STUFF
Duncan Johnstone and Todd Niall review the first day of the Prada Cup final and hear from both teams.
Sir Ben Ainslie and INEOS Team UK have been slammed for a meek display as the international sailing media dissected the opening day of the Prada Cup final. Luna Rossa head into Sunday s action with a chance to put one foot in the America s Cup match against Team New Zealand after two comprehensive victories on Saturday in the best of 13 series. After establishing themselves as the team to beat by qualifying directly for the final, it was a big step back for Team UK and British expert Magnus Wheatley was stunned at how flat they looked for such a huge occasion.
America s Cup 2021: Top sailing writer Magnus Wheatley predicts historic Team New Zealand victory
2 Jan, 2021 12:00 AM
3 minutes to read
NZ Herald
By: Albie Redmore
A leading sailing pundit has laid out his bold predictions for 2021 s America s Cup competitions, including a record-breaking victory to Team New Zealand.
British commentator Magnus Wheatley, posting on his Rule69blog website, believes the America s Cup will be the least competitive of all time with no challenger able to finish within even a minute of the home team. Easy one first – Team New Zealand will win the Cup by a record margin. It will be a blackwash and will be 7-0, Wheatley wrote in a lengthy article.
“It was as bad as it could possibly get with technical breakdowns hogging the headlines but masking the far bigger issues – no boatspeed and a crew that look like they’ve never met before,” Wheatley wrote. “Three years of blood, sweat and tears has been poured into this and to be honest it looks like a bunch of amateurs who have hired a boat out of Portsmouth for a weekend’s racing with the big boys in Cowes.
Phil Walter/Getty Images
Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Peter Burling, crosses the finish line ahead of Luna Rossa in the first race of the America s Cup World Series on Auckland Harbour.
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