34th America’s Cup: Race 9 abandoned due to wind limit

San Francisco, CA (September 14, 2013) – After the shocking turn of events in race 8, the momentum was moving in the America’s Cup. After the near capsize by challenger Emirates Team New Zealand, and the improved upwind performance by defender Oracle Team USA, the only thing certain about race 9 was that nothing was certain.

But if there was concern about the Kiwi’s ability to recover, doubt was soon erased during the prestart. With the wind gusting to 21 knots, the Kiwis fought again for the leeward position, and hit the pedal perfectly to lead off the start line by 1 second. With both teams hitting speeds in the 40s, the Kiwis looked solid at mark one with a 4 second lead.

Similar to race 8, the Kiwis sought to manage the downwind leg to avoid the Americans getting the split at the leeward gate. And similar to race 8, the Americans got the critical split, rounding the offshore mark while the Kiwis turned at the inshore gate, six seconds ahead.

But before a first cross could occur, the race was abandoned. With the wind limit at 22.6 knots, reduced from the 23 knot maximum due to ebb tide, Mother Nature interceded to score her first point. The independent race management team made the call, but that didn’t halt Kiwi sponsor Camper from calling foul with this tweet:

“RACE ABANDONED: Race 2 abandoned due to wind while we are leading. We’ll leave the comments to you!”

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Eight Completed Races – First team to 9 Points Wins
Emirates Team New Zealand: 6
Oracle Team USA: 0*
* Began series with -2 points due to International Jury penalty from AC World Series.

America’s Cup Final schedule
Saturday, Sept. 7: Race 1 (1:15 pm PT), Race 2 (2:15 pm PT)
Sunday, Sept. 8: Race 3 (1:15 pm PT), Race 4 (2:15 pm PT
Tuesday, Sept. 10: Race 5 (1:15 pm PT), Race 6 (2:15 pm PT); Race 6 postponed
Thursday, Sept. 12: Race 6 (1:15 pm PT), Race 7 (2:15 pm PT)
Saturday, Sept. 14: Race 8 (1:15 pm PT), Race 9 (2:15 pm PT) Race 9 abandoned
Sunday, Sept. 15: Final Race 9 (1:15 pm PT), Final Race 10 (2:15 pm PT)
Monday, Sept. 16: Off Day
Tuesday, Sept. 17: Final Race 11 (1:15 pm PT), Final Race 12* (2:15 pm PT)
Wednesday, Sept. 18: Final Race 13* (1:15 pm PT), Final Race 14* (2:15 pm PT)
Thursday, Sept. 19: Final Race 15* (1:15 pm PT), Final Race 16* (2:15 pm PT)
Friday, Sept. 20: Reserve Day
Saturday, Sept. 21: Final Race 17* (1:15 pm PT)
Sunday, Sept. 22: Reserve Day
Monday, Sept. 23: Reserve Day
(*If necessary)