Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, center right, gestures after Oracle Team USA won the 18th race of the America's Cup sailing event against Emirates Team New Zealand, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013, in San Francisco.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Skipper Jimmy Spithill and Oracle Team USA won the America's Cup on Wednesday with one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. 
 
 Spithill steered Oracle's space-age, 72-foot catamaran to its eighth straight victory, speeding past Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand in the winner-take-all Race 19 on San Francisco Bay to keep the oldest trophy in international sports in the United States. 
 
 All but defeated a week ago, the 34-year-old Australian and his international crew twice rallied from seven-point deficits to win 9-8. Owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison, Oracle Team USA was docked two points for illegally modifying boats in warmup regattas and had to win 11 races to keep the Auld Mug. 
 
 After almost dunking its chances when it buried its bows in a wave shortly after the start, Oracle showed its incredible speed when it reeled in the Kiwis while zigzagging toward the Golden Gate Bridge on the windward third leg. 
 
 As Oracle worked to keep its lead, tactician Ben Ainslie, a four-time Olympic gold medalist from Britain, implored his mates by saying, "This is it. This is it. Working your (rears) off." 
 
 There were hugs and handshakes after Spithill steered the fast cat across the finish line off America's Cup Park on Piers 27-29. Ellison hopped on board and the crew sprayed him with champagne. 
 
 Spithill refused to let his team fold after the penalties were announced four days before racing started and led an almost unimaginable rally. 
 
 How big a win was this? 
 
 In sailing terms, it was the equivalent of the Boston Red Sox sweeping the final four games of the 2004 ALCS over the New York Yankees, the only 3-0 comeback in major league history. It's also comparable to the Philadelphia Flyers overcoming a 0-3 deficit to beat the Boston Bruins in the 2010 NHL playoffs. ||||| Oracle Team USA pulled off one of the most impressive comebacks in sailing history, as skipper James Spithill and his crew flew across the San Francisco Bay and secured the America's Cup in a winner-take-all race in the best-of-17 series. 
 
 #OracleTeamUSA win 34th America's Cup. Great effort by both teams. Absolutely epic #cupbattle on San Francisco Bay! pic.twitter.com/1K2d4I0yN0 — America's Cup (@americascup) September 25, 2013 
 
 Just a week ago, Emirates Team New Zealand led this competition 8-1 and needed just one more win to take the cup. 
 
 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Team Oracle USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. 
 
 At that point, it was unfathomable that the Cup would advance this far, especially considering the stiff penalties that Oracle faced. However, Spithill put his crew to work, and the determined group ran off a long string of victories. 
 
 A good number of those wins came after Team USA opened up big leads against Team New Zealand. However, that trend did not hold over the last two races. Emirates had a slight edge after a fast start during the last race—one that increased as Oracle hit a wave and took a plunge in the water: 
 
 TIM At mark 1, max spd NZL 44.4 kts = 51.1 mph = 82.2 kph; USA 44.3 kts — America's Cup Racing (@americascupLIVE) September 25, 2013 
 
 Shortly thereafter, USA split the race in a near mirror-image of Tuesday's second contest. 
 
 New Zealand had a slight edge as the two boats crossed the first time, but it was clear that Oracle had more speed than the Emirates catamaran. By the time these two crossed the second time, USA had pulled ahead by a small margin. 
 
 Almost dead even!! #OracleTeamUSA has the right of way on the cross and take back the lead!!!!! Fly, boys FLY!! #cupbattle — ORACLE TEAM USA (@OracleTeamUSA) September 25, 2013 
 
 At that point, Oracle began to pull away. 
 
 Emirates desperately tried tacking in an effort to pull closer to the Americans, with little success. USA's speed was simply too much for them to handle. 
 
 Something clicked with Oracle midway through this competition, as the team had its catamaran up on the foils more and more as the race progressed. While strategy and skills played a big role in the eventual outcome, the fact that USA had the faster boat proved to be the difference. 
 
 This all came to the dismay of New Zealand Prime Minister John Key: 
 
 Understandably, things were a little more jovial on the other side. 
 
 GIF via USA Today 
 
 At the conclusion of the race, team owner and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison quickly boarded the boat to celebrate with his crew. And, according to Forbes, he skipped an Oracle conference to do so. 
 
 Not only did his team complete an amazing comeback, but it did so in a thrilling America's Cup. It was Ellison's vision that helped bring these catamarans to the competition, providing great entertainment that will surely be a boon to the sport. ||||| Sailor dies as Swedish Cup entry capsizes Swedish racing team's sailboat capsizes near Treasure Island 
 
 A two-time Olympic medalist on the Swedish America's Cup racing team was killed Thursday when his team's cutting-edge sailboat tipped during training on San Francisco Bay, trapping him underwater for at least 10 minutes. 
 
 Andrew Simpson, a 36-year-old Briton who had moved his family to San Francisco, was a strategist for Artemis Racing. He was preparing to challenge Cup champion Oracle Team USA in races that will run from July to September in 72-foot catamarans designed to give the world's oldest international sporting event extreme appeal. 
 
 After the 1:15 p.m. wreck a half-mile north of Treasure Island, Simpson was pulled from the water by teammates and rushed to shore, where he was pronounced dead after 20 minutes of CPR, authorities said. Coast Guard officials said all 11 sailors on board were thrown into the frigid water, with all but Simpson able to haul themselves into waiting Artemis support boats. 
 
 "We obviously had a tragic day out on the bay," said Artemis CEO Paul Cayard, a six-time America's Cup veteran whose team is sponsored by the Royal Swedish Yacht Club. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Simpson family, his wife and kids and the rest of the team. This was a shocking experience to go through. We have a lot to deal with in the next few days to ensure everyone is well." 
 
 Wreck in October 
 
 Simpson's death followed another spectacular wreck in October, when a boat belonging to Oracle Team USA pitch-poled forward, sending the 11-member crew flying into the water. No one was badly hurt, but the $8 million boat was dragged out the Golden Gate by the tide and smashed to bits by waves. The Artemis boat was also destroyed, but the team has a second boat available. 
 
 Both episodes underscore the inherent danger in pushing souped-up racing sailboats, capable of reaching speeds of 46 mph, to their limits on the windy and choppy bay. The towering catamarans used in this year's race are worlds away from the slower single-hull boats that traditionally faced off for the America's Cup. Simpson's death is only the second in the 162-year-history of the Cup. 
 
 Simpson died despite a frantic effort to save him. When he was found beneath the catamaran, teammates hauled him aboard a support boat. A San Francisco police officer from the department's marine unit then jumped aboard and began performing CPR as the boat raced toward an ambulance waiting on shore near the St. Francis Yacht Club, said San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White. 
 
 Rescuers continued to perform CPR on the dock of the nearby marina until finally declaring Simpson dead, the chief said. It was the end of a celebrated career: A sailor since he was 6, Simpson won gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and silver in the 2012 London Games. 
 
 "Your heart just sinks," said Bob Naber, commodore with the Bay Area Multihull Association. "This was a spectacular young man. A two-time medal winner and a father. ... There's just a big sadness." 
 
 Series of setbacks 
 
 The accident was another setback for the staging of the America's Cup in San Francisco, which has sparked great excitement and anticipation but also controversy. 
 
 Corporate sponsors have been hard to find, while private fundraising efforts to defray up to $32 million in city costs have lagged, prompting Mayor Ed Lee in February to step in to try to raise $20 million personally. A waterfront development deal with Oracle CEO and co-founder Larry Ellison's regatta group was scuttled in February 2012. 
 
 In a statement Thursday, Lee said, "This unexpected accident on the bay leaves our hearts heavy. Our thoughts and prayers are with Andrew 'Bart' Simpson's family and friends at this time of tremendous sadness. Andrew was a beloved member of the Artemis racing team and will be deeply missed by all." 
 
 Injured teammate 
 
 Another team member suffered minor injuries and was treated at the yacht club, said Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge. The other sailors were taken to the team's base in Alameda, where they milled about in tears, comforting one another. 
 
 It was not immediately known what caused the boat, a 72-foot catamaran with a 131-foot-tall wing sail, to capsize. Winds were about 20 mph, authorities said. 
 
 The boat's bright-red underside was visible from the northeast shore off Treasure Island as a dozen other boats surrounded it and towed it to the island. 
 
 Bart Rugo, a Coast Guard auxiliary member who lives near the part of shore where the boat capsized, said the winds Thursday were a "little above normal." 
 
 "You always have to pay attention to the wind," Rugo said. "If you don't make a turn at the right time with a boat like that, it's easy to go over. With that much sail, the margin of error is small."
– The US team won the America's Cup in sailing today, and this is pretty much all you need to know about how huge of a comeback it was: It's a best-of-17 series, and Oracle Team USA trailed 8-1 just last week. Do the math, and you'll see why AP calls the victory by skipper Jimmy Spithill's crew over the New Zealand boat "one of the greatest comebacks in sports history." Spithill steered Oracle's space-age, 72-foot catamaran to eight straight wins on San Francisco Bay to keep the oldest trophy in international sports in the US. Sailing fans can head to Bleacher Report for more details and reaction.