Episode 9 Sailing: America's Cup

We believe we can win it now. We don't believe this is over until we

win one more race. We have one hell of a fight on our hands here and a

challenge. It's a battle. You have to fight incredibly hard for every

plan. We love a challenge but certainly got what we wish for.

So this America's Cup's entered a new phase. After 12 races, there's

still no winner. Frustratingly for Emirates Team New Zealand, they are

one win away from reclaiming the Cup they lost back in 2003. San

Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is the backdrop for an Oracle team USA

fightback, their fourth win of the series keeps the match alive for at

least one more day. These Reeve lugesry yachts have

changed racing for ever. They provide wire-to-wire action,

penalties and speeds close to 50mph. It's day ten, race 13, New Zealand

lead 8-2 in the first to nine series of this 34th America's Cup.

San Francisco is becoming one of the all-time longest America's Cup

Regattas. For all the excitement, this week has been about safety.

These yachts are at the cutting edge of sailing technology. However that

jestic it looks, this is the first America's Cup race with sales the

size of a wing on a jumbo jet. These upper wind limits were

introduced as part of a safety review following the tragic events

in May when Andrew Simpson died training in one of these boats.

Someone had to sit down and review what we were doing at that time. The

fact that we'd had a loss of life meant we had to work with the

authorities and competitors to come up with rules and guidelines that

everyone would allow this competition to go forward. As time's

gone on, the competition's come a alive, crews knowing how to sail the

boats, the systems on the boats have evolve and I always knew the crews

would grow accustomed to everything, but we probably underestimated that.

Hence I think everyone would be prepared to go another one or two

knots for agreement. That's unlikely and the competition's halfway over

so we are in a situation we are in now. There's nothing the race

officials can do. Despite the pressure of crews, fans and a

worldwide television audience, no-one wants a capsize. But it's

been close. The important thing is that safety has prevailed. We

haven't had an accident since May the 9th and no-one's been hurt. This

close to the end of the competition, that's something that we are really

looking to preserve. The Americans now with Sir Ben

Ainslie aboard as tactician know they must win to extend their stay

in the competition. His experience seems to have made a

huge difference to skipper Jimmy Spithill and team US's $1050 million

campaign. The defenders are beginning to dream the dream of an

campaign. The defenders are impossible comeback.

We have this never give up attitude. The boys are very hungry. The fact

we are at match point has almost excited the team. They love a

challenge and we have certainly got that, but we are confident we'll

make some great can changes and we are confident we can win this. New

Zealand, financially backed by their government and with their fans eager

Zealand, financially backed by their to celebrate, still find themselves

stranded on match point for a fanatical sailing nation. It's been

a long ten years without cup success. The Kiwis are just one win

away. It's even between the boats. The boats will have areas where they

are strong and maybe areas where they are weaker. It's a case of

playing to your strengths and minimise the weakness. It will be a

very interesting day. We have an unusual day, there's a front

offshore and it's going to play a bit of havoc I think with the

tradition traditional day. This is how it looks going into race

13: 18. New Zealand need just one more win.

Let's cross to Ken Reid, Todd Harris and a becalmed Gary Jobson.

It's obviously that ebb on the shoreline.

It's obviously that ebb on the an incredible

It's obviously that ebb on the have seen. This

It's obviously that ebb on the Bay as we

It's obviously that ebb on the last game of the

It's obviously that ebb on the seen. It's

It's obviously that ebb on the of circumstances. The breeze is

It's obviously that ebb on the to the left, really off the

It's obviously that ebb on the more than we have ever seen. We are

It's obviously that ebb on the going to have big sails up today.

It's obviously that ebb on the These guys have not been

It's obviously that ebb on the with the big sails. This is quite a

turn of events and we haven't even with the big sails. This is quite a

started yet. The course remains the with the big sails. This is quite a

same but it will look different. Look at the map. Where's the sweet

spot going to be? The left hand ships will be quite different today.

They can't really skew the racecourse directly up wind,

downwind, there's going to be a very favoured tack to the next mark

downwind, there's going to be a very almost every single leg. Things were

further almost every single leg. Things were

to realign the staringts creating an almost every single leg. Things were

anxious and tense atmosphere on the water. Tactics will be paramount

because this race certainly won't be about speed.

So, here we go for race 13. What could possibly go wrong?

So, race 13 is under way. It's almost a dead heat. Better time and

So, race 13 is under way. It's distance for Oracle USA. New Zealand

were concerned about getting across them. They got themselves too far

away from the line. Oracle taking advantage of this

right away. Wouldn't be surprised if we saw a code zero.

It's a strange, slow march. The Americans are just happy to push the

Kiwis off course. This is tradition traditional stuff

we have seen so far. Here we go. Code zero is out. Well played by

both boats there. Barker being patient with the advantage. And

they're close. Both boats get themselves across.

The irony of this is, how many races have been blown off because of too

much wind, and here we are in a drifting contest. They are not even

making a mark. Team New Zealand has to be careful here. The flood

current is going right to left on your screen.

So the Americans officially hit mark number one and the Kiwis extremely

slow. It's a ten second advantage to Oracle team USA.

These catamarans in these conditions, you will see dramatic

angle changes between the boats. They are always trying to build

speed, use height. It's code zero we are referring to. Used to call it a

spinner, but now it's a code zero. There's no such thing as a spinner

really. The boats generate so much wind.

They've been racing for three-and-a-half minutes. Something

that we'll keep an eye on on the clock. The questions I have is, what

is the upwind going to be like if this is downwind? That'll be a whole

lot bimpbt. They are struggling to build downwind.

Pull handling contest. Different scenario has to what each crew

member does on board when you are here. Any little mistake will be

magnified on a day like today. The irony right now is, we have had so

many races brought off because of so much wind, now we are talking about

the time limit not happening. Yes. Not sure I like the strategy of USA

by sailing a low course. They are going very slow. I think it's

by sailing a low course. They are costing them.

Right now, as we take a look at virtual eye, the Americans have a

shrinking lead. Less to 30 metres. Can they get across? They just stop

in the middle. If all of a sudden, Oracle get going and New Zealand

can't get across, it's a port star boar situation.

The angles are so dramatic between the boats. They can't get to them.

There's a 40 minute time limit. We have been racing now for just about

seven minutes. You've got to feel for the Kiwis.

Through no fault of their own they are struggling, but the wind Gods

have taken this away from them. Still quite a distance to the finish

line and they are nowhere near where they need to be.

New Zealand. I'm very sorry this is happening to you. Boy oh boy.

They've been sailing around as fast as possible. They weren't going to

make up five minutes. So with ten seconds to go, we'll listen in and

see if we hear the official word. Ben Ainslie, the tactician for the

Americans is with us. I don't know if anyone was happy about the

abandonment, other than the boys on board Oracle Team USA? Better to be

abandonment, other than the boys on lucky than good is the old saying. I

think that was the case in that race. We had a really nice start, we

did a great job and we were covering down that first run, but Ied just

did a slightly better job, enabling them to roll over us. So we were

obviously staring down the barrel of them to roll over us. So we were

defeat there. So race 13 was proving unlucky for

some. After 33 minutes, it was restarted. But with no real change

in the weather, there were no guarantees it would finish in time.

Because of the lighter winds, New Zealand's start wasn't the advantage

it previously was. And the Kiwis are in at 204.

So here we go, race 13, day ten. Moments after the Kiwis on their way

to winning the America's Cup, the race was abandoned, the time limit

exceeded. Is is mar of a traditional starting

sequence. Not the super light air one we saw an hour ago. They both

still have code zeros filled up. They think it will be light enough

for a non-foiling downwind leg. That's the difference if you can

foil. The wind is too strong to use the code zeros. I don't think we'll

see them unless the wind goes down a little is.

With this current, this should traditionally be helping out the

position that team New Zealand is in. They like that left hand lane. A

huge moment for Oracle, can they shake off this morning's beating

they took? New Zealand doing very good to set themselves up to be in a

very good position. Oracle are hopefully fast enough. If

they are too slow, they could get an overlap and they could be in

trouble. Barely stays clear. By barely getting going, he's going to

have total control. So Jimmy Spithill at the start of race 13

puts Dean Barker and the Kiwis in prime position.

Gutsy, gutsy move by Dean Barker, letting him close the gap so

tightly, yet keeping just clear ahead.

So the race for the America's Cup is on. New Zealand need just one more

cup. The cup is there as the Americans win out to retain. -- need

to win out to retain. Gutsy, Ken. I would say brilliant. Emirates Team

New Zealand has the lead. Can they make it stick? The wind is picking

up. Up to 12 knots now, peaking at Sa and the America just three

seconds behind. No code zeros. And Ken in the last race, I don't think

we were half way to Mark number one at this point. Exactly. Easing upon

we were half way to Mark number one their foils. That eliminates the

code zeros for now. Keep them in the air in case they need to use the

sails to get out of it. Doing a very good job sailing low here. That's

helping them. Right down into the bad air of Emirates Team New

Zealand. Usually a temporary game. They sail down into the wind wash

and can't make it stick. You are exactly right.

We don't know which boat is better in these conditions. We talked about

Oracle making improvements at the top end of the wind range. Will that

be a big detriment to what they can do at the bottom end? How much did

they change their boat over towards the lighter air configuration?

Certainly the boats are pretty even the lighter air configuration?

going down. The big test is going to win ward on Lake three.

Good discipline by Dean Barker not looking back at the other boat. I

like what I see. The lead starts to grow for Emirates Team New Zealand

on the right of your screen, over 160 metres over the Americans.

Must go back and look at the start one more time. This is where Dean

Barker earns his money right now as one more time. This is where Dean

we take a look at it on virtual reality. The guys talked about going

for the pin end, the right end and they decided the last second to

for the pin end, the right end and out probably too late. They went

toer the doesn't get too close to the line,

wins the start. Really well done by the Kiwis. No overlap. If there was

an overlap here, the whole thing changes. That is all the difference

needed by the which kiths to actually dominate that start.

As the Americans try to close the gap on Emirates Team New Zealand,

the Kiwis just one win away from claiming the America's Cup and

taking it away from Oracle team USA. It's all about staying under

pressure right now. This is where tacticians make their money. Ben

Ainslie, ray Davies, this is a Battle of Wits right now.

The Americans were down by 150 metres, now here they are leading by

15. So far in this race tworks pretty even boats. You get a little

breeze in your favour, you gain, it's that simple. They might have a

piece of these guys. It's a big cross.

And I have a feeling we have a protest. They are looking at the

umpires. This is going to be very interesting.

It was a bit of a Hollywood if it wasn't a foul. They should have

tried to sell it. Let us see if they sold it properly.

The umpire's taking a long time here, Gary. But you're right, Oracle

have taken the lead no matter what. This could be a game changer

depending on what the umpires decide. Not really because right now

they would make Team New Zealand get back anyway. They've done their

penalty already. I've never seen the back anyway. They've done their

umpires take so long. There it is, wow. The Hollywood works for Oracle.

Gary and I both thought there was distance in-between the boats, but

man, they sold it well. Instantaneously, the penalty is

completed. You called it right. The Americans sell it and the officials

say New Zealand fouled the Americans. So the Americans are now

in the lead by over 100 metres. Here it is again. That little thing. The

umpires determine that if the Oracle hadn't changed direction here, they

umpires determine that if the Oracle would have had a Coalition. So

listen, they have everything sorted out in that back room. -- collision.

Takes the pressure off the umpires because Oracle was going to take the

lead no matter what. Can New Zealand get down to this

gate? Here is another incredibly tactical situation. The breeze is on

the right side of the course in favour of New Zealand.

Right in front. The Americans pulled off right in front of the Kiwis at

gate two. The Kiwis decided to go for the other gate. They are going

to be really slow here trying to pull this manoeuvre off. Really

slow. Big mistakes. Can't get down low

enough to the mark. They are not going to be gaining speed very soon.

Cur rent is going right to left. Holy smoke. What a turn of events.

The cross. Spithill right in front of Barker and Davies. Bring them

almost to a complete halt. There is the lead, 100 metres. The difference

again is metres. If Emirates Team New Zealand could have gone lower,

#28ed have been a dead even split, but the fact they had to do the

last-minute manoeuvre, really slowed them down, put them behind here.

Let us take a look at it one time on virtual eye. The Americans

on the left, the Kiwis on the right. The mark on the lower left hand side

is the marker Oracle will be going after because the other boat is

inside. They get into the zone. They have control of that left hand mark.

Instead of following them in, the Kiwis do a last-minute move and get

super slow. So very well done by Oracle. They used the three boat leg

circle that we can't see loevent hand size of our screen. They do a

nice, fast manoeuvre around. Team New Zealand get really slow and

Oracle break out to a nice lead. You are looking at live pictures as

the Americans have the lead, 260 metres and growing. The Kiwis were

one leg away from claiming the America's Cup and mother nature

shout it down, the time limit was exceeded, the race abandoned and

here we are in the re-running of race 13 and the Americans are

clearly in control. The question that people all around

the docks here in San Francisco keep asking is, what took them so long?

The Kiwis were showing this off in the Louis Vuitton series, why didn't

Oracle pick up on that earlier? It might have cost them.

Back on board with Emirates Team New Zealand. Eight points needing only

one more to claim the America's Cup. Let's not forget, it's been a couple

of days since the Kiwis have won a race. Go back to day 9, race 12,

only one race was contested that day. The Americans won it. Fresh off

the abandonment of race 13, it was heartbreaking for the Kiwis what

they did in the first race today as they made the turn at mark four and

ran out of time. They are climbing back into this again. Do not count

them out. They've shown calmness and back into this again. Do not count

they are collected in tough spots. This is a tough spot, knowing they

have the cup in their hands. Going straight for a second. Get on

the foil. On board with the Team USA, they trial right now eight wins

to two. They need to win out the. The Kiwis need one more victory to

take the cup back to Auckland. In the middle of the bairks Oracle is

in a big left hand ship. The breeze has gone left for both of the boats.

-- middle of the bay. The Americans split the course. The

Kiwis forced the Americans into a bad situation.

It was all set up by the bottom mark where Team New Zealand had to create

a split. It cost them valuable distance. Distance and the upper

hand in this race. It's not over Todd. We have seen that too many

times. This is hard, hard conditions here,

this light, spotty windships. Oracle's not far from the line,

Kenny. Looks like they are going to hold it out and do one manoeuvre in.

They really lost an opportunity there.

The left hand shift is so dramatic that it looks like they are going to

land the mark. Sometimes, Todd, it's just your day and this big wind

shift right here is proof that today appears to be Oracle's day.

Bottom of the screen, the dark patch, that could be a right hand

shift. Oracle could get around in the nick of time and Team New

Zealand might get stuck in a right hand shift as they approach. And

gate three, it's the Americans' turn. This is well over 400 metres

as the Kiwis now will try to track them down knowing that a cut is so

very close. I think sailors around the world are

just shaking their heads at how quickly fortunes have changed in

this event. Remember, Dean Barker had the lead

at gate 1 by three seconds. A fantastic job by Jimmy Spithill at

gate two put them in a hole. Now they are starting to make it stretch

up to 46 seconds the Kiwis are behind the Americans. The Americans

head for Mark 4. The New Zealanders try to track them down.

In all your experience, around the America's Cup, have you ever seen a

team on the last leg of what would be the winning race and have it

cancelled because time limit only to come back in the next race and

absolutely just get worked on the water?

Well, the only race that is sum to this is race seven in 1983. Dennis

Connor leading. Australia passed them and won the America's Cup.

If the Leeds holds up for Oracle Team USA, they'll now need just six

wins to win and keep the America's Cup. The They are talking about

every snow owe that could go wrong. They are going through every

possible scenario and what the solutions would be.

They just said beat to the finish. This is going so far to the left

that for the first time in this event they may be going hard into

the wind going into the America's Cup Park.

Makes it good for New Zealand. Code Zoe row going up on Team New

Zealand. -- code zero going up on Team New

Zealand. The Americans execute a beautiful

drive. They'll make a right hand turn. If all things hold together,

the Americans will pick up another victory and it will take their wins

down to six with the Kiwis still just needing the one win to take the

cup away. Two beautiful jibes by Oracle Team

USA. They've come so far with the

manoeuvering and their boat handling. Very, very well done as

they come into the last quay. The Americans first to it and they

are now heading for home. The lead for the Americans is

growing in excess of 30 seconds and now they are close to getting to the

finish and getting to the win. For Emirates New Zealand this is a day

of what could have been. They were in the exact same position right

about here when the race came to termination point earlier today. It

was waved off. They were clearly over 1,000 metres ahead of the

Americans and just not enough time. I think we are too close to the

sailors in this case. We feel their frustration and we are thinking they

want to end. I know for a fact, talking at any to my friends in

Newport, they'll hope this thing keeps going for a long, long time,

because this is exciting stuff. This is sailing like sailing has never

seen before really. Around the aursst USA, let the

celebration begin. The America's Cup will continue on for at least one

more day. Oracle team USA have come through with a victory in race 13.

The Kiwis get the better start, as race 13 showed, but it was the

Americans that took it over and at gate two they made it stretch. They

were able to extend the Regatta for another day. We'll see a day 11. We

are going to find a lot out about this. We talked about pressure and

momentum change, but this is luke nothing we have ever seen, nothing

I've ever seen. -- like nothing we have ever seen. USA have won four of

the last eight races that Ben Ainslie has been on board. New

Zealand still need one more point. But it's the Americans who have the

momentum. If you look at the start of the

Regatta, it really felt like everything was going against us. I

mean, four days out from the start of the Regatta, we didn't know who

we could race with. We lost our wing trimmer. We were then told we had

lost two points and hadn't even started the race. It feels to me

like affecting the guys on board, it's

affecting the whole team and yes, we just feel like the tide is turning,

it's starting to go away. It's the third race now that we have been in

the lead. Today it was time limit. You sort of say, well, you know, any

one of the three points would have You sort of say, well, you know, any

been nice right now, but the team, you know, there's no loss of

confidence. We know that we can easily get this done. It's a case of

going out there again tomorrow and race racing hard. Saturday and there

was nothing bright about the Golden Gate Bridge as the crews trudged

through the rain. Even worse, the wind was blowing in

the wrong direction. It forced yet another delay to the schedule which

was already behind. The only man with a spring in his

step is a rejuvenated American sailor, Jim write Spithill. Him and

Ben Ainslie have found a winning formula. From day one, we got on

Ben Ainslie have found a winning well on board the boat and, as we

have gone through the races we have progressed, we've learnt a bit about

each other, what information's good, what isn't. Some of the conditions

have been quite trying. Especially yesterday. I think today will be. We

work the best we can but I really enjoy sailing with Tom and Jimmy and

we are gelling well as a team at the back of the boat there. After all

the talk, race conditions fail to improve in time. A familiar lacking

scene played out on the bay of San Francisco.

It was close, but the real thety is, we want to make sure whatever we do,

it's a quality race. It's only fair for everybody. The breeze was just

too far left today. Never got out of the 200 range which, in this course,

is hard to set up a fair racecourse. So we head into day 16, still

looking for a winner. New Zealand stuck on match point. It's slow,

frustrating, but thoroughly addictive. Can the Americans keep

their form going? Will the Kiwis get the win they are looking for? Or

will mother nature cause further scheduling headaches? We are back on

Monday at 1. 30 on BBC do Two to see if history will be made as this

becomes the longest America's Cup ever.