"'The comeback is on': Ainslie's Britannia crew close on New Zealand

You wait 90 years and six long days for a win, and then two come along at once. There's been a sea change at the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona, where the waves have picked up enough to sweep Ineos Britannia to their first wins in the best-of-13 series.

- Andy Bull

The British boat, skippered by Sir Ben Ainslie, coped much better with the choppy water than Emirates Team New Zealand, and they won both of the day's races. They now trail by four to two, ahead of the seventh and eighth races tomorrow afternoon. "There's still a long way to go," Ainslie said, "but the comeback is on."

They were the first points Great Britain has won in the America's Cup since 1934, when Endeavour, skippered by the aviation pioneer Sir Thomas Sopwith, lost 4-2 to the US yacht Rainbow, skippered by the railroad magnate Harold Vanderbilt. Endeavour was at a distinct disadvantage in the early races that year because, unlike Rainbow, it was kitted out with full accommodations for all the crew, including a bathtub in the captain's cabin.

It was a strategic blunder which Ineos Britannia have shrewdly avoided repeating 90 years later, but, like Sopwith, who eventually tossed the tub overboard, they have been busy tinkering with their boat in an effort to find a little extra speed.