New Zealanders and Italians compete for the legendary silver ewer aboard revolutionary monohulls.
Facing the impressive swarm of spectator boats anchored in Auckland Bay, The Rehutai swallow 3e marks the course as close as possible to the buoy, without its hull ever touching the water. The meter of the silver fern vessel, now downwind, panics. 45, 47, 49… soon 51 knots. The bar of 100 km / h is grazed by the sheer force of a nonetheless gentle wind (14 knots). Placed in a row of onions, their helmets barely protruding from the carbon fuselage, the eight grinders at Popeye’s biceps frantically turn the cranks. At the helm, Peter Burling begins his jibe while the imposing starboard pendulum foil at the end in the shape of a whale’s tail plunges into the water.
Launched in pursuit of Red Moon, the New Zealand match racing prodigy and his ten teammates will not catch up. For seven seconds, the defender bowed to his Italian challenger, suddenly plunging an entire nation into a sea of disappointment. Because in the land of sheep,
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