Emirates Team New Zealand, guided by Aussies, notches 8th point / America’s Cup

Emirates Team New Zealand sailed unopposed today in the final race of Round 4 of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series.

A pair of Australians guided the good ship Aotearoa around the race track, as normal wing trimmer Glenn Ashby took a turn on the helm in place of skipper Dean Barker, who got a breather. Also, bowman Adam Beashel slotted into Ashby’s role trimming the wing.

“I think Dean’s safe in his role steering the boat,” laughed Ashby, 35, after the race. “But it was fantastic to have a feel for the boat and put it through the different maneuvers. I got a bit wobbly at times trying to switch out of my role as wing trimmer and into helmsman, sometimes the timing and things were out a bit.”

“It was no problem at all,” said Beashel, who has been with Emirates Team New Zealand since the 2003 America’s Cup. “I’m used to sailing with Glenn. We’ve done a lot of sailing together on the SL33 (the team’s training boat), so it was business as usual for the two of us. There were quite a lot of snide little jokes here and there, a bit of fun and banter, so was a good day.”

Emirates Team New Zealand has already clinched the round robin portion of the Louis Vuitton Cup, which gives the team the choice of advancing straight to the final or choosing its opponent in the semifinal round. The Kiwi team is expected to announce its decision at a press conference after tomorrow’s race against Luna Rossa Challenge.

The race will be broadcast on the America’s Cup YouTube channel beginning at 12:00 pm.

Standings
1. Emirates Team New Zealand 8-0 – 8 points (2 races remaining)
2. Luna Rossa Challenge 4-4 – 4 points (2 races remaining)
3. Artemis Racing 0-8 – 0 points (2 races remaining)
Today’s performance data

• Emirates Team New Zealand sailed the five-leg America’s Cup course
• Course length: 9.64 nautical miles
• Elapsed time: 30 minutes, 59 seconds
• Total distance sailed: 11.7 nautical miles
• Average speed: 22.83 knots (26 mph)
• Top speed: 33.8 knots (39 mph) on Leg 4, downwind
• Wind speed: average 13.2 knots; peak gust 15.7 knots

The schedule ahead (all starts scheduled for 12:15 pm PT)

• Sunday, July 28, Emirates Team New Zealand vs. Luna Rossa Challenge
• Tuesday, July 30, Artemis Racing vs. Emirates Team New Zealand
• Thursday, August 1, Luna Rossa Challenge vs. Artemis Racing