Photos

Two of the yachts which competed and won the America's Cup and later lost it to a crew from Switzerland. In the background is the Auckland Harbour bridge.

Superior speed is rarely enough to win a race on its own
Although the America’s Cup competition is as much about design technology as it is about sailing boats, superior speed is rarely enough to win a race on its own. The seventeen active crew members on board each boat are at the top of their game and must each give their absolute best in the effort to win.

America’s Cup match racing is a team effort
Whether it is the foredeck crew luring the helmsman to bring the bow of the boat towards the start line in the last moments of a heated countdown, or the grinders putting their backs into the winch handles for the 37th tack on the third upwind leg of a race being sailed in 23 knots of wind, or whether it is the tactician who has to make that one crucial, risky and opportunist decision at the only time during a two-hour race when a chance to break the control of the leading boat presents itself, America’s Cup match racing is a team effort; a team effort of the highest order, but one where the nuances are occasionally difficult to understand.

Blocking the opponent’s chances
All yacht racing is about winning but winning a match race means beating just one other boat. The basic principle, a bit like marking an opponent in a ball game, consists of blocking the opponent’s chances of passing by placing your boat firmly between the opponent and the next mark. But to do that you have to be in front and in control. If you are behind match racing consists of drawing the leader on a merry dance around the course to try and force him into making a mistake, or putting yourself in a position where your superior speed can be used to get past.

Getting more analytical about it, match racing has three key segments, the pre-start – the five minute countdown to the start gun, the first leg – the section from the start gun to rounding the first mark about one sixth of the way into the course, and the rest – from rounding the first mark of the course to crossing the finish line, the remaining five sixths of the distance.
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