch on that beautiful day at the Royal Museums Greenwich.
Today, Land Rover and 11th Hour Racing have both confirmed their commitment to continue their partnerships with the team. These will go alongside the existing partners already signed up for the team's next challenge, and the strength of the continued commitment from Land Rover BAR's Shareholders.
Land Rover will continue their support as Title and Exclusive Innovation Partner, and they will increase the technology and engineering resources and expertise offered to the team for the design and development of the next America's Cup race boat.
Alongside their goal to win the America's Cup, Land Rover BAR have put sustainability at the core of all the team's operations, working closely with Exclusive Sustainability Partner, 11th Hour Racing, a programme of The Schmidt Family Foundation. 11th Hour Racing will extend their support of the team to AC36 and the team's goal to become the most sustainable sports team in the world.
Sir Ben Ainslie, Land Rover BAR Skipper and Team Principal: "Firstly well done to Emirates Team New Zealand. But I was really proud of the way the team sailed both today and with our approach to this whole series. We struggled coming into this with a lack of speed for a number of different reasons. The whole team; the designers, engineers, shore team and everyone in the office have dug so deep to make us more competitive. We did that throughout this competition to the point that there wasn't a huge amount between the two boats today. It's a huge credit to our team – and a huge thank you to them, I couldn't be more proud. And a huge thank you to everyone back home in Britain for supporting us; we will be back next time and with support already in place today from Land Rover and 11th Hour Racing, I know we will be stronger."
Mark Cameron, Land Rover's Experiential Marketing Director: "The Land Rover BAR team has accomplished so much and we are immensely proud of the partnership that has been forged. It has been an incredible success for us both in terms of engineering collaboration and the launch of our new Discovery which is why we are delighted to announce our continued support as Title and Exclusive Innovation partner for the 36th America's Cup.
"It would have been fantastic to have progressed further, but you cannot underestimate how significant Land Rover BAR's achievement has been. To win the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series outright as a rookie team and to successfully launch the Land Rover BAR Academy, also competing here in Bermuda, are real highlights for Land Rover."
Wendy Schmidt, Co-Founder of 11th Hour Racing, President of The Schmidt Family Foundation, and Co-Founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute: "Having been involved with Land Rover BAR from the beginning we are very proud of the journey Ben and his team have brought us along to enjoy.
"We are also thrilled to have the opportunity to extend our partnership into the future – further strengthening our mission and engaging the international sports community on the environmental challenges we face across the world."
Emirates Team New Zealand advance to the Playoff Final (from Emirates Team New Zealand)
The comeback Kiwis are into the final of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series, Emirates Team New Zealand knocking out Britain's Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing with a combination of pace and poise in their rebuilt boat.
The poise was required at the start of the first race of the day when a foil problem saw the Kiwis stranded behind the line with Ben Ainslie sprinting off to lead by 26 seconds at mark one.
Then came the pace. Foil problem sorted and back up to full speed, Peter Burling climbed into the chase. The Kiwi boat ate steadily into the British lead before swooping past on the second upwind leg en route to a 31"win and a 4-1 lead in the first to five series.
But with their backs to the wall and facing elimination the British fought back. Sir Ben had the better of the start and set off on what would be BAR's best race of the regatta. With two less tacks and sailing 500 fewer metres the British completed what they called a super-clean race to go to 4-2.
Burling's response was to discard his earlier conservative approach in the start box and take the game to Ainslie. The young Kiwi cleaned him out and Emirates Team New Zealand streaked off around mark one 8" up.
The lead kept on growing right around the track and the British had no response, the Kiwi boat flying over the finish line and into the final 5-2.
Then in a great act of sportsmanship Ben Ainslie and his crew sailed close up to Aotearoa, New Zealand, to salute the Kiwi sailors.
In turn the Kiwi sailors saluted their shore crew, a place in the final both a thank you and a reward.
Before returning to a big welcome from friends and family at their base, the sailors held a training session before enjoying a day off tomorrow.
There's no rest for the other semi-finalists, with Softbank Team Japan and Artemis from Sweden still in a 3-4 scrap. They sail the decider tomorrow before the final starts on Saturday with Burling ready for more very close racing.
"We're under no illusions it's going to be a big fight in the final,"Burling said. "But we are happy with the way our boat is going and delighted to have it back in one piece."
Final showdown looms as penalty denies Japanese Match Point
SoftBank Team Japan's challenge to win the America's Cup will come down to a crucial, final pair of races against Artemis Racing tomorrow in Bermuda as the Swedes fought back to win three races in the semi-final racing today despite a contentious penalty on the final mark rounding.
"It would've been good to get another point on the day but we take a lot of heart, the boat was going well and we kept coming back at them", said Skipper and CEO Dean Barker.
"They were sailing really strong races so it was hard to find space to pass. The third one we had a good race and the top mark ended up costing us the win."
The racing was never closer than it was today with Artemis Racing and SoftBank Team Japan in virtual lockstep around the course in all three contests.
However, even with the first two races ultimately going the way of the Swedes, it was the third and final race of the day that raised many eyebrows.
SoftBank Team Japan's speed kept them in the game right from the start as the Japanese team defended the leeward position on the first reach to lead at Mark 1 and extend through the bottom gate.
Looking to break free from the strong Japanese position Artemis Racing was able to force a split then on the first upwind leg from where both teams remained at odds through the whole race.
Despite being quicker upwind and ultimately crossing in front of the Swedes sevearl times on the final beat, Artemis hooked into a shift on the lefthand side of the course to set up a port starboard at the top mark.
With the Japanese on starboard tack speeding in towards the left mark, Artemis gained right of way by entering protection first and threw in an aggressive tack around the gate.
Although SoftBank Team Japan gave room to the Swedes, the umpires ultimately decided it was not enough space and penalized the Japanese boat leading to a costly time deficit that handed the race to Artemis Racing.
"There's a lot of situations around the course which come down to instinctive decisions", said Skipper and CEO Dean Barker.
"We felt like there was enough room there and were surprised we got the penalty but obviously the umpires felt strongly that was the way it should go. If that's the case then you get on with it."
With the Swedes now leading the semi-finals at 4-3 in the first-to-five series, SoftBank Team Japan must win both of tomorrows races to advance to the next round of the competition.
It will truly be an epic day of racing with the most recent forecast calling for windspeeds at the top-end of 21-22 knots - similar conditions to the hairy weather seen Tuesday where the Japanese team dominated Artemis Racing taking two wins.
"We know we're right there. It's not going to take a lot to go out and win tomorrow. We had a day a few days ago where we won both races. Today Artemis did a good job to get three wins, it could've easily been 2-1. We'll come out tomorrow and with the forecast being pretty strong breeze we're excited about the challenge that we'll face.