New Zealand are through to the semi-finals of the Team Racing World Championship in Stockholm, confirmed as one of four teams to have broken clear of the field heading into the final day.
USA 1, USA 2, Great Britain and New Zealand have all secured their places in the medal races, the Race Committee confirming the four sides will advance directly to the semis. The outstanding Round Robin 2 race between New Zealand and Ireland will still be sailed Sunday morning, after the first King of the Castle race, but it will not affect either team's standing.
The Kiwi crew of Jordan Stevenson, Mason Mulcahy, Rebecca Morgan, Zoe Dawson, Frankie Dair, George Angus, Luis Schneider and Maeve White had a day that showed just how strange light-air team racing can get. Their contest against USA 2 stretched so long that the following race, between Denmark and Australia, sailed past them and finished before they crossed the line. Stockholm's light summer breeze will do that.
Saturday was stop-start from the outset. Racing could not begin until around midday after a wait of more than two hours, conditions either too light or too unstable. When it finally got going with Race 97, the new wind direction brought its own headaches — the breeze shifty, ranging from near-calm to gusts of 5-7 m/s.
USA 2 skipper Will Bailey noted shifts of up to 30-40 degrees and pressure anywhere from almost nothing to 10-12 knots. "We had a decent day. We won some races, we lost some races, but ultimately I think we're still in contention."
The eight teams outside the top four now contest a King of the Castle format for places five through twelve.
Sweden's home crowd had plenty to cheer. The Swedes ended the day sixth overall, separated from Bermuda by the slenderest possible margin — the two sides finished level on points with one head-to-head win apiece, Sweden's final win over Bermuda serving as the tiebreaker. Team leader Fabian Bergman was delighted. "We are incredibly happy! It has been a rollercoaster today. When we came ashore, we could hardly believe the result. We have beaten our target and are looking forward to some exciting final races." He added that Sunday could yet deliver fifth place.
Finland's near-miss against Bermuda was one of the day's more painful results. They held a 1-2 at the top mark before a poor rounding let Bermuda back in. Finland recovered and regained the 1-2 after a penalty, but a wind shift on the final downwind leg allowed the Bermudan boats to find new pressure first and sail over them. Lucas Karlemo put it plainly: "We had the cards and the opportunity to win it, but unfortunately we didn't quite manage it. When the wind is that light and you're almost standing still, the difference in speed becomes huge very quickly."
Then there is Peter Warrer.
The 73-year-old Danish skipper is a two-time Optimist World Champion, father of Olympic gold medallist Jonas Warrer, and has spent six decades on the water. He is also a complete novice at team racing, and far from troubled by that, he has thrown himself into it entirely. "I am so motivated by this. Oh my God, this is really fantastic."
Three days and 131 completed races in, the championship has delivered almost everything team racing promises. One Round Robin race remains before the medal deciders.
