After two lost races yesterday due to the lower wind-limit of 6.5 knots not being achieved, Race Director Iain Murray has mandated for races seven and eight to be completed at the beginning of day three of the Louis Vuitton Cup. What this scheduling means is a packed day of racing for the spectators at the free-to-enter Race Villages and Fanzones with some six races to savour.
The terrific news that broke after racing had concluded yesterday was the return of Emirates Team New Zealand today after a superb effort from the whole shore and build team, led by Sean Regan, Shore Team Manager. The highly-experienced team worked round-the-clock shifts to ensure that ‘Taihoro’ was ready for racing today and the Kiwis will be looking to thoroughly test their AC75 at race pace with their first match, Race 8 on the schedule, against Orient Express Racing Team.
Other key match-ups today include the delayed Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli versus NYYC American Magic and a really key battle between Alinghi Red Bull Racing and INEOS Britannia. The pecking order after today will be revealing with several teams knowing that they are in the fight of their lives to secure a place in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final.
With such a good line-up, it’s all eyes on the weather today in Barcelona with Iain Murray briefing this morning that he was expecting a more gradient wind today of 8 to 11 knots from the east-south-east, less reliant on the thermal breeze.
An interesting speed test in store. At the start, American Magic cleverly sails clear of Luna Rossa’s wing-wash before gybing to follow and then sets up in a leeward but lead position to start well in the port quarter of the line. Luna Rossa is forced to tack off after an uncustomary lacklustre start and heads to the right boundary. At the cross back, it’s a huge gain to the Americans who slam an immediate cover on. Split tactics with the Americans playing the left boundary and the Italians, the right boundary and in this breeze, it feels like the race is in the hands of the wind Gods. At the top of the 1.4 nautical mile windward leg, both boats round alternate marks with the delta of two seconds just shaded by American Magic. Too close to call and it’s split tactics down the first run as the Race Committee shorten the course legs to 1.2 nautical miles.
Luna Rossa seize a small lead at the top of the run but a great gybe on the left boundary (looking downwind) brings Magic back on starboard to re-gain the lead. Nip and tuck. At the first leeward gate, Magic has a three second lead as both boats set up for initial split tactics off the leeward mark exit. At the cross back, Luna Rossa takes Magic’s stern and crosses to the right side of the course and it’s a decisive move. The Italians get into better pressure and come back on a beautiful lift whilst the Americans struggle with a poor tack on the left boundary. All Luna Rossa now and they round the second windward mark with a 20 second lead. American Magic close up the gap, bouncing off the right boundary (looking downwind) and look to have similar VMG running angles but it’s Italy who round the second leeward mark with a lead still out at 20 seconds.
Up the final windward leg there is great flight control and trim from Umberto Molineris and Andrea Tesei on Luna Rossa who allow helms Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni to completely control the race, keeping a side-cover on ‘Patriot’ and rounding the windward mark with an increased delta of 25 seconds. No mistakes down the final downwind leg, Luna Rossa keeps a gybe cover on American Magic, minimises the manoeuvres going boundary to boundary and crosses the finish line with a 24 second winning margin. Classy win by the Italians – they look absolute perfection out there.
A speed test for the French, a structural boat test for the returning Kiwis but it’s disaster at the start for the French who appear to have an issue and don’t enter the start-box.
For the Kiwis it’s a chance to give their AC75 a full shake-down unopposed and they look just fine. At the point of the Emirates Team New Zealand start, the Race Committee are informed that Orient Express had retired and the race is awarded to the Kiwis.
One of the matches of the day, indeed one of the matches of the opening Round Robin, once again we see the starboard entry boat, Britannia, avoid the wind-wash of the crossing Swiss before the initial gybe. Light air tactics from the British executed well who on the lead back to the line gybe right in front of Alinghi Red Bull Racing and send a vicious wing-wash down onto ‘BoatOne’ who immediately fall off the foils. Britannia starts unopposed and builds into a massive early lead of over 1000 metres. By the top mark, INEOS Britannia’s lead was out to two minutes and 10 seconds and the Race Committee shortened the legs to just 1.2 nautical miles.
INEOS Britannia, sailing in an almost unassailable lead, showed slick manoeuvres – great gybes downwind, good consistent tacks upwind and with flight control from Bleddyn Mon and Leigh MacMillan on point, just had to keep from falling off the foils to score the win. With the wind dropping all the time, this wasn’t easy, but Britannia rounds the second windward mark still with a lead close to 1000 metres. Translated into the important currency of the Cup – time – that’s an advantage of one minute and 54 seconds with Alinghi Red Bull Racing praying for a weather miracle.
The Swiss team’s prayer almost materialised when up the final beat the wind dropped to below six knots, putting INEOS Britannia very close to touchdown on their first tack. The British just managed to keep it going as Alinghi Red Bull Racing rounded the leeward mark two minutes and 36 seconds behind. The Swiss certainly haven’t given up but the British click into a couple of knots of extra breeze in the second half of the final windward leg and round the final gate with the Race Committee shortening the final leg to just 0.9 nautical miles still with the lead at two minutes and 26 seconds.
The British endured an initial heart-stopping gybe on the final leg but on the next, going from port gybe to starboard, fall off on the exit and sit in displacement as the Swiss come charging down the course, eating into the lead relentlessly. The British eventually speed build just enough and get back up on the foils, to gybe on the port layline to secure the win by one minute and 25 seconds. A great victory for the British.
The Americans are looking both to make a point and score a point after a loss to the Italians in their first race of the day. The French, meanwhile, appear to have sorted out their issue that forced their retirement from their scheduled race with the Kiwis.
An interesting start with Tom Slingsby on Magic avoiding the wing-wash area from the French completely by tacking around having entered the pre-start box and at the lead back adopted the lead position with the French hunting them to well outside the port marker and down towards the port boundary. Both boats are in a desperate fight to stay on the foils, giving up distance for speed before the tack back. American Magic make the move stick first, before building speed and heading back to the start line, crossing at the starboard end, starting cleanly and well ahead. This race is going to be all about staying on the foils with the wind right on the lower limit.
At the first windward mark, American Magic was some 41 seconds ahead with Orient Express more than in touch and plenty of jeopardy down the first run. The Race Committee shortened the legs to 1 nautical mile as Magic held a distance lead of just over 400 metres and rounded the first leeward mark just 28 seconds to the good – big gain for the French who continue to gain in the first part of the second windward leg, clicking into some good pressure to the left of the course. This race is on! Tack for tack up the course, Magic just stays ahead and round the second windward mark with a lead down to 13 seconds. The Americans take the left side of the run initially and click into good pressure which the French are forced to follow but at the final leeward mark, a poor layline call and a messy mark rounding whilst in the considerable wing-wash of the Americans sees Orient Express off the foils, effectively gifting the race to American Magic.
A gift and from there no mistakes from Tom Slingsby and Paul Goodison who complete the final windward leg totally unopposed, concentrating intently on ride height and flight time whilst the French struggled back onto their foils at the bottom of the course. Great pressure spotting from the afterguard, Magic begins the final downwind over 2000 metres ahead and bring ‘Patriot’ home at pace to secure the win by nearly two legs.
Foto: Ian Roman / America’s Cup
