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Source: Chris Cameron -
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I've seen some great stuff over the years but this has been the greatest day's yacht race watching of my career.
Wind doing 30 knots; boats doing 30 knots. Short, steep seas. Bright sunshine and Emirates Team New Zealand reigning supreme.
Absolutely on fire.
At times the deck of NZL 380 was completely awash as they surfed through seas just like the Southern Ocean.
Once again I was "spotting" on "MadCam" , the closest boat to the action, working as eyes in the back of his head for ace driver Mark Covell who takes the boat within millimeters of the yachts' transoms to get the best shots.
Sadly our polecam only lasted one lap before it was overwhelmed by the conditions and had to go back in to be dried out. And it was not the last victim. One of our camera boats almost sank as it shipped two huge waves. And you know that when a cameraman picks up his bag of gear to pour seawater out you are in big trouble.
We went back out with another cameraman with another "waterproof" housing, but this was serious stuff. More than half a dozen spinnakers were totally shredded, the carnage from one getting wrapped round the keel of another yacht.
Called off
Three sailors went overboard and the damage report grew so quickly that race three had to be called off.
In the midst of all this the Kiwis sailed on serenely to win both races. It was an astonishing display.
They were in a different league despite the fact that a host of the world's top yachties are competing here. Winners are grinners they say and you could not wipe the smiles of Kiwi faces; not so much because they'd won, more that it had been so hugely enjoyable.
For me it was utterly thrilling but also frustrating. There was so much going on so fast my brain couldn't assimilate it quickly enough. I wanted it in slow motion and in replay. At the top mark the boats were setting kites at a frantic pace surging down the swells. The yachts were giant surfboards riding huge waves and we were within a few metres of them.
Not since the Louis Vuitton series in 1999-2000,when Paul Cayard's America One kept blowing up kites have I seen so many exploding - some so close the remnants almost caught us. Cayard, who came second with Artemis, was gracious enough to say today that Team NZ was in a class of its own.
I don't know when I'll see the like again - except tomorrow maybe. More of the same forecast! Bring it on.
