It was a wild weekend of abandoned races, ever-changing leads, and even a hull puncture as the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series hit New York. It was also a weekend of megayacht-spotting among the spectator boats.
The America’s Cup was last held in the Big Apple 96 years ago. Of additional significance, the Cup itself lived in New York for decades. Why? Because the United States holds the longest winning streak in the history of the competition, and indeed any sport: 24 wins over 132 years.
All of this helps explain why an estimated 75,000 spectators lined the 1.2 miles of viewing areas along the Hudson River on race day one. Bigger crowds greeted the six-boat fleet on race day 2: a whopping 100,000. Hundreds of additional spectators gathered on the decks of private and chartered tourist boats, powerboats and sailboats, and megayachts. Northern Star (above) was the biggest—and beautiful even against the ominous skies on day one. Spectators on the water and the land also delighted in seeing two J-Class yachts, Ranger and Topaz, at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series.
No matter where the race was viewed from, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series had more than its fair share of quick action on the part of race management and the sailors alike. Mother Nature caused all three races set for day one to be abandoned moments after they started, due to dying northerlies that barely hit 4 knots. She finally relented, ever so slightly, switching the light winds out of the south in time for a “substitute race.” It would only count in the points total if Sunday’s racing were abandoned, too. No matter: All the teams were game to try to capture even the slightest puff. SoftBank Team Japan secured the win amongst multiple tactical maneuvers across the fleet.
Race day two was a challenge as well, for far different, and better, reasons: ever-shifting, dramatic wind changes from 5 to 20 knots, and a roaring current of about 6 knots. The three scheduled races went off without a hitch… until Emirates Team New Zealand hooked the anchor line for the starting buoy in the last race. The same buoy punctured their AC45’s hull, too, and they took on some water. All seemed lost for them as they managed only fifth place for most of the race. That is, until the lee of Manhattan’s skyscrapers acted like an off switch for the breeze as the racers approached the next to last leg. With all the boats drifting in the current, it was anyone’s guess as to who’d be able to maneuver out of it. As if out of a Hollywood script, Emirates Team New Zealand caught a building gust, taking off on her hydrofoils at 16 to 20 knots boatspeed. If a boat were capable of leaving others in the dust, that would have been the case. She crossed the finish line, securing first place and 52 overall points for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series New York.
Check out the video recap of the action above, plus our exclusive photo gallery below.
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