Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals Day 3
by Mark Jardine 16 Sep 09:13 PDT
16 September 2024
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. New York Yacht Club American Magic on Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals Day 3 – 16th September 2024 © Ian Roman / America’s Cup
The third day of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi Finals featured winds that were just on the edge of being sailable. Races need a starting wind of 6.5 knots, but after that, the crucial factor is whether one boat can finish within the 45-minute limit.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing vs. INEOS Britannia
After a brief delay to meet the lower wind limit, the races commenced. Alinghi could not afford an unforced mistake, and starting over the line was just that.
Despite the penalty, they maintained their position upwind, rounding the first gate only 17 seconds behind.
By the leeward gate, the gap had widened to 1 minute 10 seconds, but then INEOS Britannia dropped their foils while tacking at the boundary in very light winds. Alinghi followed suit but crucially managed to stay foiling, quickly gaining a 500-meter lead.
The British team got foiling again and gradually narrowed the gap, but then lost control by foiling too high, which pushed them back into lowriding, while Alinghi’s lead grew to over a kilometer.
As the lead approached nearly two kilometers, Alinghi lost their foils during the second downwind leg. However, with the course shortened to five legs, they only had just over one leg left to finish, while the British boat hadn’t even reached the second windward mark.
It was hard to watch these fast machines bobbing around at 6 knots, with the battle focusing on finishing within the time limit. Alinghi had a tight 15 minutes to reach the final windward gate.
After 41 minutes and 22 seconds, Alinghi crossed the finish line, just 3 minutes and 38 seconds under the time limit, claiming their first victory of the Semi Finals.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. New York Yacht Club American Magic
After a long delay, the wind finally strengthened enough for more racing.
Both teams positioned themselves high, as the area below the starting line was plagued by very light breezes, but crucially, American Magic arrived earlier and had less speed than Luna Rossa. When they crossed the line, the Italians boasted 3 knots more speed and gradually overtook the US team, allowing them to cover at the boundary tack.
American Magic broke cover with an unexpected tack midway upwind, but Luna Rossa rounded the top gate with a 17-second lead.
Importantly, the boats took different marks, with the Americans heading toward the favored right side. During the next engagement, American Magic forced Luna Rossa to duck beneath them, earning a penalty for pushing the rules too closely. The Italians quickly erased a 75-meter deficit, which seemed like a soft penalty, and the Americans ducked Luna Rossa during the following cross.
The Italians crossed ahead of American Magic while on port, but the race graphics used by the umpires showed the diameters around each boat intersecting, leading to Luna Rossa receiving yet another penalty, which again disappeared remarkably quickly, with the US team rounding the top gate with a 3-second lead.
At the second leeward gate, Luna Rossa squeezed inside American Magic with a gybe, but the move was too much for them to maintain foiling, allowing the Americans to sail around the outside as the Italians struggled. Luna Rossa protested, hoping that American Magic hadn’t given them sufficient room, but no penalty was issued.
In very marginal conditions, American Magic managed to stay foiling during the final lap, while Luna Rossa faltered at the bottom of the course. The lead surged like a fuel price display, ultimately exceeding three kilometers as American Magic secured their first win of the Semi Finals.
In both Semi Final matchups, it isn’t over yet. Winds did not strengthen, so the second races of the day were postponed until Wednesday.
