Lifeline Monday for the Swiss and Americans as they keep their Louis Vuitton Cup hopes alive
by 37th America’s Cup media 16 Sep 11:35 PDT
16 September 2024
Sport has a unique way of surprising us, and what was expected to be an elimination day in the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals turned out to be the opposite, with both Alinghi Red Bull Racing and NYYC American Magic achieving race victories in challenging conditions, keeping their hopes in the competition alive.
Testing the lower wind limit of 6.5 knots on a beautiful late summer Monday in Barcelona, the first race of the day between Alinghi Red Bull Racing and INEOS Britannia began after several delays, with sailors aware that any slip from the foils could be detrimental.
INEOS Britannia secured an early lead over the first two legs, but as the British team sailed upwind on the third leg, a shift occurred. Tacking on the left boundary of the course, Britannia encountered a wind hole, dropped off the foils, and reverted to displacement mode. Sensing an opportunity, the Swiss crew perfectly executed their tack on the boundary, navigating the light winds skillfully to maintain their flight and surged ahead to a commanding lead.
Nevertheless, the race was not finished, and on the fifth leg, Alinghi Red Bull Racing faced the same fate, losing flight and racing against the 45-minute time limit. This time, the clock was on their side, as they glided across the abbreviated finish line, clinching a morale-boosting victory.
Following the race, a thrilled Arnaud Psarofaghis, skipper of Alinghi Red Bull Racing, expressed his relief, stating: “INEOS had a strong race initially but then lost their foils on the left boundary. We encountered a bit more pressure when we arrived, and the team executed our tack flawlessly, ensuring we capitalized and got back into the race. From that point, we fought against the clock more than against INEOS Britannia. Anything could happen in the coming days; the breeze doesn’t look promising, but we’ve secured a win and we will continue to push forward.”
For Sir Ben Ainslie, although losing to the Swiss was disappointing, it was somewhat alleviated by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s loss in the second race. Both British and Italian yachts must maintain their racing configurations to finalize their semi-final matchups on Wednesday.
“I guess that’s the only small silver lining; you never want anyone to lose, but if they had won and progressed to the final, they would have had additional time in the shed. So it levels the field, and nothing is finalized yet. We keep reminding ourselves that the race isn’t over until we secure those five wins.”
When asked about the team’s feelings in this Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final, Ainslie remarked: “It seems we have more in store. We know we can perform better, which is a positive sign, but you can never take anything for granted, especially in sailing, as today demonstrated how quickly things can change.”
The second race of the day, which turned out to be the final race, featured Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli at match-point against NYYC American Magic. It was an intense race with the Italians holding an early lead, which was overturned by impressive match-racing by American skippers Lucas Calabrese and Tom Slingsby.
Tactical positioning proved crucial. The Americans, having adopted a split strategy while trailing on the second upwind leg, found better pressure along the right boundary and took the lead after closing the gap significantly. Penalties were issued further up the leg as the Italians crossed too closely both behind and ahead, but the pivotal moment of the race came at the end of leg four at the leeward gate.
NYYC American Magic executed a brilliant port lay line, approaching the starboard marker on starboard gybe while Luna Rossa, with inside rights, attempted to force a penalty in the zone near the mark. Unfortunately for the Italians, this maneuver backfired, and during a slow turn into the wind, Luna Rossa fell off their foils while American Magic sailed swiftly past, maintaining their flight.
The Americans secured the first race win, sailing consistently and conservatively over the next two legs, maintaining their flight while Luna Rossa struggled to regain it, ultimately finishing the race and bringing the series score to 4-1.
Reflecting on the day, Tom Slingsby, helmsman of NYYC American Magic, stated: “It was a solid race. The start was tight, and the boat felt great. We’ve made some adjustments, particularly regarding light conditions which had been a challenge for us last week; now, the boat feels better than ever in these conditions. We’re excited and aim for even more speed on Wednesday.”
When asked about his surprise regarding Luna Rossa’s tactics at the leeward gate, Slingsby responded: “Yes, I was surprised. I would have thought they would go for it and then turn up. We got to the mark first, and I figured as long as I gave them space, we would always round ahead.”
As the team returned to base, supporters cheered loudly, but Slingsby maintained focus, applying pressure to the Italians: “The hardest win is always the first, and now we’re on a roll. If you look at the four races, they have only beaten us by a total of 50 seconds across all of them — and we just sailed ahead of them by a lap. So yes, we’re feeling confident.”
On the contrary, Francesco Bruni, port helm on Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, lamented the penalties incurred today, stating: “We definitely didn’t maximize our performance today. We felt that two of the penalties were unjust and we are failing to judge the crucial centimeters accurately, but such days can happen. We just need to learn from our mistakes and look forward to improving.”
Discussing the mark rounding that effectively cost them the race, Bruni explained: “We believed we were overlapped inside the zone, giving us the rights at the mark. They forced us into a tight turn which wasn’t in our favor, but the major error was attempting everything or nothing instead of rounding the other gate and keeping the race alive. It was a misjudgment at that moment, but there will be good and bad moments, and today was just a difficult period.”
With very light winds dominating the afternoon, the race committee announced the cancellation of racing for the day at 1710. The Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals will resume on Wednesday, September 18, with two additional races scheduled for each pairing.
Tomorrow’s highlight will be the commencement of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, one of the most anticipated regattas this vibrant summer in Barcelona, featuring fleet racing for America’s Cup teams in the equalized AC40s beginning at 14:00 CET.
Today was filled with unexpected developments and excitement in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals, where the improbable should never be overlooked.
