Unsteady winds keep the fleet on land Sunday at the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup
by America’s Cup media 22 Sep 10:30 PDT
17-26 September 2024
A troublesome light weather system hovered over Barcelona today, bringing early rain with dark clouds that eventually cleared in the afternoon, leaving only gentle breezes on the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup racecourse.
Consequently, the fleet of AC40s remained on land, sheltered by the excellent facilities of the ‘nou’ Port Olímpic, while the world’s top youth sailors waited eagerly to compete, fully aware of the weather conditions.
Faced with a typical Mediterranean autumn transition, the Race Committee was on the water all afternoon, with the recognizable red UniCredit marks positioned and monitoring the winds as they gradually shifted from easterly to a southerly direction. Unfortunately, the wind limit of 7.5 knots for the AC40 yachts was not maintained for any significant duration, leading Race Director Iain Murray to call off racing at 1610.
Today’s agenda included the completion of the final two races in Group B (Invited Teams) first, followed by four races planned for Group A (America’s Cup Teams), which have already finished four races in their initial series.
Currently, Group A sees teams from Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, NYYC American Magic, and Athena Pathway holding the podium spots, while among the Invited Teams, the Swedish Challenge powered by Artemis Technologies, Andoo Team Australia, and Spain’s Sail Team BCN occupy the automatic qualifying positions for the Semi-Finals.
Points are extremely close in both divisions, so when racing resumes, the competition will be fierce as the Semi-Final spots are determined—with the top three teams from both Group A and Group B advancing to a four-race series.
Having called off today’s racing, the Race Committee has postponed the schedule to tomorrow, Monday, September 23, with forecast models indicating a better weather window in the early afternoon as the airflow remains to the south, albeit with some uncertainty about its precise settled direction, and may strengthen to 11-15 knots later in the day.
The UniCredit Youth America’s Cup has showcased some of the finest racing during this extraordinary summer of sailing in Barcelona. Despite the irritating wind delays, enthusiasm remains high onshore in this vibrant, colorful, youthful, and thrilling event.
Schedule for Monday, September 23
Group B Race 7 is scheduled to start at 14:10
The plan is for two races for Group B followed by four races for Group A
