Team Oracle Wins America's Cup; Story For The Ages

I first saw this in today's WSJ; it's an incredible story.

First, the NY Times report: Oracle completes voyage to history, winning America's Cup.

But while it once looked all but certain that Spithill, the Oracle Team USA skipper and helmsman, and his crew mates were going to end up as feather dusters in San Francisco, they were ultimately able to turn Fischer’s catchphrase on its head, pulling off the greatest comeback in America’s Cup history and one of the most dramatic in any sport.

Trailing by 8-1 to the challenger, Emirates Team New Zealand, and within one defeat of losing the Cup, Oracle continued to upgrade its boat and its confidence and — against overwhelming odds and a team of veteran sailors — proceeded to win an unprecedented eight straight races to defend the trophy.

The final blow was delivered Wednesday in the first winner-take-all race since 1983. It was a grand spectacle, with the biggest and loudest crowd of the regatta gathered onshore and the two predatorial catamarans crossing the start line in near unison at well over 30 knots.

From The WSJ: how Oracle saved the America's Cup.

Oracle Team USA, the resilient crew of sailors who capped an epic comeback Wednesday to win the America's Cup, had spent hundreds of hours at sea over the past three years preparing to win this 162-year-old yacht race.

But in the end, the victory came down to one of the oldest methods of rescue in team sports: calling a timeout to make adjustments.

The defending America's Cup champion Oracle team, which is financed by billionaire Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, struggled early in the final, falling behind Emirates Team New Zealand 8 races to 1. Then, something clicked. The Oracle boat began to dominate, erasing deficits on San Francisco Bay with ease and accelerating to win by sometimes yawning margins. It finished the comeback Wednesday to take the first-to-nine-wins series, 9-8. 

The Kiwis, who were funded by the New Zealand government and a mishmash of corporate sponsors, suddenly looked hapless. By any reasonable standard, the eight straight wins Oracle reeled off to win the Cup rank among the most impressive comebacks in the history of sports. "These guys just showed so much heart," said Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill.

Given the extraordinary complexity of these seven-ton double-hulled, carbon-fiber catamarans, which were built expressly for this iteration of the race, it's hard for everyday sailors, let alone engineers, to know what really makes them tick. And given that the teams are free to tweak the boats between races, the puzzle is even more complex. 

So much more at both links.

I was surprised that the US winning America's Cup was not the lead story at Yahoo!Sport. The lead story on Yahoo!Sports front page: something about coaches and the union. Incredible lack of insight. Of the top ten stories linked at the top right of that page, winning Ameria's Cup was #9. The top story: man stabbed to death near San Francisco ballpark. Okay.

If it bleeds, it leads.