Risks and rewards at Dubai

Emirates Team New Zealand update - risks and rewards at Dubai

Emirates Team New Zealand took four points from two wins on Tuesday on the last day of round robin 2 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai regatta.

In both races the team got the starts it wanted then picked the wind shifts and took commanding leads.

Today's points put Emirates Team New Zealand a clear second on the leader board at the end of the round robins. The four top teams - BMWOracle Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand, Mascalzone Latino and ALL4ONE - go through to the semi-finals.

No racing on Wednesday. Shore crews will be busy on boat maintenance while sailing teams take a day off after nine strenuous days of racing.

In the pre-start for the second race, Barker won the left of the course and stayed well left, opening a big separation. Strategist Adam Beashel was up the rig looking for the tell-tale darker patches of water.

They sailed into the first shift and the boat starts to move ahead. At the first mark New Zealand was 35s in front, The lead fluctuated between four and six boat lengths down the run - a good lead but in the shifty conditions not necessarily comfortable,

ALL4ONE made some games and cut the delta at the second mark to 23s. Barker went left and was content to stay in touch, all the while Beashel up the mast and tactician Ray Davies at Barker's shoulder were looking for more breeze.

New Zealand crossed ahead 2 boat lengths, which in the shift extended to four as they went through the start-finish gate half-way up the course.

>From there they were never troubled and finished with a delta of 45s.

Emirates Team New Zealand won the first of its two round robin 2 matches on Tuesday beating the Russian syndicate Synergy.

The match against Synergy proved to be a waiting game. The breeze was soft and shifty and neither yacht had a clear advantage up the first beat and the run.

The telemetry showed Synergy in front - a margin of 9s at the first mark and 4s - at the second.

But the telemetry did not tell the whole story. On the run, Emirates Team New Zealand went wide of the right-hand layline in search of better breeze. Synergy decided late to go left rather than right and looked slow as they approached the mark. The New Zealand crew approached the right mark at speed, rounded and claimed the left of the course.

They went outside the layline on starboard tack. Synergy, on port, went way right. Neither yacht had a clear advantage. Then Barker tacked into a big right-hand shift that Beashel and Davies had called.

They were laying the committee boat stationed at the gate and the telemetry started reeling off the gains. The climb was so rapid that it seemed unreal.

But it was real. The crew had taken a big risk of allowing a wide separation on a very short course and was reaping the rewards. From 4s down at mark 2, Barker went to 1m12s ahead at mark 3. At the finish the delta was 1m18s.

Join us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/emiratesteamnewzealand

Get instant updates on Twitter- www.twitter.com/emiratesteamnz

ends

© Scoop Media