The 2013 Americas Cup took another blow on Tuesday following the postponement of races Nos.11 and 12 due to strong winds and huge ebbs at San Francisco Bay.
With the duel set to resume on Wednesday, Oracle Team USA has to find a way to stop Emirates Team New Zealand from winning two more races in the 34th edition of the world's greatest sailing race.
The Kiwis are on the verge of claiming their third-ever America's Cup victory, thanks to a strong start that catapulted them to a commanding 7-1 lead in this race-to-nine series. On the other hand, Oracle Team USA was slapped with a two-point penalty along with the dismissal of three experienced members even before the start of the race.
The penalty proved to be the difference-maker throughout the series as the Americans struggled to cope with the speed of their rivals. Emirates Team New Zealand won six of the first seven races, before Oracle Team USA came out strong over the weekend with back-to-back victories in races Nos.8 and 9.
With the Americans finally putting a victory on the board, the Kiwis closed the weekend with a bang as they edged out their competitors by 17 seconds during race No.10.
Now, Emirates Team New Zealand enters the second week of competition with their eyes on the prize. Still, New Zealand skipper Dean Barker is aware that things won't be easy at all going forward. With their backs against the wall, Oracle Team USA is expected to give their all during the remaining races as they look to pull off perhaps the greatest comeback in America's Cup history.
In fact, Oracle Team USA designer Dirk Kramers confirmed that he has made several modifications to their vessel during the weekend to improve the boat's upwind performance in upcoming races.
"At the moment we look good in higher winds and maybe they look better in lower winds, but that might change in the next few days," Kramers told the press following the postponement of Tuesday's races.
Meanwhile, Emirates Team New Zealand designer Nick Holroyd has also tweaked other details of their boat to keep them flexible with the ever changing sailing condition.
"I think there's been some rake change in the wing, beyond that where they've taken the spine structure away saves you a bunch of weight, which opens up opportunities to do things elsewhere. But I'll go back and terrorize the recon department to find more," Holroyd told America's Cup.
T.V Schedule & Live Stream Information
NBC Sports Coverage of the America's Cup Final will begin at 4:15 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m PST. International viewers can watch the live streaming and replay of the America's Cup final on the race's official Youtube Channel.