America’s Cup World Series: Sir Ben Ainslie’s team third in Sweden

In fact both races saw the same teams in the same top three positions, meaning there isn’t much separation on the leaderboard.

Ainslie’s boat was tied with three teams going into the last of four races on 34 points, but could only manage a fifth-place finish.

Team New Zealand led by skipper Glenn Ashby and helmsman Peter Burling showed no fear, posting a second and first place finish in the two double-point races.

“It is precisely what we set out to do, so all in all we are really elated with today and with the regatta as a whole”.

Team NZ are the only team to have been in the top three in every race of the 2015 World Series, and as a result have a seven point lead overall in the series, ahead of Land Rover BAR & Oracle Team USA. Two fourth place finishes dropped the defending champion of the America’s Cup to second place.

“This was nearly like a warm-up”, said Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill.

Angles were very tight on the downwind legs as boats sailed very hot angles – nearly reaching across the wind to build some speed before turning downwind a little. We felt good when the breeze was up and we were on the foils.

But among those looking to make a big impression is Iain Percy’s Artemis Racing, they’re keen to reverse some of the poor performance and back luck that has dogged them since the beginning of the AC World Series in Portsmouth. “So we have to get back to work”. “But that’s the nature of the sport”.

“In these conditions you need to get a good start and we didn’t do that”. It’s hard to work your way back after that.

“For us, these practice days have been a chance to get back in the boat, sail the AC45F and get (new crew member) Joey Newton into the boat and used to the playbook”, said sailing team manager Tom Slingsby.

BAR were third and fourth in today’s two races, and Ainslie said: “In both races the start was critical, and in both races we weren’t great”. “It didn’t translate into the results we wanted in the first race, but in the second race today, we nailed it”.

“We were really proud being able to perform under pressure in that last race”, Burling said. “But we were really happy with the way we sailed but a fantastic result for us”.

“Of course it would have been nice to follow that up with another solid race, but I guess we’ll have to do that in Bermuda”.

The series shifts to the home of the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda, on October.