Posted on by Daniel Leu

Louis Vuitton Cup – Round Robin 3, ETNZ vs. LR

This post is part of my America’s Cup in San Francisco blog post series.

It is summer in San Francisco which means colder temperatures and a lot of fog. Today was no exception:

Golden Gate Bridge disappearing in the San Francisco fog
Golden Gate Bridge disappearing in the San Francisco fog

This is the second time that Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) met Luna Rossa Challenge (LR) in the Louis Vuitton Cup. A week ago, LR didn’t do well against ETNZ. So the big question of the day was really whether Luna Rossa would be able to do any better.

Luna Rossa crossed the start line first but already at mark 1, the Kiwis pulled ahead. The distance increased at mark 2. But shortly afterwards, a broken clip at the top of New Zealand’s jib brought down the head-sail. For a short time, they slowed down until they threw the sail over board and continued as nothing happened. Their lead increased at each mark and New Zealand won another race. Very impressive!

The Kiwis today showed the value of the main sail which is really an “airplane” wing and that the head-sail is not that important. Great win! Congratulations!

First leg of ETNZ vs LR
First leg of ETNZ vs LR
ETNZ passed the first mark
ETNZ passed the first mark
LR passes the first mark
LR passes the first mark
ETNZ foiling away
ETNZ foiling away
ETNZ and LR upwind in leg 3. ETNZ without their jib.
ETNZ and LR upwind in leg 3
ETNZ and LR cross. ENTZ downwind on leg 4 while LR upwind on leg 3
ETNZ and LR cross. ENTZ downwind on leg 4 while LR upwind on leg 3
ETNZ and LR downwind on leg 4 in front of Alcatraz
ETNZ and LR downwind on leg 4 in front of Alcatraz
ETNZ starting leg 5
ETNZ starting leg 5
ETNZ without jib and LR crossing
ETNZ without jib and LR crossing
Spectactor on SUP getting a close look of LR
Spectactor on SUP getting a close look of LR

And once the AC72s finished their race, the kite surfer took over the bay.

Kite sails ready for launch
Kite sails ready for launch
Kite sails in the sky
Kite sails in the sky





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4 thoughts on “Louis Vuitton Cup – Round Robin 3, ETNZ vs. LR”

  1. Check your pic close up of the spectator, kinda looks like Jimmy spithill. He was out paddleboarding that morning.

    1. Wow, Martine, you have good eyes! I looked at the original image and some others and I think you are right, this is Jimmy!

    1. Yeah, I was surprised by all the kite-surfers. Such a colorful touch and nice contrast to the gray sky.

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