Jimmy Spithill has labelled the next five days "the most important of the campaign" as Oracle Team USA try to pull off another great escape against Team New Zealand.
Peter Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand picked up where they left off on Sunday with a third straight win over defenders Oracle Team USA in the America's Cup.
Heading into the start of the first race Emirates Team New Zealand knew that Oracle had altered their boat to make it quicker.
But Spithill insisted there was still room to make useful adjustments to the complicated systems that control the space-age craft, and to "appendages" including the massive fixed-wing sails, rudders and the daggerboards that allow the boats to foil - virtually flying with their twin hulls above the water surface.
New Zealand are closing in on winning the America's Cup, having claimed four of the eight races they need to recapture the world's oldest worldwide sporting competition.
During that round-robin, they beat New Zealand twice.
The America's Cup action appears to be happening in the boatshed today, with no sign of Team New Zealand or Oracle on the Great Sound. "I think everybody showed out there our team's really hungry to keep learning, keep moving forward, keep improving", Burling, who won Olympic 49er gold in Rio previous year, said.
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On the opposite side of the ledger, Team NZ helmsman Peter Burling was satisfied with the clinical performance of his own crew, but stressed there would be complacency as they enter the lay-day period.
The five day break is a boon, added Spithill, who noted that the team didn't have almost that much time in 2013 when they were staring down defeat while trailing New Zealand 1-8 in San Francisco. "We know the next four are probably going to be the hardest races we've had".
"We had a little issue on board during the first start", said Spithill. "To do that you've got to win eight races".
The kiwi on a bike is a reference to Team New Zealand's innovative grinding system in which it has replaced traditional coffee-grinder winches with stationary bikes to tap the grinders' leg power instead of arm power.
Bertrand believes Burling is tough because of his dominance in winning the Olympic gold medal in the 49er class at Rio de Janeiro last summer with Blair Tuke, a Team New Zealand grinder. No need to remember your password or log in, just click.
As for Oracles foil selection, I thought we made a good step forward, Spithill said. "I thought we were faster than yesterday but unfortunately it's just not enough".
In Race 4, the Kiwis held a slim lead at the first mark and simply sped away.
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