Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals Day 2
by Mark Jardine 15 Sep 06:50 PDT
15 September 2024
Almost colliding during the INEOS Britannia versus Alinghi Red Bull Racing match on Day 2 of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals – 15th September 2024 © Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup
A significant day in the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals, where two teams could either be one point away from the Finals or tied again.
Saturday’s matches, although showing one-sided outcomes, were quite different. The Italians and Americans had a tight contest, while the British and Swiss teams finished far apart.
Could American Magic improve their handling? Could Alinghi find an extra speed boost?
With the wind reaching 17 knots, the day was very different, suggesting varied performances from the teams.
Broadcast
The commentary is continuously improving, with clearer onboard communications allowing us to hear the sailors’ strategies. However, I’d still like to see wind speed and VMG displayed more frequently, as they’re vital for following the race. The early/late graphic indicating whether boats need to speed up or slow down before the start is a welcome addition.
New York Yacht Club American Magic vs. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
With increased breeze, the Italian team chose a slightly larger jib than their American counterparts.
American Magic launched into the start at nearly 49 knots, placing themselves high on the line. However, Luna Rossa skillfully controlled their position, forcing the US team to tack away while the Italians sailed towards the boundary.
In the initial encounter, Luna Rossa tacked directly in front of American Magic, but the Americans managed to maintain a high mode without losing distance.
At the first windward gate, the Italians rounded 13 seconds ahead, having chosen different marks. Luna Rossa experienced one of their ‘skids’, where the rudder momentarily lost traction but regained control swiftly.
During the downwind leg, the lead extended slightly to 15 seconds, but American Magic’s rounding was poor; the foil ventilated, causing the hull to drop into the water while the boat slid sideways, increasing the deficit to 400 meters from 200. At the second windward gate, the margin was 30 seconds, and Luna Rossa seemed unlikely to falter, keeping the Americans out of the race.
On the downwind leg, American Magic cut the gap to 23 seconds by the second leeward mark, but it rose again to 32 seconds at the final windward gate, with Luna Rossa finishing 26 seconds ahead.
Just one mistake can change everything, yet Luna Rossa appeared exceptionally confident leading 3-0.
As American Magic’s starboard helm remarked, “It’s time to get moving.”
INEOS Britannia vs. Alinghi Red Bull Racing
The British team entered a loop during the pre-start to apply pressure on the Swiss crew, who briefly lost control downwind and came close to a collision. Fortunately, Ben Ainslie on INEOS Britannia quickly bore away and gybed to avoid disaster.
The Swiss nearly capsized, but the circumstances provided the British with a lead of a kilometer.
The race was fairly straightforward, although INEOS Britannia’s mainsail produced a cracking noise during tacks and gybes, likely due to a broken carbon structure within the sail’s two skins, necessitating mainsail drops for repairs between races.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. New York Yacht Club American Magic
Despite starting relatively free from Luna Rossa, American Magic found themselves at a disadvantage after the start, with Tom Slingsby stating, “We’re struggling for speed here,” as the boats aimed for the left-hand boundary.
Luna Rossa rounded the first windward gate just 6 seconds ahead of American Magic, indicating either a marginal speed difference or a better upwind course from the US team.
American Magic rounded the first leeward gate 11 seconds behind, yet Luna Rossa’s rounding was messy, skidding sideways and causing the bustle to hit the water, narrowing the gap to 100 meters. By the second windward gate, the separation remained 11 seconds.
An excellent downwind leg saw the Americans close the deficit to 8 seconds as both boats reached 48 knots at times, achieving VMG speeds of 41 knots.
American Magic gradually closed the distance to Luna Rossa on the final upwind leg, but the Italians executed a superb maneuver by tacking on top of the Americans, rounding the final windward gate just 3 seconds ahead.
The US team has shown strong downwind speed, and Luna Rossa deemed it too risky to gybe in front of American Magic during the first cross, indicating that the gap was narrowing.
A poor gybe from Luna Rossa allowed the gap to shrink to just 15 meters, but the Italians managed to cross on port ahead of American Magic during the final cross, clinching victory by 2 seconds to equal the score in their Semi-Final.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing vs. INEOS Britannia
Alinghi lined up slightly too early and was pushed to the pin end, allowing INEOS Britannia to gain an early advantage. The British team then continually tacked on the Swiss, extending their lead to 15 seconds at the first windward gate.
With the strongest winds of the day, the tacking duel pushed the cyclors to their limits, with Alinghi’s cyclor team averaging a heart rate of 195 bpm, although both teams sailed exceptionally smoothly.
While INEOS Britannia steadily pulled away from Alinghi, it was interesting to hear Glenn Ashby explaining that, in these stronger winds, teams aim to keep speeds below 45 knots to avoid cavitation, where water on top of the foil turns into gas.
He also noted that the AC75 can sail higher out of the water, lifting more of the leeward foil clear of the water to minimize drag, as higher speeds generate more lift requiring a smaller surface to maintain foiling.
Throughout the race, neither boat made mistakes, yet INEOS Britannia won 4-0 with a margin of 48 seconds.
The Semi-Finals may conclude after just two more races.
