Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals Day 1
by Mark Jardine 14 Sep 07:42 PDT
14 September 2024
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. New York Yacht Club American Magic on Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals Day 1 – 14th September 2024 © Ian Roman / America’s Cup
Bright sunshine, 20-degree temperatures, and a breeze of 7-12 knots welcomed the four challengers on the opening day of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Will Luna Rossa have bounced back from their loss in the qualifying series? Can American Magic’s temporary helmsman Lucas Calabrese find synergy with Tom Slingsby after the injury of Paul Goodison? Have Alinghi made the necessary upgrades to take on qualifying series champions INEOS Britannia?
In the Semi Finals, the first team to reach five points advances, which means that one or two teams could be eliminated from the America’s Cup by 18th September.
Broadcast
It was great to see the addition of the cyclor cameras, allowing us to see the remarkable efforts these crew members contribute, and the position of the recumbent cyclor looks extremely uncomfortable.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. New York Yacht Club American Magic
After a 15-minute delay caused by American Magic to address an issue with a port cyclor system, the first semi-final race commenced.
With a pin-end bias, American Magic positioned themselves above Luna Rossa, compelling the Italian team to tack off early, after which they moved to the right side of the course.
After tacking on Luna Rossa at the right boundary, the Americans opted to let Luna Rossa go upon re-tacking, subsequently extending their lead to 150 meters.
Luna Rossa managed to gain ground on the right but was forced to navigate in American Magic’s dirty air at the windward gate, only trailing by three seconds while choosing a different buoy to round.
American Magic was ahead at the first cross and made significant gains on the second cross, thanks to a large left wind shift that helped them stretch their lead to 20 seconds at the first leeward gate.
On the second upwind leg, American Magic maintained their cover on Luna Rossa, but the Italians were quick and reduced the gap to 16 seconds at the second windward gate.
American Magic briefly touched down after their rounding, allowing Luna Rossa to re-enter the race. By the second leeward gate, the gap had shrunk to just four seconds, prompting the Italians to tack away immediately.
Tom Slingsby sounded anxious, stating, “We’ve got to find some shifts, they’re quite fast.”
He was correct, as the Italians pressured them on the next cross, making it difficult for American Magic to duck on port – a classic match racing strategy that sealed the lead shift. By the last windward mark, Luna Rossa led by 22 seconds.
American Magic closed the distance, but it wasn’t sufficient, and Luna Rossa clinched the first victory of the Semi Finals by seven seconds.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing vs. INEOS Britannia
Alinghi opted to circle in the pre-start while INEOS Britannia set up low and early. Alinghi had an early advantage, entering from a higher position with speed, although both boats were slightly late to start.
While Alinghi tacked on the British team, they failed to cover their wind, enabling INEOS Britannia to stay close during the upwind leg, rounding the first windward gate 11 seconds behind while selecting a different buoy from Alinghi.
During the first cross, INEOS Britannia caught Alinghi in a port-starboard situation and took the lead, extending to 28 seconds by the first leeward gate.
At that point, the British squad began to pull away. They led by 42 seconds at the second windward gate, and a touchdown for the Swiss team during a gybe increased the gap to one minute and 12 seconds by the second leeward gate.
British coach Robbie Wilson remarked, “On the first beat, the Swiss had the upper hand, that’s for sure, but we had a really nice shift downwind.”
INEOS Britannia made no mistakes in the final lap, winning by a remarkable two minutes and five seconds.
“Every day we sail, we’re learning more about this boat’s performance and how to optimize it,” said Ben Ainslie after the race.
New York Yacht Club American Magic vs. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
In the pre-start, Luna Rossa briefly lost rudder control while crossing American Magic’s line but managed to recover, starting mid-line with the US team near the pin end.
Luna Rossa had to tack away early as American Magic gained altitude, and on their next tack, the Americans positioned themselves above the Italians. When Luna Rossa tacked away, American Magic proceeded towards the boundary, reaching the windward gate in a single tack and rounding 10 seconds ahead with different buoy choices.
In winds of just 7 to 8 knots, the crews attempted to link the shifts and puffs as they navigated downwind, with American Magic rounding first, but disaster struck for the Americans as they touched down while heading up, giving Luna Rossa a narrow lead.
At the first cross, American Magic ducked as Luna Rossa bore down on them, but the Americans regained the lead on the second cross with the Italians ducking them.
Luna Rossa found a favorable shift on the right, taking the lead once more and rounding the second windward gate 20 seconds ahead, with both boats rounding the same buoy. American Magic located better shifts downwind, reducing the gap to 14 seconds at the second leeward gate.
The Italians maintained a vigilant watch on the Americans during the final upwind leg, dealing with several wind holes, and rounded the final windward gate just 13 seconds ahead.
The last downwind leg became a gybing contest, pushing the cyclors to their limits, with Luna Rossa barely hanging on to secure their second win by 18 seconds.
INEOS Britannia vs. Alinghi Red Bull Racing
As the breeze faded, Alinghi dropped off the foils before entering the box, incurring a boundary penalty and a failed entry penalty, struggling in the water but managed to get back on the foils just one minute prior to the start.
INEOS began on starboard while Alinghi had to duck them on port, giving away 150 meters to offset their penalties.
The damage was sustained during the pre-start, and INEOS Britannia led with deltas of 1:18, 1:22, 1:20, 1:34, and 1:39 at the gate, securing their second win of the day by 1 minute and 37 seconds.
