Emirates Team New Zealand avenged the heartbreak of 2013 this afternoon by completing a 7-1 romp over Oracle Team USA on the Great Sound.
The Kiwi boat, which has been dominant under the helmsmanship of Peter Burling since the America’s Cup Match present by Louis Vuitton began on June 16, won the first scheduled race today by 55 seconds.
It was a day of redemption for the Kiwis, who blew a seemingly insurmountable 8-1 lead against Oracle in the last America’s Cup, in 2013, by losing eight consecutive races in San Francisco. This time, and despite starting the Match with one point fewer, because Oracle won the Qualifiers round robin, the Kiwis were irrepressible and will take the “Auld Mug” back to Auckland for the first time since 2003.
“A few years ago, it was absolutely brutal for the team, and it was a hard pill to swallow,” said Team New Zealand’s skipper, Glenn Ashby, who is the only member of the losing 2013 Kiwi team on this year’s crew. “For the sailors and all the other guys who are with the team, it is a great redemption, and I guess a relief to right the wrongs of the last campaign.”