So the America’s Cup finals are almost here. At last!
Ineos Britannia booked the finals spot against Team New Zealand after beating Luna Rossa Prada in the Louis Vuitton Cup final 7-4. The British will be thrilled to have made it after a close and exciting series, with Luna Rosa looking so good in the early round robins and pushing the competition to its limits.
That the series was so hard-fought was important, because it’s a competition that only thrives if the races are close and the pressure is intense.
So it feels a real shame that at the end of the Louis Vuitton Cup Jimmy Spithill announced, “I really think I’m at the end of the line now. I think this will be it for me. It’s probably time the gloves are hung up”
Spithill can retire when he likes obviously, but it’s a big loss. I was surprised how sad I felt about it. The America’s Cup needs characters like Spithill.
He’s the sailing legend we love to hate. He was, of course, part of the Cup’s greatest ever comeback story in 2013 when he masterminded Oracle Team USA’s remarkable comeback against Emirates Team New Zealand. Down 8-1 Spithill led Oracle to eight consecutive wins, securing the title in a dramatic, unbelievable fashion.
Man, he was cocky. But you had to admire his self-belief, competitiveness, and fearless tactics.
Like many Kiwis, my 2013 rage at Spithall has over the years turned to respect. I’m always interested in what he has to say about the Cup, the boats and the regatta, as he’s wonderfully upfront and candid.
So the Cup has this week lost an impressive team and an impressive player. Spithill’s departure feels like the end of an era. He's suggested the physical and emotional toll is behind the stepback, but how soon will it be before he ends up behind the scenes in a team? How good would he be as a race commentator!
Next weekend we get to the actually Cup, after a long-winded regatta which has peaked my interest some weeks, while other weeks has passed me by. But regardless of what I think about the Cup, where it is held, and how it is run, I will be truly invested in Team New Zealand when the Cup kicks off next Sunday, New Zealand time.
There is little in sport more exciting that watching the start of these races, and while the result of races is sometimes decided by who wins the start we’ve seen enough to know anything can happen out on the course..
It’s been four years of hard work for Team New Zealand– let’s hope it’s all been worth it. Bring it on!
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