Race 13: Groupama Team France bt Land Rover BAR by 0:53

High fives from Franck Cammas to his jubilant crew. Groupama Team France started a the day with a win by what seems to be a big upset over Land Rover BAR.

Sir Ben Ainslie and the Brits took the start by a three-boat margin and made nice gains on the first downwind leg. Upwind, France kept chipping away and they crossed even, with France ducking the starboard tacker.

At the windward mark, BAR chose to tack and keep the inside of the turn at the left-hand mark, but France went wide and very fast, at 40 knots, outside of Ainslie and just flew by him. France took the lead and worked it downwind.

Going back upwind, BAR made a bad tack and buried the port hull and it just stuck in the water. France must have been going 20 knots faster than BAR and several seconds later extended their lead to 255 metres. France were ahead by 53 seconds going into the fifth and kept hat lead around the next mark and off to the finish.

Race 14: Emirates Team New Zealand bt Artemis Racing by 0:03

Emirates Team New Zealand beat Artemis Racing on a port starboard penalty call at the last downwind mark. The Kiwis flew into the mark getting rights in the zone and also being safe on starboard.

Umpires ruled that the Swedes did not keep clear and forced New Zealand into a bad, wet hull-burying gybe inside. The Kiwis would have had rights to drive the Swedes up heading to wind but, at 50 knots of closing speed, chose to avoid a collision and took the bad turn in avoidance.

This was the most dramatic America’s Cup match in the new era of “fast and foiling”. There were nine lead changes and then the change at the finish when Artemis had to give up their lead to wipe off the penalty.

The race had started with Artemis OCS by less than a metre and having to let New Zealand take a two-boat-length lead at the first turn in midcourse.

Time differences at marks went from zero to three seconds. Close, Close, Close.

This was a match to remember.

Race 15: SoftBank Team Japan bt Groupama Team France by 2:34

SoftBank Team Japan took the start, going ten knots faster at the line.

The Groupama Team France crew may have still been on a celebratory state of mind from their earlier win against Land Rover BAR.

Team Japan never gave them a chance and waltzed line-to-line with an impressive win. France crossed 2min 34sec behind.

Halfway through the double round-robin Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers, 15 races in the wind, with 15 more to go to decide who is out and who chooses their opponents for the Playoff Semi-finals.