Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill celebrated his birthday in a big way Thursday, winning the opening fleet race and a match race quarterfinal at the America’s Cup World Series finale in Newport.

“I think we’ve really got to credit Philippe Presti (coach) and our support guys,” said Spithill, whose crew is aiming to wrap up the inaugural ACWS season championship this weekend. “The sailmakers have put some work in and Philippe has put in a lot of energy to step up as we go through.”

The fleet race began as scheduled at noon but the winds were light and patchy. On some portions of the racecourse the southwesterly seabreeze was filling, but other portions were in windless zones as the new breeze worked its way up the East Passage of Narragansett Bay.

Spithill and crew nailed the start and led the fleet at the first turning mark and never looked back.

“We got a good jump at the start, but the breeze didn’t quite settle,” said Spithill. “There were a lot of passing lanes and a little bit of stop and go. But I thought JK (John Kostecki, tactician) did a really good job to get us through the mine fields. We were constantly turning our heads, but it was a good one to get under the belt.”

While Spithill as cruising through the course, his nearest competitor for the oveall title -- Team New Zealand -- capsized as the conditions built up during the match races.

“It was a close race, we did a normal mark rounding but the runner (one of the control lines) was caught and we couldn’t let the wing out,” said Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker. “The boat was just too loaded up and we were at the point where we couldn’t turn up or down and the boat just rolled over… These boats have to be treated with the utmost respect. You have any little issue on the boat and it can be very punishing.”

The miscue may have all but wrapped up the overall crown unless Spithill suffers a major slipup during the next three days of racing.

Meanwhile Spithill’s teammate – Oracle Team USA Coutts – took second in the fleet race and also won its quarterfinal match race.