Australia SailGP crew led by Tom Slingsby led from start to finish in the Grand Final sailed on San Francisco Bay to win by a narrow margin from a fast finishing New Zealand crew.
The New Zealand comeback was at odds with their performance in the earlier stanzas of the six race series, where their best place was a third in one of the five races.
Australia SailGP added the Season 3 title to their Season 1 and 2 wins, and won their third $1million winner takes all purse.
The third Grand Finalist was Emirates Great Britain, skippered by the greatest sailing Olympian, Ben Ainslie.
The British and Australians dominated the racing in the five preliminary events, with the New Zealanders looking to have serious flaws in their boat speed, tactics and startline performance.
Slingsby and Burling locked horns in the final stages of the Grand Final start, with Slingsby getting control of the three-boat match race to leeward of the Kiwis, luffing Burling, before breaking off to make the final run for the startline.
The Kiwis made a better fist of this tactic than in previous races, hitting the line at the same time as Emirates GB and Australia, with their option being to try and drive over the top of the other two and gaining the lead at Mark 1, despite sailing a longer distance.
Burling tacked at the 300metre mark, with Slingsby responding on the 200metre line, and promptly fell off his foils - with Burling in hot pursuit at almost 30kts with Slingsby struggling at 18kts and needing to get back onto his foils. To add to the tension both were coming into the Final mark on port tack, with one last tack remaining.
As they simo-tacked for the final mark, the separation closed down to 19 metres, with Burling to leeward. It was then a race to gain rights mark rounding, which Slingsby was able to achieve by 23 metres, or just over a boat length, stretching out to 35metres for the final short fast reach to the Finish line and the $1million prize.
Burling's only hope was for a foil control error by the Australians - but it was not to be - and it was a very relieved and jubilant Australian crew who took the race and the winner take all prize.
The Kiwis were 6secs in arrears with Emirates GB 23secs behind Australia.
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