New Zealand opens up a 3-0 lead over Britain in America’s Cup final after almost crashing

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Emirates Team New Zealand avoided a crash and nailed INEOS Britannia with a penalty as it opened up a 3-0 lead in the first-to-seven wins finals of the America’s Cup on Sunday.

Britain was hit with a 75-meter penalty for not keeping clear when the two boats came feet from colliding in the pre-start jockeying for position in Race 3. The Kiwis’ Taihoro foiling yacht cruised through the six laps and won by 52 seconds.

Now the challenger that is backed by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and the design expertise of the Mercedes Formula 1 team must rebound big if it wants to win Britain’s first ever America’s Cup in its 173-year history.

For the Kiwis, they are four wins away.

“We’re only three races into it but we are obviously happy to be on this side of the scorecard. I think tomorrow (Race 4) will be a pretty important day,” New Zealand helmsman Nathan Outteridge said. “Once you nudge that one forward and get over the halfway stage to seven, maybe the momentum goes a bit that way.”

New Zealand skipper Peter Burling said that they had planned to steer aggressively in the pre-start, and it paid off. They had the right of way as the starboard boat when they bore down on the Brits before turning late, and the Britannia was a tad slow to react as their foils almost touched.

“We tried it yesterday but they just got past us. It was a little bit uncomfortable to be honest with how close the boats got,” Burling said about the maneuver. "But the umpire obviously thought we were pretty clear there, so it was great to get the penalty and control the race from there.”

Britannia was more than 600 meters behind when the lead boat crossed the finish line off the Barcelona beachfront.

“It was about as close as you ever want to get. I think our foils overlapped and thankfully they didn’t collide,” Britannia skipper Ben Ainslie said about the near collision and penalty. “It was a tough call for us and obviously the umpires decided we were at fault and it put us on the back foot off the line. It is what it is, no point in moaning about it.”

“For us it is time to regroup and take on the second half of the competition,” the record Olympic medalist said.

Britannia largely avoided any costly mistakes and technical mishaps, until now.

On Saturday, Britannia was hampered by a battery meltdown just minutes before Race 1. New Zealand dominated both the opening regattas to make a perfect 2-0 start.

New Zealand is trying to win the Auld Mug, the oldest trophy in international sport, for a third straight time and fifth overall.

As defender, New Zealand was guaranteed a spot in the final. Britain had to fend off four other challengers to make its first final in six decades.

Despite not having raced competitively for a month, the Kiwis have shown they are still very much in championship form.

Race 4 had been scheduled for later Sunday, but it was pushed back to Monday after winds died down below the 6.5-knot minimum. Other than early in Race 2 when there were several lead changes, the Brits have been in the wake of the Kiwis — or even further behind.

Spain's King Felipe VI watched the racing from aboard a Spanish navy vessel.

Local residents protest

A couple thousand local residents held a protest against the hosting of the America’s Cup near the old port where the team bases and fan zones are located on Sunday.

Some locals link the hosting of international events like the regatta with the already huge presence of tourists in the Mediterranean city. They argue that tourists fuel skyrocketing rents via short-term rentals of apartments and that many areas of the city now cater far too much to tourist appetites and interests.

Barcelona calculates the two-month event will attract some 2.5 million tourists and contribute more than a billion euros ($1.09 billion) to the city. Local authorities say that this type of event is exactly the kind of so-called “quality tourism” that the city needs.

Several thousand people turned out to celebrate the opening ceremony of the America's Cup finals last week.

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Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press