I guess that’s all she wrote. Undone by a gear failure, but the end seemed inexorable anyway. If the commentators’ sources were right that Luna Rossa picked up about 10% boat speed since the Round Robins then it’s clear the Americans would have no way to compete, having spent all that time making repairs and not upgrades. It certainly looked like they just couldn’t consistently compare with boat speed.
It also looked to me like confidence in the boat was just not there. The start of race 3 looked evenly timed, but Hutchinson said afterward that they were forced into “plan b” - taking the left side of the line. If they wanted the right side why not challenge for it? It seemed they could’ve engaged Luna Rossa and made a go at it, but instead they were resigned to sailing their course without any kind of offensive maneuvers. I do wonder whether they would’ve been more aggressive if they weren’t worried about losing control again.