Ineos Britannia's quest for the America's Cup has come to an end. Emirates Team New Zealand secured victory in the ninth race, sealing the match with a 7-2 score. This triumph means that Team New Zealand, led by skipper Peter Burling, has become the first crew in modern history to win the Cup three times in a row. Consequently, Britain's 173-year drought without an Auld Mug win continues, with no clear end in sight.
"A huge thank you to our team and everyone who supported us," said Ineos Britannia skipper Ben Ainslie, "and a huge congratulations to New Zealand, in my view they're the best team ever in the America's Cup." Ainslie had vowed to fight until the end, and he lived up to his promise. The race conditions were calm, with a low swell and light wind, which favored the New Zealanders. Despite this, Ainslie expertly maneuvered his boat during the pre-start, gaining a slight advantage off the line. However, this advantage was short-lived.
Taihoro swiftly established a 200m lead over Britannia by capitalizing on the stronger wind on the right side of the course. At that point, the race seemed all but over. Yet, Britannia mounted a comeback during the third leg, exploiting an opening left by Taihoro to position themselves on the right side of the course. The gap began to close rapidly—from 200m to 100m, then to 20m, and finally to just 10m, with only one boat length separating them as Taihoro approached the third turn midway through the race. However, that was as close as they got. Team New Zealand pulled ahead again on the downwind leg, finishing more than 500m ahead by the end.
Ineos Britannia's challenge was officially over. "We had our moments in the finals, but at the end of the day, the better team won," Ainslie acknowledged. He assured that they will return to try again in the next competition.
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