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Round robin 2, Race 1
Team UK v American Magic
Team UK win by 4m 59s
Finish - Team UK cross for victory, - their third of the Prada Cup regatta - with only a couple of minutes left in their time limit. They're still trying to figure out if they're under the deadline.
Everyone - including Team UK themselves - had doubts about their ability in light winds, but they laid that to rest today.
Barker must now beat the five-minute finishing limit to avoid another 'dnf' for the day. Patriot is foiling towards the finish.
American Magic jibe to the finish-line and barely make it within the five minutes - although that may be a generous call from the judges. There will some soul-searching in their camp tonight, after failing to gain a Prada Cup point during the first two days of racing.
Remember, they were the pre-event faovurites at the TAB.
Leg 4 - Team UK are on the final leg, but American Magic are on their foils and making better speed upwind. The lead is below 2km.
They have less than nine minutes to finish, before the race is abandonned.
Both boats are on the same leg, but Magic are eating into that lead - it's down to 1400m. They're still foiling, Team UK aren't.
Now Team UK are on their foils, with less than six minutes before the time limit. The lead is about 1.1km.
The British have achieved 30 knots downwind and rebuilding that lead towards 2km. They have four minutes to finish.
Leg 3 - American Magic are making no headway and are mowing the lawns, looking for enough wind to foil. They're already two minutes behind at the mark and they're nowhere near reaching it.
Team UK are off their foils, but they're more than 2km ahead, so Magic need to find a big puff to cut into that advantage.
American Magic are back on their foils and heading downwind towards the mark.
The Americans are not at the bottom mark yet, but are already seven minutes behind. Team UK are at the other end of the course, looking for the layline.
American Magic finally round the bottom mark, 8m 47s behind. Team UK are laying towards the top mark, 2.5km ahead.
Team UK are rounding the left mark in slow motion.
Leg 2 - American Magic finally round 1m 50 behind, but less than 200m in real terms.
The Americans head left and will pick up any wind from that direction first. Team UK are also headed left, but closer to the centre of the course.
Both boats reach the left boundary and jibe back to the right. Neither have achieved lift-off and they're still milling around the top of the course, looking for wind.
Team UK jibe left again, sensing there's something for them in that direction. The Americans follow, but neither are on foils.
Preditably, the race has been shortened from four to six legs, just like the first race.
The lead has inched out to 500m and Team UK have found something - they're up over 20 knots and about to go airborne. No, they missed it.
American Magic are foiling and cutting into the lead. They've found something out right, towards Rangitoto.
Team UK are laying for the bottom mark on their foils, but Magic are off again. The lead stretches quickly to 800m-plus.
The British round the right mark, but tack left.
Leg 1 - Ainslie has a 400m lead before Barker even crosses the start-line - and it's building by the second.
Halfway down the leg, the advantage is 800m, but American Magic are finally on their foils and both teams reach 30 knots upwind.
Team UK will lay to the top mark from the left, but have fallen off the foils and need one more tack to make the gate.
Team UK have rounded, but their lead is less than 100m and they are struggling to get airborne. Everyone's sailing in slow motion.
Start - Both boats foiling in the pre-start, with the British to enter first from port. Winds are still variable though.
Team UK enter and immediately head right. Magic have fallen off the foils already and been penalised for entering early - double trouble for Barker.
Magic have actually turned away from the line, Team UK have gone over the top and now crossed the line, acheving another penalty against his rivals and cleaning them up at the start.
The British have stopped at the mark and the Americans are foiling, gobbling up that lead.
4:31pm - Racing now delayed until 4:55pm.
4:15pm - Start for the next race has been pushed back to 4:45pm.
Round robin 1, Race 3
Luna Rossa v American Magic
Luna Rossa win by walkover
Finish - Luna Rossa cross the finish-line for their first win of the Prada Cup regatta. They don't stop, perhaps they haven't heard that the race was shortened.
The clock is now ticking on American Magic's arrival.
Race management inform the Italians they are done. Sir Ben Ainslie is checking whether Team UK can enter the racecourse to prepare for the next race, but they've been warned off by race management until American Magic finish.
Five minutes after Luna Rossa finish, Barker is informed the race is over and American Magic record a 'dnf' (did not finish). They must now regroup to take on Team UK at 4:30pm.
Leg 4 - American Magic are becalmed halfway down the course, but Luna Rossa sail back towards the mark, looking for momentum to stay on their foils.
Spithill and Bruni have hit 40 knots and are flying, leaving the Americans in their wake. Magic are off their foils again and struggling to make that top mark.
Luna Rossa are almost 3km or a full length of the course ahead, heading to the finish. They rounded the top mark five minutes ago and the Americans aren't there yet.
Leg 3 - American Magic follow Luna Rossa around the left gate, one minute or 500m behind.
Both boats have tacked across from the left side of the course, travelling about 30 knots upwind.
Both have touched down off their foils, so we're back to a waiting game, looking for the next gust. Luna Rossa hold a 500m lead.
These teams have less than 17 minutes now to reach the top mark and complete the fourth leg - the clock is ticking loudly.
Luna Rossa are back on their foils, American Magic are out left looking for the wind.
Luna Rossa hit the layline on the right and head to the mark. They round the left gate and head left, where they see pressure.
Leg 2 - Prada has also dropped off the foils and are forced to sail back towards the mark, searching for a lift. The Italians have already beaten the 12-minute time limit for the first leg, so the next time limit is 45 minutes for the race.
After four minutes, Magic have not reached the gate yet, but Luna Rossa is becalmed. Their 800m advantage is actually shrinking.
Neither boat is making much progress, although the Italians have built some speed - not enought to get airborne. This is so frustrating.
American Magic finally reach the top mark, 7m 34s behind, but on their foils and starting to gobble into the lead.
The margin is about 350m now and both boats have found wind shifts. The races has been shortened from six legs to four and the Americans are now bearing down on the Italians.
The boats cross, with Magic behind, but Luna Rossa is heading across the course and the Americans take the lead.
Magic reach the right boundary and jibe, but can't keep the pressure up and fall their foils. So do the Italians.
Barker now has a 400m lead and Luna Rossa is heading backwards and forwards, looking for a gust.
American Magic have only been on foils for 32 percent of this race, Luna Rossa 63 percent, but the Americans lead.
Luna Rossa have found a gust and rocket past American Magic to an instant 400m lead. Patriot is off the foils, as they jibe.
The lead is now 800 and Luna Rossa lay for the bottom mark. They reach the gate and round right, heading down the left side of the course.
Leg 1 - Another disastrous start for Dean Barker. Patriot is barely on its foils, but Luna Rossa are headed down the course with a big lead. Both tack back towards the centre of the course, Luna Rossa from the left and Magic from the right.
Luna Rossa travelling at about 25 knots upwind with a 250m lead. American Magic are back off their foils and their speed has dropped right off, struggling in the light winds.
The Italians arrive at the first mark and round left. American Magic is still several hundred metres behind, off their foils and crawling at less than 10 knots.
Start - Both boats are in their pre-start routines. Luna Rossa to enter the start box from port first.
Winds have dropped a little, but both boats are foiling, so hopefully they have learnt how to handled these conditions.
The Italians have entered the box, followed by American Magic. Luna Rossa continues out to the right, but the Americans continue left and seem to sit on the start-line waiting.
Both boats off their foils and the Americans have protested.
Luna Rossa are back on their foils and heading back to the line, but the Americans are dead. Advantage Italy.
2:55pm - Despite forecast lighter winds, the breeze is building and all three boats have been foiling in the build-up to racing, so looks like we will start on time-ish.
2:50pm - Apparently Luna Rossa reached the top speed yesterday with 46.72 knots, yet still couldn't win. Obviously, raw speed isn't everything.
2:34pm - Overnight, Team UK have received a slap on the wrist for contravening a measurement specification in their sail set-up on Friday. They were fined and told not to do it again, you bad boys, but they keep their competition points.
Will be interesting to see how that change affects their performance today.
Will also be interesting to see how the course change affects spectators, bearing in mind last time organisers attempted to tweak an established course, we ended up with spectator craft on the new track.
Considerable work has been done on communication with spectators, so hopefully everyone will be aware of the new boundaries.
*****
Kia ora, good afternoon and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the America's Cup challenger series on Auckland's Waitematā Harbour and Hauraki Gulf.
After Friday's racing, INEOS Team UK have jumped out to an early lead in the Prada Cup competition, rebounding from their terrible pre-Christmas world series form to trounce both Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and NYYC American Magic.
Sir Ben Ainslie and his team had clearly worked hard over the three subsequent weeks to improve their boat and their tactics, dominating the right side of Course C and leading from start to finish in both races.
Today, the spotlight falls on American Magic helmsman Dean Barker - the former Emirates Team NZ skipper who was found wanting on his own backyard, having grown up within sight of the racecourse.
Racing is due to begin at 3pm, but 7-13 knot southwesterlies may yet prove too light at that time and organisers may need to delay a start until they have enough wind.
The course will be a hybrid of C & D, somewhere between North Head, Rangitoto and Auckland's eastern beaches, Mission Bay and St Heliers.
TAB odds: Team UK $2.30, American Magic $2.80, Luna Rossa $3.20
Kiwi Barker faces Prada Cup litmus test on familiar waters
He may have more mileage around the waters of the Waitematā Harbour than any of his rival skippers, but Kiwi Dean Barker is a man under pressure on day two of the Prada Cup.
Barker's American Magic began the America's Cup challenger series as hot favourites to challenge Emirates Team New Zealand in March.
But the former Team NZ skipper was outgunned and outclassed by INEOS Team UK, steered by four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie.
The much-maligned Britannia showed serious speed, both up and downwind, and Ainslie's sailing nous, combined with the expertise of tactician Giles Scott proved too much for the American challenge on Friday.
Barker now heads into Saturday's facing with the prospect of falling to 0-3, if he can't guide Patriot to victory over the Brits and Italian challenger Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.
But the unflappable Barker has seen it all during his six previous America's Cup regattas and knows there is a lot of racing left.
"It's early days, it's one race," he says. "We obviously would have much preferred to have come out with a win, but at the same time, it's a long series and we've got to keep improving."
Barker admits they made a couple of crucial errors - both pre-start and during the race - that handed Ainslie and his crew an advantage they never looked like relinquishing.
Dropping off the foils twice during the race, the Americans were also pipped to the start gate by an aggressive Team UK, who proved much stiffer opposition than many predicted, after a disastrous pre-Christmas campaign.
"It was a pretty tough race," notes Barker. "We got off the line in OK shape and didn’t really expect it to be quite as big a difference at North Head.
"Clearly, that gave the control to INEOS and they sailed a really good race. Going into today, we knew they were going a lot better from what we'd seen in the practice racing.
"Maybe it was a surprise for some, but we kind of knew it was going to be pretty close. We lost a couple of opportunities, areas straight away, where we knew we could have done a better job keeping it close.
"We will look back through at the race and look at the key decision moments, trying to understand how we could have executed that race better, one or two key areas that ended up to be the difference."
