Louis Vuitton Cup Final Day 6 – A significant swell creates ‘challenges’ for the sailors
by Mark Jardine 2 Oct 07:24 PDT
2 October 2024
Another fantastic sailing day in Barcelona, with approximately 17 knots propelling the AC75s to speeds of over 40 knots at all angles.
Would Luna Rossa maintain the momentum and energy gained from their victory after making repairs yesterday, or could INEOS Britannia regroup and seize the upper hand in a competition where neither team has succeeded in winning two races in a single day?
With the scoreboard tied at 4-4, any team that wins both races would be just one point away from competing in the 37th America’s Cup Match.
There were challenging sea conditions off the shore that would make boat handling extremely important.
Broadcast
I would have loved to see the VMG data today, but unfortunately, it was missing from the livestream.
Race 9: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. INEOS Britannia
In the pre-start, INEOS Britannia hooked into Luna Rossa, forcing them to tack away before the race began, eventually crossing the line on port at the committee boat end while INEOS Britannia sped off to the left-hand boundary.
The British team squandered their early advantage with a flawed tack, needing to duck the Italians on the first engagement, but they were close enough to prevent Luna Rossa from tacking directly onto them.
INEOS Britannia fought their way back by executing a lee bow tack, compelling Luna Rossa to tack away, resulting in the British boat leading at the first windward gate.
As it has become typical, there was little separating the two boats over the next leg, with the British vessel choosing their own route both upwind and down instead of directly covering the Italians. Their confidence in their strategy paid off; when they did tack directly on Luna Rossa, the Italians promptly tacked away.
By the second windward gate, the Brits had extended their lead to 9 seconds, with both boats diverging on which buoy to round.
At the second leeward gate, INEOS Britannia had a slow rounding on both foils, costing them valuable meters, but Luna Rossa made a rare error of their own, potentially giving the British team an even greater advantage in return.
By the end of the third upwind leg, INEOS Britannia stretched their lead to over 300 meters, equating to a 16-second advantage at the third windward gate.
Luna Rossa cut a second off their deficit at the third leeward gate, but they now had just one lap remaining to pull off a remarkable comeback to win, or rely on INEOS Britannia making a mistake.
Once again, INEOS Britannia set their own course. Despite Jimmy Spithill confidently stating, “Nice little gain for us,” the British maintained a solid lead over the Italians, passing the final windward gate 13 seconds ahead.
Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher sounded composed and assured on the concluding downwind leg, ultimately winning by 23 seconds to take a 5-4 lead in the series.
This marked the first race of the final that involved overtaking maneuvers and where both boats completed the course. The question was whether the British could secure two wins in one day.
Race 10: INEOS Britannia vs. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
Prior to the second race, Luna Rossa upgraded their jib, moving from J5 to J4, as they felt underpowered during the lulls. Would this adjustment help them level the score again, or could INEOS Britannia advance to match point?
INEOS Britannia once again opted to loop after entering the start box from the left side, while Luna Rossa seemed content on their path along the boundary.
The British boat gybed directly in front of the Italians, with Luna Rossa attempting to hook them but losing rudder control and briefly slowing down.
Luna Rossa adopted a higher mode for separation from INEOS Britannia but ended up having to bear away for the start, allowing the British to power off the line at 37 knots and gain an initial advantage, which forced the Italians to tack away.
In the next confrontation, INEOS Britannia tacked straight onto Luna Rossa, again forcing them to tack away, enabling the British to complete the first windward gate seven seconds ahead. By the first leeward gate, their lead had increased to 11 seconds.
During the second upwind leg, INEOS Britannia found better pressure and a right shift, though the lead only extended by a second. With these sea conditions, it’s easy to make mistakes, and a single error could change the race’s outcome.
The error occurred during the final gybe into the mark, with INEOS Britannia briefly losing rudder control. However, they regained control quickly enough to only lose a few seconds at the second leeward gate. While there were nerves in Ben Ainslie’s voice, he and the team maintained their processes calmly.
The feeling in their gut must have been anything but calm during the second half of the upwind leg, as the Italians reduced the gap to just 80 meters, with differing side choices creating potential for anything to happen.
INEOS Britannia rounded the third windward gate eight seconds ahead of Luna Rossa, but they had a significant touchdown after rounding, allowing the Italians to close the distance again. The boats were teetering on the edge downwind in the high swell, making the gybes quite treacherous.
At the third leeward gate, the lead increased back to 13 seconds. INEOS Britannia was just one lap away from reaching match point, although it must have felt like eons in these challenging conditions.
Luna Rossa narrowed the gap to nine seconds at the last windward gate, splitting buoy choices, signaling that the outcome would hinge on the downwind leg to the finish.
The Italians began to chip away at the British lead, but the distance to the finish line was quickly decreasing. INEOS Britannia upheld their resolve to secure a 6-4 lead in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final.
Ben Ainslie conveyed determination when he stated, “There was nothing lucky about that, boys.”
After the race, Ben attempted to articulate the difficulties faced when maneuvering these yachts in turbulent waves, a sentiment echoed by all helms who followed him. Today truly appeared to be quite harrowing.
Match Point has arrived, but a twist in this narrative seems almost inevitable.
