Blue skies and light winds today in Barcelona with the hope of an offshore sea-breeze filling in from the east-south-east just in time for racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, with the first start scheduled between NYYC American Magic and Alinghi Red Bull Racing at 14:00 CET. Both teams are yet to score points in this opening Round Robin so it really matters.
The news overnight concerns Emirates Team New Zealand and a statement this morning from Grant Dalton, CEO confirms that they will not be racing today: “We have assessed the damage and have now started the repair, this will continue 24 hours a day. There is some structural damage aft in the boat, but the main force was taken on the forward cradle splash. Overnight this area has been removed (in other words we have cut the piece out of the hull bottom) and the repair has started which means building a new piece of boat. It is too early at this stage to say when we will be sailing again but I have seen these guys work miracles before.”
Race Management has issued an updated Race Schedule this morning confirming the racing for the day with NYYC American Magic vs. Alinghi Red Bull Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand (not racing) vs. INEOS Britannia, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. NYYC American Magic and Emirates Team New Zealand (not racing) vs. Orient Express Racing Team.
Emirates Team New Zealand further added: “Emirates Team New Zealand will not sail today but the regatta regulations require a race to start in order for the win to be awarded. Therefore Match 6 and Match 8 will consist of the start and during the first leg the race will be awarded.”
Check back here for live updates from the Louis Vuitton Cup racecourse from 14:00 CET:
Two teams yet to score a point in Louis Vuitton Cup, this is a critical race for both Challengers. After a short delay due to the wind-limit, at the start it is Paul Goodison driving ‘Patriot’ in from the port entry, delivering the yacht bang on time with enough to make a clear cross on the Swiss and head out to the right-hand side of the pre-start box. Alinghi Red Bull Racing enters and gybes immediately (not easy in the light winds) to trail the Americans with both boats desperately trying to stay on the foils. Unfortunately the Swiss fall into displacement mode with just over a minute to go, whilst Magic gybes beautifully on the boundary and leads back into the start line. It’s desperate for the Swiss who try everything to get going again.
The Americans cleverly go high on the line and then dip to make a clear and unopposed start on the foils with the race – at this stage – really only against themselves. If they can stay on the foils for the duration of the race, they win. Simple as that.
By the time Alinghi Red Bull Racing get back airborne, they start at the starboard end, clear their imposed penalty, and head off to try to chase down the Americans some 550 metres behind. Paul Goodison and Tom Slingsby are keeping this smooth whilst for their Flight Control and Trim team of Michael Menninger and Andrew Campbell this is all about accuracy of flight, rising through the tacks and then dropping back down once target speeds on the opposite tack have been attained. The Swiss meanwhile are in the hope locker – hoping that Mother Nature has a say at the top of the course or down the first downwind. Good thing for the Swiss is that they can pick where they want to go on the course pressure-wise to maintain optimum flight.
American Magic elects to bear away at the starboard marker at the first windward mark and bear-away at speeds touching 38 knots in around 8-9 knots of wind speed, and head off down the first run looking for the pressure bands with a one minute and 27 seconds lead. The Americans neatly gybe on the left boundary (looking downwind) and, keeping the manoeuvres to a minimum, gybe onto starboard and head to the right boundary. Meantime, the Race Committee announced a shortening of the legs to just 1.2 nautical miles at the beginning of the first downwind leg, before shortening again to just 1.1 nautical miles before American Magic got to the first leeward gate.
Taking the starboard marker and exiting to go left initially up the second beat, American Magic are working hard to keep the boat flying. At the leeward gate, Alinghi Red Bull Racing miscalculate the layline into the starboard marker and are forced to gybe to then take the port marker. In doing so, they fall off the foils and round in displacement, desperate to speed build and get back flying. This could be super-costly for the Swiss who are really struggling in the conditions.
American Magic are almost half a leg ahead now but there’s still very much a sense that ‘this isn’t over’…and in the final quarter, the Americans survive a near-miss splashdown exiting a tack, brilliantly saved by the Flight Controllers who elect to set the ride height super-high – understandably. A flat-tack on the left boundary, brings ‘Patriot’ onto the starboard layline and set up to round the port marker to begin the downwind heading on the right where there feels like slightly more pressure. A high exit angle gybe on the right boundary sees Magic safe, just, whilst the Swiss get back on the foils treading a fine line between flight and displacement.
‘Patriot’ continue sailing tight angles across the course going boundary to boundary and at the second gybe on the left boundary, on the exit of the gybe, fall off the foils and go into displacement. Still on the second beat, Alinghi Red Bull Racing do the same and both boats are desperate to get back flying. The Race Committee announce that the finish line will now be at the end of the fourth leg giving Magic the advantage. As the Americans get back on the foils, they are forced to tack, rather than gybe around on the left boundary and fall off the foils again, but are now closer to the finish line. Speed building at 16-17 knots, the Americans are close to foiling again whilst the Swiss struggle to get up to the second windward mark.
The Americans manage to get foiling again briefly, only to fall again on a gybe with half the run still to go. The time-limit is now something that everyone is watching. Tom Slingsby can be seen standing in his cockpit, looking for any sign of breeze as they go boundary to boundary on high angles trying to speed build. The wind has shut down across the course as the Americans even try a semi-roll-gybe at the right boundary and stall out. The Americans sail into the final quarter of the downwind leg, just as Alinghi Red Bull Racing get back on their foils but still have to round the second windward mark. Speed is building on American Magic with just a few hundred metres, and they pop into flight ahead of a final gybe out by the left boundary that should bring them to the finish line. Executed well with two boards down, the Americans just get away with the gybe and sail across the finish line, again in displacement, to record the win and score their first points of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing foil all the way down the final run to finish two minutes and 58 seconds behind.
NYYC American Magic bt Alinghi Red Bull Racing by 178 seconds
INEOS Britannia score their second point of the Louis Vuitton Cup with a win over the non-sailing Emirates Team New Zealand after completing the pre-start sequence efficiently and starting correctly having kept high in the start box and avoiding their own wing-wash by sailing accurate straight lines and exiting manoeuvres efficiently.
No mistakes by Sir Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher, helming Britannia, the race is stopped immediately post-start by the Race Committee and awarded to the British. The team sail on for a short bit of practice in the conditions.
INEOS Britannia bt Emirates Team New Zealand (Retired)
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Port Entry) vs. NYYC American Magic
After six times where the wind failed to materialise to the 6.5 knot minimum limit, (wind readings taken at 9 minutes pre-start and 4 minutes pre-start), the Race Committee notified competitors of the decision to abandon racing for the day at 4.10pm local time.
Foto: Ricardo Pinto
