INEOS Britannia bounces back with two victories on Day 4 of Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match
by America’s Cup Media 16 Oct 10:50 PDT
14 October 2024
A warm and humid day in Barcelona produced southerly thermal breezes of 7-11 knots for two thrilling races in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match, in which INEOS Britannia, the Challenger of Record, achieved consecutive victories that brought the score to 4-2, disrupting the early momentum that had favored Emirates Team New Zealand.
This marks the first occasion in over ninety years, since 1934, that the British have won two races in an America’s Cup Match. Back then, Sir T.O.M. Sopwith’s ‘Endeavour’ claimed the first two victories before Harold Vanderbilt’s ‘Rainbow’ made a strong comeback to win the series 4-2. Today, history was indeed being made in Barcelona.
The first race began punctually with wind conditions above the 6.5 knots lower limit and a choppy sea state, making it tough for the AC75s to maintain consistent flight. The race was effectively decided when Emirates Team New Zealand entered the starting area from the port side. They were timely but lacked the speed to effectively cross INEOS Britannia’s starboard entry. Their attempt to gybe resulted in ‘Taihoro’ losing speed and dropping to displacement mode.
Meanwhile, the British crew remained on foils, maximizing their advantage over their competitors as they powered past to windward first on port, and again on starboard, forcing Emirates Team New Zealand to struggle to build speed on a long displacement port tack towards the right boundary. INEOS Britannia surged ahead by more than 1,700 meters before the Kiwis could regain flight. From then on, the race for the British was about maintaining foil status.
The Britannia sailors expertly navigated their boat through the next six legs, and by the time they turned at the final windward mark, they held a lead of one minute and 29 seconds—over half a leg ahead. Emirates Team New Zealand spent the race in catch-up mode, gradually closing the time gap but never enough to overtake unless the British faltered. That did not happen, and after executing three gybes perfectly on the final downwind leg, the British crew crossed the finish line, securing their first win in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match by one minute and 18 seconds.
With the series now at 4-1 in favor of the Kiwis, the second race took on additional significance.
INEOS Britannia came in from the port side, and both teams immediately showed pre-start aggression. After crossing in front of the Kiwis, the British performed their usual tack to clear the start line, closely pursued by Emirates Team New Zealand, who had set themselves up as the challenger. A strategic turn to the right by the British saw both boats racing toward the boundary, with Britannia pinned upwind and trying to outpace the Kiwis downwind.
A protest appeal from Emirates Team New Zealand was swiftly rejected by the umpires, and as the crews disengaged at the boundary, INEOS Britannia initiated the first gybe to return to the line. Emirates Team New Zealand initially set up in a leeward position, attempting to hold back the British boat, but in the crucial final 20 seconds, Britannia was able to power across the top, prompting a strategic rethink for the Kiwis.
As the countdown to the start approached, Britannia aimed for a high-speed start at the pin end while Emirates Team New Zealand chose to tack onto port to take advantage of the right side of the course. Starting with 10 knots more boatspeed, the British crew seized an early positional advantage and maintained their lead over the next eight legs.
Emirates Team New Zealand applied pressure throughout, keeping the time difference within 16 seconds at every gate rounding. Nevertheless, a rare mistake in the final approaches to the leeward gate cost them valuable time and distance, making overtaking difficult. The Britannia crew focused on executing precise maneuvers, despite a less-than-perfect gybe and a few slow tacks, sailing a nearly flawless match race that minimized their movements while denying the Kiwis any leverage around the course.
After eight exciting legs, the British fans packed into the Race Village and the beachfront Fanzones at Plaça del Mar and Bogatell anxiously observed the final stretch to the finish. While Emirates Team New Zealand closed in rapidly from behind, the British made the critical cross on port gybe, sailed low, and brought INEOS Britannia across the line to achieve a hard-earned victory by seven seconds.
Sir Ben Ainslie came ashore and reflected on what was an exceptional day for the British team, stating: “A big day, a massive day for the team. We really needed that, and I can’t emphasize enough how everyone met the challenge of being four down—the designers, engineers, shore team all worked together to find those small enhancements that improved our performance today.”
When asked about the factors contributing to Britannia’s improved performance, Ainslie added: “It’s really about the small details. These boats are highly sensitive to setup changes and sailing techniques. Competing against the Kiwis revealed areas where we were perhaps lagging, so full credit to our coaching staff and engineers for analyzing the data and finding ways to make adjustments.”
Blair Tuke, port Trimmer and Flight Controller for Emirates Team New Zealand, reflected on a day where the team felt they missed several opportunities, saying: “They definitely came out strong, and achieving two wins against us in those conditions is a significant accomplishment for them. We will remember today as a day where we let chances slip.
“Our first race was particularly disappointing: we had low speed on the port entry and ended up in a position where crossing was a challenge—perhaps we could have crossed but didn’t—that’s one we’d prefer to forget. In the second start, we were in a promising position but perhaps let them off the hook.”
Tuke elaborated on the first race pre-start mishap, saying: “On the port gybe, the swell from the south-east hindered our performance, and we got stuck on the back of a wave, which was unfortunate.
“We had to take time to avoid an early start, and when we finally made our move, we were caught by two significant waves. There was probably some misexecution on our part—we aim to avoid putting the boat into a low-speed gybe.”
When asked about the positives learned from the day, Tuke replied: “From these situations, you take comfort in knowing the boat is fast—and we certainly felt that today. Even in the first race, we felt we were making gains, and the same was true in the second race. The key areas we need to improve are in starts and ensuring that even when we feel comfortable, we deliver that final push for acceleration.”
With the score now at 4-2, the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match is on a knife edge. The early signs of a British comeback that fans hoped for have emerged, and the two British victories today have helped slow Emirates Team New Zealand’s early momentum.
Whether this shift will be permanent remains uncertain, and with racing set to resume on Friday, October 18, when two more races are scheduled, this captivating battle in Barcelona is shaping up to be an unmissable spectacle.
