Still alive! The improbable comeback is strong and well here in San Francisco. Today Oracle won Race 16 by 33 seconds in very light wind condition. That’s the 5th straight win for Jimmy Spithill and his crew. Oracle’s boat is now faster in all wind conditions than the kiwis’ boat. The momentum has completely shifted away and Oracle can defend the cup. Further more if Oracle wins tomorrow (in stronger wind conditions), it will have won more races than the Kiwis and won nine races, opening the door for litigation about the 2 points penalty. It was interesting to note that Oracle gained time on all five legs of the racecourse.
The crowd was a lot thinner today.
Support for team USA was still there.
Oracle Team USA claiming their 8th victory.
OTUSA won the last five consecutive victories to tie the longest consecutive unbeaten streak in the modern era.
Emirates Team New Zealand was always right behind.
Supporters cheering for Oracle.
A pretty happy Jimmy Spithill and its crew.
Tomorrow the wind will pick up in San Francisco, which should favor Oracle. The forecast is unclear if they could race twice tomorrow without exceeding the wind limit.
For information, this is the longest America’s cup ever (17 days today and counting). The last official reserve day was yesterday and starting Wednesday the Rolex big boat series will start (organized by a competing yacht club).