What a comeback....

San Francisco Bay played host to two massive catamarans sailing at more than 50 mph in close quarters, exchanging leads and trading maneuvers in a thrilling display of yachting.
Oracle Team USA prevailed on the water, winning two races and drawing even with a Team Emirates New Zealand boat that once held a seemingly insurmountable lead. The sport of sailing prevailed in the larger scheme of things.

As Oracle crossed the finish line in the second race, people at the America’s Cup Park at Piers 25-27 waved American flags and cheered. The U.S. syndicate had been down 8 races to 1 just last week. But after seven straight wins, the America’s Cup comes down to one race Wednesday afternoon, winner take all.

“We’re witnessing one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sport!” yelled Paul Kaba, 53, of Forest Knolls. “Our team has completely mastered the waters of the Bay! This is exciting!”
And off he went into a crowd of suddenly sailing-mad fans who had just witnessed a fantastic battle on the water.

In Tuesday’s second race — after Oracle won Race 1 — both sailboats shot out at the start, even with each other. The Kiwis took the lead at the first mark, but Oracle pulled even on the second leg. For a moment, sailing became the most exciting thing imaginable.

The two boats rushed through the water side-by-side. New Zealand looked like it would pull ahead at the next gate, but Oracle pushed forward with a gutsy maneuver, taking the lead by mere seconds as the gigantic catamarans turned on a dime and thundered down the bay. Both boats slammed into the surf, sending spray in all directions.

Oracle kept the lead down the stretch, with New Zealand in pursuit. The atmosphere on the docks was electric. Fans of both teams started hooting and hollering, cow bells rang and suddenly the America’s Cup lived up to all expectations — and then some. The U.S. syndicate, backed by Bay Area billionaire and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, pulled away to win by 54 seconds. And the place went nuts.

Don Ross, 52, of Richmond, stood on the pier, frantically waving his U.S. flag, shouting. “We’ve got one more day!” Ross said. “What a comeback. And it’s right here!”


His buddy, Jay Conners, 49, also of Richmond, saw it coming. “I had this dream, that they would come back,” Conners said. “And it came alive.”

The mood was quite different than it was over the past week. For days, the Kiwi contingent has dominated the proceedings, waving flags and drinking Moa beers in the pavilion. It was a foregone conclusion that Team Emirates New Zealand would pull out one more win and take the Cup home to Auckland.

But since last week, when Oracle changed tacticians and made some adjustments to its boat, the script has changed. Oracle is now clearly the faster boat, upwind and down, and New Zealand is facing one of the greatest collapses in sporting history.
Whoever wins the Cup on Wednesday, the big winner on San Francisco Bay is the sport of sailing.

People such as Karen Meltzer, 66, of Oakland. Two weeks ago, she was driving down a street in San Francisco and saw the huge sails go past, out on the bay. She told herself, “I gotta go see that.”
And there she was on Tuesday, out of breath after Oracle’s second win.
“Heart be still!” she yelled. “I was about to have a heart attack when we fell behind at the start. But then we came back! I’m really getting into this!”

And so is everyone else. After months of setbacks, including tragedy and acrimony, the America’s Cup is finally delivering a world-class sporting event that everyone can get behind.