The battle in Bermuda between New Zealand and the United States isn't just taking place on the water.
Both teams are out for the final practice day before racing, and on shore the local paper is gearing up for a re-match of flag wars after someone took down the New Zealand flags last weekend.
"The first day I came from two [or] three parishes out on my way here, and there were flags going all the way up," Bermuda Royal Gazette's Colin Thompson says.
"But then the next day I came they were all gone, so I don't know what's happening there. Maybe it's another mystery of the Bermuda Triangle.
"We just don't know what to expect. Just when you think you've seen it all."
Speculation among locals is Oracle backer, billionaire Larry Ellison, has ordered in thousands of American flags to be put up across the island overnight.
It's something Sir Stephen Tindall of The Warehouse has organised with New Zealand flags for the past three Cup campaigns.
"It's fair to say we've been able to out-flag the Swiss in Valencia, and the Americans now in both San Francisco and Bermuda," he says.
The flag wars have become a sideshow for supporters.
But America's Cup Hall of Fame Selection Committee chairman Steve Tsuchiya says the off-water conduct of the sailors is scrutinised just as much as their performance on the boats.
"We're always keeping our eyes open and our ears definitely listening for the rumours, but also more importantly the facts. We want to understand the people. So we continuously interview current members of people like Team New Zealand and Oracle Team USA and all the other competitors."
From the current Kiwi team, Murray Jones has already been inducted, but Mr Tsuchiya cannot comment on whether he's eyeing up anyone to join him.
The ultimate prize now is not fame, but the Cup, and over the next few days one team will claim it.
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