 Team New Zealand overcame a four-second deficit at the start |
Team New Zealand put in another strong performance to take their lead over Luna Rossa to 3-0 in the best-of-nine Louis Vuitton Cup finals. The Italians fought the start well and crossed the line four seconds ahead.
But within the first few minutes, the Kiwis had chewed away the advantage and went on to finish 98 seconds ahead.
Team New Zealand sailed another conservative race, covering Luna Rossa's tacks and gybes even when there was 350m between them.
The Italians had a stellar semi-final, powering past BMW Oracle 5-1, but in the finals they have trailed around each mark.
Luna Rossa crew members believe there is little difference between the two boats but New Zealand simply zipped past them on Sunday.
 | We're happy with the boat's speed but we can't relax yet - we've still got two races to win Ray Davies
Team New Zealand strategist |
Monday is a rest day in the series, providing the Italians with a chance to regroup.
Meanwhile, Team New Zealand will already have an eye on an America's Cup challenge against Alinghi, which will be theirs if they win two more races.
"I never thought we would be 3-0 up, we were expecting to lose a couple of races by now," said Kiwi strategist Ray Davies.
"The boat was going really well, we're happy with its speed but we can't relax yet - we've still got two races to win.
"And these guys are more than capable of taking races off us."
Luna Rossa's Australian afterguard, Ben Durham, had a simple solution to crack the Kiwis: "We've got to start sailing better".
He added: "Our crew work is good, I'm very proud of them, but over the last three days the New Zealanders have done a better job of getting off the line and getting up to speed - that's an area we can do better in."
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