Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton says his crew's long-standing experience together was crucial in coping with gear failure in their latest race against Italy's Luna Rossa on San Francisco Bay.
The Kiwis continued to rack up points in a one-sided Louis Vuitton Challenger series in the America's Cup regatta on Monday.
They made it six wins from six scheduled races in the round-robin, beating Italy's Luna Rossa by 2min 20sec despite sailing most of the race without a jib.
"I was impressed with the composure on board. We have sailed together for a long time - through the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup match in 2007 and since then," Dalton said.
A clip at the head of the jib broke on the first upwind leg and the sail flapped uselessly for several minutes before it was brought down to the trampoline.
With a lead of 300m, New Zealand skipper Dean Barker's crew worked hard to keep boat speed up and minimise the disadvantage. The jib was separated from the stay and tossed over the side to be picked up by a chase boat.
The Kiwis sailed the remainder of the race with just the 131-foot tall wing sail.
Once free of the jib, Barker set out to generate maximum boat speed in the 17-18 knot breeze and extended the lead at every mark.
He said the breakage could have been a race-ending failure, but the way his crew dealt with it was pleasing.
"We've never had a clip break like that in all the sailing we have done. We will find out why.
"The boys dealt with it very well and we were straight back into the race. The boat was a little harder to sail."
The seven-leg course measured 15.42 nautical miles, Team NZ completing the course in 48min 10sec. They posted a top speed of 38.72 knots, compared to 37.73 knots for Luna Rossa.
Four of Team NZ's wins have been by forfeits. In their only other genuine race of the series, they eclipsed Luna Ross by more than five minutes last week.
Artemis are still to confirm their entry in the three-boat series, as development of their second boat continues. Their first boat was destroyed in a fatal capsize on San Francisco Bay in May.
Artemis have completed structural tests on their second AC72 catamaran and have indicated they may be ready for the fifth and final round of qualifying races, on July 30 and August 1.
A best-of-seven races semi-final is scheduled to begin on August 6, followed by the best-of-seven Louis Vuitton Cup final from August 17.
The winners will face Oracle Team USA in the America's Cup finals in September.
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