Louis Vuitton Cup Final Day 3
by Mark Jardine 29 Sep 07:59 PDT
29 September 2024
What a difference a day can make. The mild breezes of Saturday were replaced by winds exceeding 20 knots, and gusts were even stronger. The strong winds returned to Barcelona.
Both teams equipped their boats with smaller mainsails and J5 jibs to suit the unexpectedly high wind conditions.
INEOS Britannia vs. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
While Emirates Team New Zealand sailed confidently in their AC75 in the background, the British and Italian teams remained idle beside their support RIBs, unable to test the winds which were repeatedly over the top limit (21 knots).
Alinghi Red Bull Racing was also out testing but capsized, with their port foil arm remaining above the water, leading them to cut away their mainsail before righting the boat and returning it to their base.
When both teams thought they might finally start racing, they engaged their support vessels and took to foiling, but Luna Rossa broke some battens in their mainsail, necessitating either a repair or a different sail.
Time was pressing, and it was merely a question of whether they would exceed the wind limit again before INEOS Britannia would sail alone.
At 14:47 local time, the Race Committee announced that the wind limit had been surpassed, prompting the British team to position themselves for the start. Since the Italian AC75 was still with their support boat (which counted as outside assistance), they were immediately disqualified, giving the victory to INEOS Britannia.
Luna Rossa now faced a mere 35 minutes to change their mainsail before the next race. Time waits for no one… again.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. INEOS Britannia
The Italian team successfully switched mainsails at sea, quite a challenge given the size of these sails, and were prepared for the next race, but yet again, the race faced delays as wind speeds surpassed the allowable limit.
Finally, at 16:10 local time, conditions improved sufficiently for the fourth race of the Louis Vuitton Cup Final to commence.
In a fiercely contested pre-start, INEOS Britannia forced Luna Rossa high, prompting the Italian boat to bear away in front of the British AC75, completing a gybe near the boundary without incurring a penalty.
The boats aligned alongside each other, with Luna Rossa on the left, which led INEOS Britannia to tack away. Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher appeared frustrated by this decision and attempted another luff upwind, but again no penalty was awarded despite their protest.
At the first windward gate, Luna Rossa led by four seconds and rounded the bear-away at an impressive 55.2 knots. There was barely any distance between them downwind, with the Italians marginally extending their lead by an additional two seconds.
The upwind battle continued, with Luna Rossa tacking over INEOS Britannia, while the British team luffed and protested once more without a penalty being issued, with Dylan Fletcher vocally expressing, “This is a joke umpires”.
By the second windward gate, the British team had closed the gap to just five seconds. The adrenaline was high as the boats sailed at maximum speed, reaching 50 knots in a straight line and 43 knots VNG downwind – the AC75s operated right at the brink of control.
INEOS Britannia made a wide turn at the second leeward gate, increasing their deficit to 11 seconds and giving Luna Rossa some breathing room for the first time, allowing them to extend their lead to 19 seconds at the third windward gate, which grew by a second at the third leeward gate.
The British team significantly narrowed the gap in the final upwind leg, capitalizing on a right-hand shift, rounding the last windward gate just six seconds behind. This race was set to go the distance.
INEOS Britannia gybed early to separate from Luna Rossa. Both teams urged their cyclors for maximum effort to reach the finish.
The Italian team gybed in front of the British to maintain control, cutting the gap down to just 90 meters. In a thrilling sprint to the finish line, Luna Rossa crossed ahead, securing victory by just four seconds.
Without a doubt, the highlight of the Louis Vuitton Cup so far, showcasing close encounters, disputes, drama, and undeniable passion.
Overall, we remain tied at 2-2 with two teams evenly matched, a thrilling scenario for America’s Cup fans worldwide.
