Sunday was a dramatic day at yachting's America's Cup, with Oracle winning the first race of the day as Team New Zealand nearly capsized on the upwind leg, while the second race of the day was abandoned due to high winds on San Francisco Bay.
Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker says they couldn't have come closer to disaster as the giant AC72 catamaran heeled over while crossing narrowly in front of Oracle in the first race.
Barker briefly lost control when the boat's hydraulically controlled giant wing sail got stuck, Aotearoa teetering on one hull for several seconds before crashing back into the water.
That led to the dramatic 52-second loss, and New Zealand's hopes of regaining the America's Cup on Monday morning were dashed due to the abandonment of the second race after the wind limit was reached while the challengers were leading again.
Team New Zealand need three more race wins to reclaim the Auld Mug while Oracle's victory erased the team's two-point penalty for cheating in a lead-up event, but the holders still have no points yet in the race to nine wins.
Team New Zealand holds a 6-0 advantage in the best-of-17 series. The earliest the challengers can now win the Cup is Wednesday morning. There are two more races on Monday followed by a lay day.
