Cupdate: Are You Ready for a Rematch

After a slow morning of racing in Bermuda, several hundred clicks to refresh our browsers, and more than a little disgruntlement at the coverage of this year’s America’s Cup, it’s official: Team New Zealand just beat Artemis Racing 5 races to 2, and has realized a long awaited rematch with Oracle Team USA. 

During the first (and ultimately abandoned) race of the morning, Artemis was over early at the start, and New Zealand was in the lead around the first mark for the first time in the Finals. The Kiwis were way out in front, but Artemis caught a shift and clawed their way back. Team New Zealand was reportedly in displacement mode and a sitting duck as the Swedes were still foiling and closed the gap.  

Artemis managed to grab the lead but was penalized at a mark rounding for not giving way, putting them behind as the Kiwis were slow motion sprinting toward the finish, and the clock was ticking down on the 25-minute race limit. With Team New Zealand in the lead and on their way to victory, the race was abandoned. (Sound familiar to anyone?)

But Race 7 was just re-sailed, and New Zealand took the bullet and the Louis Vuitton Cup. 

The Finals have seen close racing, with the foiling cats neck and neck, throwing covering tacks, luffing each other up, and exchanging leads several times throughout races. And did we mention that Artemis skipper Nathan Outteridge went flying off the boat during a critical tack in Race 3 on Saturday?

Starting this week, two Bay Area sailors will duke it out in Bermuda in the three-day, 20-boat America’s Cup Superyacht Regatta. Jim Clark, who owns many legendary yachts, and Tom Siebel with a similar portfolio of high-tech ships and shares, will respectively be racing their Js Hanuman and the recently launched Svea. 

Clark and Siebel will also be part of a six-boat J fleet competing in the America’s Cup J Class Regatta June 16-20, which is scheduled during the Finals between Oracle and New Zealand. 

As outlined in our May 2016 issue, Clark and Seibel have been vying for the Owner of the Fleet of Epic Sailing Yachts with the Longest Cumulative Length (OOTFOESYWLCL), and will get a chance to mix it up in two separate regattas. 

If you haven’t had a chance to weigh in on how you’re enjoying (or griping about) this year’s America’s Cup, we’d like to hear from you. Whether you love it or hate it, please let us know.