Reality is starting to swamp the U.S. side in the America’s Cup. Someone else has a much faster boat.
No one has ever put a U.S. defender in as big a hole as Team New Zealand has stuffed skipper Dennis Conner three races into the America’s Cup.
Black Magic 1 continued to cast its awesome spell over the world’s best-known sailor Tuesday, leading at every turning mark in beating Conner’s Young America by 1 minute, 51 seconds.
For the first time in 144 years, a foreign yacht is up 3-0 against the best America has to offer. With the America’s Cup now a best-of-nine series, the Kiwis are two wins from taking the trophy home to Auckland, the City of Sails. The Kiwis improved to 40-1 in four months of sailing.
“Nobody expected the speed differential that we’ve observed so far,” said Conner’s tactician, Tom Whidden.
Race 4 is scheduled for Thursday. Conner, a four-time America’s Cup winner, said he hoped for light, shifty wind with choppy waves.
“Today there was only 5 or 6 degrees back and forth,” Conner said. “It was a boat-speed kind of day and the fastest boat won.”
