Red Bull Youth America’s Cup-date
The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup has certainly exceeded the pre-race hype. This thrilling eight-race series sailed in AC45s is entering its last day with an astounding 9 out of 10 teams still having a mathematical shot at achieving victory in this inaugural event.
NZL Sailing Team with ETNZ has dominated so far. They traded the top spot on the leaderboard with the hometown American Youth Sailing Force on Day Two, but yesterday pulled out the stops and became the first team to post a 1-1 scorecard in the event. Blowing the door open on this regatta, they’ve established an 11-point lead over their nearest rivals, fellow Kiwi squad Full Metal Jacket and the Force.
As impressive as the young Bay Area team has been, the wheels have fallen off the bus on the ‘American’ team of USA 45 Racing. The group of mostly Southern California natives has dealt with gear issues, poor starts and an intensely competitive fleet to find themselves thoroughly off the pace, finishing in 9th or 10th place for 5 of the 6 races run so far, oftentimes sailing more than a minute and a half behind the rest of the fleet.
Another disappointment has been Objective Australia, who came in as a pre-race favorite, has been plagued by gear issues. With the drama behind them, the Aussies competed with Burling and Co. at the front of the fleet to record two second place finishes yesterday, sending them rocketing back up the scoreboard. Watch for them to continue their meteoric rise up the leaderboard to contend for a podium position today.
NZL Sailing Team with ETNZ only needs to sail smart and consistent to convert their 11-point final day lead into a championship, while right behind them, seven teams still have a realistic shot at filling the other two podium positions. When the dust settles, one thing is for sure: this regatta will go down in America’s Cup history as one of the most exciting events of all time. Stay tuned to the October issue of Latitude 38 where we’ll take a more in-depth look at the Red Bull Youth AC, its future and that of the venerable AC45’s.