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Team New Zealand tackle some big seas - Source: Photosport -
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It's been a long day with three races that started off in reasonably light conditions but ended in something akin to yesterday's big blow...just as Grant Dalton had predicted before the fleet headed out.
The Emirates Team New Zealand results - 3,2,1 - read like a countdown which in effect they are. The Kiwis are now poised to win this regatta making it four in a row following their victories in France, Italy and Portugal.
Today began in tricky shifty conditions and the Kiwis did well to battle back to third from well down the fleet.
As the breeze developed so did their demeanor and they led for the first half of the race but then got the wrong side of a shift to drop to fifth before riding a shift of their own to finish second.
By race three the wind was howling again and the seas built incredibly quickly. The cause is a shelf off the coast here.
The swell moves from very deep water to sudden shallows and the waves develop accordingly.
In yesterday's blast the camera boat I was on today very nearly sank. Running downwind the bow drove into the wave in front and two walls of water following dumped themselves onto the RIB leaving the two guys almost waist deep in seawater.
When I joined them to try and shoot a piece to camera I witnessed the alarming sight of the cameraman pouring water out of his camera bag as he extracted the lens we needed to shoot with.
Not a good look yet amazingly it still worked.
Much of today was spent analysing exactly how terrifying it had been and the answer was very.
For the driver it was one of his closest shaves which is hardly surprising given the general consensus amongst the sailors that it had been one of the most testing day's racing they'd ever experienced.
Chatting with Terry Hutchinson today, the defending Med Cup champion with a huge sailing CV, I asked where he ranked it and he agreed he'd never sailed a tougher day. Sure, they race in 30 knots plenty of times but not with such vicious seas. Truly memorable.
And so should tomorrow be.
With the champagne sure to be flowing for Team NZ, it will be the end of a remarkable MedCup season which has surely succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
