After their main GB1 team was forced out of the first two of Saturday morning’s three full-fleet races due to issues with their boat, the youth and women’s team, Athena Pathway, capsized in race two.
It was their second capsize of the week, after their AC40 ended up on its side during a practice session on Thursday, but they were able to return for the final race of the day.
It was a mixed day of racing for Team NZ, with both teams sitting on 20 points after three races.
It was a slow start to the regatta for the primary Kiwi crew, who were hit with two boat-on-boat penalties – being found guilty of not giving another team enough room. They were then handed a third penalty for not taking their second one within a minute of being slapped with it, and ultimately finished the first race in fourth.
Emirates Team New Zealand’s primary crew had a costly splashdown in the last race of the opening day in Cagliari. Photo / America’s Cup
All teams had some loose moments in the testing conditions, and after winning the second race, it was one such moment that cost Team NZ in the final contest of the day.
About halfway down the final leg of the race, the Kiwis came unstuck on a manoeuvre which led to a big splashdown, and they could only watch as the rest of the fleet sailed past them.
The Team NZ youth and women’s crew sailed a solid day, going through largely mistake-free to sit third on the leaderboard after the day’s racing.
With two wins and a second, Luna Rossa’s youth and women’s team sat atop the standings with 29 points, ahead of Peter Burling’s primary Luna Rossa team on 20. The Team NZ youth and women’s crew were also on 20 – as were Tudor Team Alinghi and the primary Team NZ crew – with the tiebreaker being the highest-placed team in the most recent race.
The regatta continues on Sunday morning with a further three fleet races, before two fleet races and a championship match race on Monday.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.