Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS TEAM UK squared off yesterday to determine the winner of the PRADA Cup Challenger Selection Series and the right to face the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand in the America's Cup next month. 

First day of the PRADA Cup Final was a double for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, with the Italian team taking the lead of the provisional ranking clearly leading both races and appearing just a click faster than the British team.

Still a long way to go to the end being a 13-races series, with the Italians in need of five more wins to go through to the America’s Cup. Ineos Team UK still needing 7 wins.

“Who will win?” has been one question that has been doing the rounds for the past week. With a range of weather conditions over the next few days, the prospect of a quick answer to the most popular question in Auckland seems unlikely, leaving the racing to deliver the answers.

Luna Rossa passed through the first windward gate 1:20 ahead. By the bottom gate they had stretched out to 1:36 Photo: COR36/ Studio Borlenghi

PRADA Cup 2021 Final - Race 1

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli beat INEOS TEAM UK

Start: 1617
Port: ITA
Stbd: GBR
Course: A
Axis: 025
Length: 1.69nm
Current: 0.1 knots @ 205
Wind 6-9kts 050 degrees
Winner Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) – 1:52

The morning’s weather forecast suggested that there could be a delay to racing as the sea breeze took time to build against the gradient breeze. However, the start was only pushed back by two minutes. Once the minimum wind speed requirements were met, the racing was underway.

But while one hurdle had been crossed in getting the opening race of the Prada Cup Final underway, both teams were acutely aware that staying on the foils would be crucial.
As a result, it was perhaps not surprising that neither Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) who had entered on port and INEOS TEAM UK (GBR) who came in on starboard were inclined to engage in a close-quarters pre-start duel. The risk of coming off their foils was too great. And with just under a minute to go to the start INEOS TEAM UK were the first to do just that as their hull splashed down.

Luna Rossa came close to doing the same, but as they have demonstrated in previous races, the Italian boat is slippery in light winds and got back underway.
As the clock counted down to the start, the Italians remained on their foils, just, their on board comms revealing how carefully they were playing this crucial stage of the race.
As they crossed the start line INEOS TEAM UK were still off their foils. The gap between the two was growing quickly. Perfect for the Italians, painful for the British.

INEOS TEAM UK incurred the first of two boundary penalties Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

Indeed, from there, even when the British had got up and running, the distance continued to grow especially as INEOS TEAM UK incurred the first of two boundary penalties.
Luna Rossa passed through the first windward gate 1:20 ahead. By the bottom gate they had stretched out to 1:36. Another lap of the course and the Italians were continuing to deliver a flawless performance in the light conditions and had pulled out to 1:57.

Meanwhile, INEOS TEAM UK had found their feet and stayed on them but with just one lap to go the gap, which was now around 1800m, looked impossible to close down.
And in the end it was, as Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli turned their commanding lead and dominant performance into a win.

Prada Cup Final - Race 2

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli beat INEOS TEAM UK

Start: 1715
Port: GBR
Stbd: ITA
Course: A
Axis: 035
Length: 1.85nm
Current: 0.4 knots @ 192
Wind 14-17kts 070degrees

Winner Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA) – 0:26

The sea breeze built quickly, white caps were now spread across the course area. Race 2 looked set to be a completely different match.

In the pre-start, INEOS TEAM UK came smoking in on port tack and headed out towards the right-hand side of the pre-start box. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli gybed and followed, a duel looked set. INEOS TEAM UK were leading the charge but they were also early for the start and keen to burn some time.

While the physical gap between the two closed, the start was even, both at pace, both at full speed. If there was an advantage it was to INEOS TEAM UK who were to leeward and slightly ahead, a position that Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli struggled to live with as they sat in the turbulent air off the back of the British. Seconds later they were forced to tack off. Advantage INEOS TEAM UK.

But when the pair came back together, INEOS TEAM UK were on port tack and had to give way, they chose to dip behind Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. In the seconds that followed, with the Italians on port and the British on starboard, it was Luna Rossa that appeared to gain in a slight lift in the breeze. And when the pair came back together this advantage was enough for them to cross in front of the British to pass through Gate 1 with a lead of 11 seconds. INEOS TEAM UK rounded the same mark but gybed shortly after they had rounded. Meanwhile, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli pressed on towards the right-hand side of the course.

Speeds were now into the 43-45kt range with INEOS TEAM UK generally a notch quicker and slightly lower in heading. But by Gate 2 distance between the two had grown to 270m, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli choosing the right-hand mark, INEOS TEAM UK the left.

From the aerial shots is seemed clear that the left-hand side of the course had more breeze, but neither crew needed to be in the air to see this, both talking on their onboard comms about the left-hand side being the favoured route up the course.

Through Gate 3 Luna Rossa had edged out a few more seconds to round 19 seconds ahead as the pair chose opposite marks. Once again, the Italian performance was silky smooth. This time on the downwind leg the speeds were much more closely matched with nothing between them. And in the steady sea breeze, no real opportunity for INEOS TEAM UK to make up the distance.

On the last windward leg, INEOS TEAM UK had hauled back a few metres, but time was running out to reel in the 270m that would be required to get back in touch with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

At the top Gate 5, Luna Rossa were now 26 seconds ahead as they went around the left-hand mark. The British took the right-hand mark in a bid to try something different once again. But the Italian performance remained solid. A few minutes later they crossed the finish line 26 seconds ahead to take their second win of the day.

 At the top Gate 5, Luna Rossa were now 26 seconds ahead as they went around the left-hand mark Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi in the steady sea breeze, no real opportunity for INEOS TEAM UK to make up the distance Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

QUOTES FROM THE PRADA CUP FINAL RACE COURSE

JAMES SPITHILL - Helmsman Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

"It’s hard every time you go on the water, because for this class of boats we haven’t done a lot of racing. The boys have executed great manoeuvres and we were able to get around and ahead of them.

We have a great boat, a great full package here, and a very good team backing us up. We are confident on our boat, but having said that, we still know there is quite a bit on the table. As I said, we made few mistakes today out there and we go back trying to sharp up on those for tomorrow."

SIR BEN AINSLIE - Team Principal & Skipper INEOS TEAM UK

"The Italians did a good job, they sailed just a bit faster and bit better around the course. Credit to them. We have to go away and think about how we can get a bit more pace, and look at the things we didn’t get quite right.

Luna Rossa are a great team and it’s pretty hard to get past them if they don’t make many mistakes. Course A is a very different one compared to course C, where the wind comes from the land and there are some shifts that allow more lead changes. Let’s see what happens tomorrow."

Click above to watch the video

Today’s races have been held on Race Course A, the Northern playfield in front of thousands of spectator boats. First race was raced with a 6-9 from NNE whereas in the second race the breeze increased up to 17 knots and the top speed reached was 47.92 knots.

The opening two races were held on Race Course A, the Northern playfield in front of thousands of spectator boats Photo: COR36/ Studio Borlenghi

Races will resume tomorrow 14th of February at 4:00 PM NZT, two races are planned weather permitting. The PRADA Cup Final is a best-of-13 series with a team needing to win seven races to advance to the America's Cup Match and face the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand on the 6th of March

Prada Cup Final Scoreboard

Dublin Bay based America's Cup fans Will Byrne and Cian Mollen are hosting a National Yacht Club America's Cup Insight talk on Tuesday, February 9th night at 7.30 pm.

As well as the road to the current 36th Cup, the match racing duo will give a breakdown of the boats and racing to date.

Byrne and Mollen have both match-raced on the European circuit over the years as well as in the Oakcliff training centre in New York. Mollen has raced on the World Match Race Tour with Philip Bendon and Byrne runs the match racing at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.

Action from the 36th America's Cup World Cup Series between Italy' Luna Rossa (to leeward) and UK's Team Ineos Photo: Borlenghi Studio

"It’s going to be in more of a forum format to encourage open conversation and input, Byrne told Afloat.

"We will be covering the modern foiling Americas cup, the return to monohulls and the format and racing of the 36th AC. We will then move on to a breakdown of the current teams and their performance on the water. Alongside this, we will look at the boats and design/technology", Byrne says.

Zoom Link for the meet here

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli finally got the redemption they were looking for and, scoring four points in a row, win the PRADA Cup Semi-Final.

The Italians started firmly in the driver's seat ahead of the day’s races and needed only two more wins to claim a place in the PRADA Cup Final against INEOS TEAM UK.

The Americans, who had already won their race against time after their AC75 almost sunk less than two weeks ago, had to find some magic to bring PATRIOT back to the performances she had before. They had to win at least one match to keep their Semi-Final alive.

But the Italians won the starts and were just faster, steadier and more confident. Without any real pressure, they didn’t make any mistakes and sailed to two easy wins.

Light winds forecast proved wrong and stable breeze from North East between 11-14 knots allowed the Race Committee to start both races right on time on Course A.

Light winds forecast proved wrong and stable breeze from North East between 11-14 knots allowed the Race Committee to start both races right on time on Course A.

Semi-Final Race 3

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli beat New York Yacht Club American Magic

Start: 1515
Port: ITA
Stbd: USA
Course: A
Axis: 027
Length: 1.8nm
Current: 0.2 knots @ 009
Wind 12kts / 030
Winner: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) – 0:35

No one needed any convincing as to how important today’s racing was. The pressure was on and if there was a lesson to be learned from yesterday’s racing for the Americans it was that they had to win, or at least be even at the start.

When American Magic delivered a different approach to the pre-start, lining up to leeward of Luna Rossa as both boats headed in towards the start the Americans appeared to have set themselves up for a stronger start.

In the event it was even, American Magic at the pin end, Luna Rossa at the committee boat end, from here it was a drag race to the boundary.

Once there, both boats tacked onto port simultaneously and lined up for another straight line duel, this time towards the right-hand boundary.

But sitting just to windward and astern of the Italians put the Americans in dirty air, a position that they struggled to maintain and a few minutes later they were forced to tack off. This was the first evidence of what would turn out to be a pattern of strong defensive play by Luna Rossa.

By the first gate, Luna Rossa were 13 seconds ahead. By the bottom of the first downwind leg, they had squeezed a few more seconds out to lead by 22 secs.

While there was now a physical distance of around 300m between the two, it was clear that Luna Rossa were taking nothing for granted, tacking to cover each time American Magic tried to break free.

“Keeping the foot on the throat” before they tacked yet again to cover their opponents. Picking the side of the course that they wanted and controlling the situation, this was textbook match racing from the Italians.

By Gate 3 they had stretched out more distance to lead by 41sec, the race looked like it was only going one way. And yet by Gate 4 American Magic had pulled the gap down to 18sec, could they claw back from here?

By the top gate for the last time, the answer was no. Luna Rossa was the faster boat upwind and while Patriot seemed quicker downwind it was not enough for the Americans to pull themselves back into the race.

By the end, Luna Rossa crossed the finish line 35sec ahead. They had sailed another perfect race. One more victory and they would be on for the Prada Cup final, could they smell victory?

“No, no, we don’t smell anything,” said Francesco Bruni after the race. “We don’t smell anything yet!”

Despite the Herculean effort of putting PATRIOT back on the water, American Magic are now eliminated from the PRADA Cup Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

Semi-Final Race 4

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli beat New York Yacht Club American Magic

Start: 1615
Port: USA
Stbd: ITA
Course: A
Axis: 038
Length: 1.81nm
Current: 0.1 knots @ 199
Wind 16kts / 035
Winner: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) – 3:51

This was it, do or die for the American campaign and the chance for the Italians to move straight to the Prada Cup final. The breeze was now up to 16kts throwing another set of conditions into the mix. Could this deliver the difference required to keep the Prada Cup semi-final alive for another day?

This time American Magic were entering the start zone from the left-hand side on port tack and did so with perfect timing and at pace. Next came a hint of a different strategy as American Magic headed out towards the right-hand side of the pre-start zone.

But while this might have been a subtly different opening move, Luna Rossa were still focussed on what had worked before and were aiming to gain control in the pre-start.
As both boats closed in on the starting line as the clock counted down, American Magic were to leeward hoping to force Luna Rossa up, but they weren’t close enough and didn’t have the pace to accelerate into a controlling position. Luna Rossa took the start while American Magic were forced to tack off onto port.

American hopes now were that the right-hand side of the course would be favoured, but at the first cross it was anything but as Luna Rossa passed 130m ahead.
This was not looking good for American Magic, they were on the defensive as Luna Rossa controlled the game perfectly once again. Poised, polished and perfect, it was difficult to see how American Magic could take this race unless the Italians made a mistake. At this stage there was precious little evidence to support anything other than another Italian win.

In fact, things were about to get worse for American Magic as their starboard cant arm refused to go down ahead of a tack onto port. Eventually, it did, but not before they had overstood the layline into Gate 1.

By the time the Americans rounded they were 45sec behind, but their troubles weren’t over yet as technical issues continued. Then came a boundary infringement and a penalty, not that it made much difference, the distance to Luna Rossa was now 1500m.

By the time the Americans rounded Gate 3 Luna Rossa were 2min 42sec ahead. By Gate 4 the time difference was 2min 36, the distance over 2,000m.

Only a disaster on the part of the Italians would reverse what looked like the inevitable. As it happened the breeze had built further and keeping a cool calm and collected was becoming increasingly important to avoid tripping up.

A few minutes later Luna Rossa crossed the finish line to win their fourth race in a row, a win that now launches them to the Prada Cup final against INEOS Team UK.

Victorious Luna Rossa are saluted by the Americans after racing Photo: Studio Borlenghi

Their victory had been well deserved. Since the start of the semi-final, the Italian performance had been pitch-perfect across a wide range of conditions, in just a few days between the Round Robin and the semi-final they had turned their performance around.

"Now for the INEOS boys," was the call as they crossed the finish.

While they would doubtless celebrate this win, the Italian team’s focus had already shifted.

QUOTES FROM THE RACE COURSE

FRANCESCO BRUNI - Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Helmsman
"I think American Magic have done a fantastic job being back after what they have gone through. Their boat was a good boat, their team was a great team and it's sad because they are great competitors. If we keep improving the performance of the boat, with this speed, there will be some very good racing against Ben Ainslie and his Britannia. It's all about improving, improving, improving.

In the first race of the day we sailed better upwind, we know that our foils are a little bit bigger and we can play the high mode strategically in some moments of the race. We needed it."

TERRY HUTCHINSON – Skipper & Executive Director of New York Yacht Club American Magic
"The last four races weren't our best but the highest praise for the entire American Magic team overcoming what we did to get the boat back out on the water, it would have been easy to stop.

It's obviously disappointing. There's not a person inside our team that likes losing, so in that you have 135 Type A personalities all pushing for the same goal, the same result.

I think what you saw when Patriot got back out on the water was a high level of resolve from the entire team to make sure not let the programme end like that.
I have nothing but pride for what we've done over the last 3 and half years, obviously our measure is the result sheet so without question that is the most disappointing part, but all we can do is take it on the chin, understand our strengths and weaknesses from here, and move the whole thing forward. If we're fortunate enough to be back in the 37th America's Cup we'll learn from these mistakes and we'll be better for it".

Despite the Herculean effort of putting PATRIOT back on the water, American Magic are now eliminated from the PRADA Cup.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli jump rightfully to the Final against INEOS TEAM UK less than 2 weeks away. The Italians who seem to have find the pace after a limping Round Robin will be hard opponent to beat for the British team.

With such change in fortunes in only 9 days of racing since the first AC75 match on the 17th of December, it’s impossible to predict who will be the 36th America’s Cup Challenger and there is plenty to watch out for in the coming weeks.

The 13-race Final between the two leading teams, will start on the 13th of February, the first team to score seven points will win the PRADA Cup and face the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand.

The first day of the PRADA Cup Semi-Final went smooth as silk for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli which scored the first two points on the leader board against New York Yacht Club American Magic that, against all the odds, managed to make the start line after the Round Robin’s dramatic capsize.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli performed two perfect starts followed by two consistent and clean races which they just kept increasing their lead over the Americans who, despite working one miracle by putting PATRIOT back together, couldn’t work another on the water with a tough day playing follow the leader.

With the weather being once again a key player and the SW breeze gusting up to 22 knots at times, a new speed record has been broken today as American Magic hit on 53.31 knots (almost 100 km/h) on race 1.

For American Magic, getting the boat around the course safely had allowed them to build confidence in both their boat and their ability to bounce back.

Semi Final - Race 1

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli beat New York American Magic

Start: 1515
Port: USA
Stbd: ITA
Course: C
Axis: 214
Length: 1.76nm
Current: 0 knots

Wind
21 knots / 225 degrees
Winner: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli – 2min 43sec

As the start of the first Semi-final race approached the breeze was up against the stops. The forecast was for conditions to decrease through the afternoon but for the time being there was little evidence of this.

As American Magic entered the pre-start zone it was clear just how breezy conditions were as the American team struggled to keep control as they crossed Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, a small issue but one that caused problems later in in the pre-start sequence.

As both teams worked their way down into the bottom of the pre-start zone it was Luna Rossa who gained the upper hand when both boats turned back for their approach to the start line.

The Italians were just to leeward of the Americans and in a position where they could control the pace of the game as they prepared to start, holding American Magic up. When Luna Rossa did pull the trigger they did so with perfect timing and led across the start line. American Magic was forced to follow. By the top of the first beat and through Gate 1 Luna Rossa was 18 secs ahead and looking very smooth.

After the first lap, Luna Rossa had pulled out a few more seconds to round 22 sec ahead. This was a pattern that continued around the four-lap race.

The big change happened at Gate 3 when American Magic struggled during the bear away and lost control temporarily. Their boat had been travelling at 53kts, the fastest yet, but as they came crashing off the foils they were forced to tack around rather than gybe before heading off downwind again. And while they emerged unscathed, the problem had allowed Luna Rossa to pull out a lead of 2min 25sec.

One more lap of the course did little to change anything other than extending the Italian lead slightly further to see Luna Rossa finish 2min 43secs ahead. On the face of it a big loss for American Magic, but for both teams there were positive features to take away from this opening race of the semi-final.

For Luna Rossa their performance had been extremely smooth in difficult conditions, the Italians had clearly upped their game.

For American Magic, getting the boat around the course safely had allowed them to build confidence in both their boat and their ability to bounce back.

Luna Rossa - performance was extremely smooth in difficult conditions Photo: Studio Borlenghi

Semi Final - Race 2

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli beat New York American Magic

Start:1615
Port: ITA
Stbd: USA
Course: C
Axis: 214
Length: 176
Current: 0.3 knots @ 150
Wind: 18 knots / 210 degrees
Winner: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli – 3min 7sec

While the breeze had dropped a few knots, the current running against the breeze had built slightly making conditions choppier, especially on the right hand side of the course where the current was stronger.

In the pre-start this time it was Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli who came in on port tack from the left hand side, doing so at 47knots and spot on time.

Throughout the pre-start the Italians looked confident, executing a strategy to control their opponents.

Meanwhile, aboard American Magic things didn’t look quite so settled with the crew struggling to execute smooth manoeuvres.

When it came to the start, Luna Rossa had once again gained the upper hand, leading into the line with American Magic to windward and trailing.

By Gate 1 Luna Rossa were leading once again by 17sec, a similar margin to the first race.

Just as with the first race of the day, Luna Rossa were delivering a confident, poised performance, stretching their lead and looking on track to deliver a similar overall performance. Until that is, they reached Gate 2.

As they rounded the left hand of the two marks, approaching at 49 knots, Luna Rossa lost grip on their foil and skidded to leeward. There was plenty of spray and raised heartbeats but the crew recovered the situation quickly to get back up to speed.

The slip up had reduced the Italian lead over American Magic, but as the next few legs played out it was clear that there were control problems aboard Patriot with frequent loss of control on the downwind legs. Each time the distance between the two boats only grew, delivering another win to Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli by the finish as they crossed the line 3min 7sec ahead.

Two races in the bag for the Italian team, another two and they would be through to the Prada Cup final, but tomorrow’s weather looks likely to change gear and in doing so may re-set expectations once again.

QUOTES FROM THE RACE COURSE

FRANCESCO BRUNI - Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli helmsman
We are super happy, racing in so much wind is always really good. We are hitting faster speeds every day, that’s what we are training for and why we make improvements on the boats. We are not coming from a great period as we were not up to the standard we wanted, so there was a little bit of tension. In the past the boat wasn’t the fastest in the strong winds, but we knew we had made some big improvements in terms of performance, we saw very good numbers, and today on the water we also felt the difference.

TERRY HUTCHINSON - American Magic Skipper & Executive Director
First and fore-most congratulations to Luna Rossa for sailing a great day. As Francesco Bruni said, it was a hard day. We know Luna Rossa is a formidable team, we just have to sail better. Anyway today it felt like a normal race day. We had a good warm up and being so windy the boats are always on edge but to be completely candid with you I wasn’t even thinking this would have been possible about twelve days ago. It is a short Series and we have some meat on the bone here to keep working a way out of it.

PRADA Cup 2021

Click below to watch the video

The PRADA Cup Semi-Final is the first knock out phase of the Challenger Selection Series. The first team to win four races will face INEOS TEAM UK in the PRADA Cup Final Starting on the 13th of February. One step away from the Match.

Races will resume tomorrow 30th of January at 3:15 NZT, weather permitting.

INEOS TEAM UK stays unbeaten after what was probably the closest race seen so far on the AC75s, with nine lead changes throughout the nail-biting race against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

With that result, Sir Ben Ainslie’s team won their the fifth race in a row in the Round Robins. Upon finishing the ‘ghost race’ start successfully it took them to 6 points, enough to qualify directly to the PRADA Cup final.

The Italian Challenger of Record fought until the last jibe of the last leg of a race that was the perfect definition of match race which saw the top speeds exceeding the 50 knot mark for the first time in racing.

INEOS TEAM UK (right) won RR3 Race 2 against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

PRADA Cup 2021 - INEOS TEAM UK win RR3 Race 2 against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

RR3 - Race 2
Start: 1720
Port: ITA
Stbd: GBR
Course: C
Axis: 227
Length: 1.9nm
Current: 0.2 knots @ 316
Wind: 18-22 knots / 240 degrees
Winner: INEOS TEAM UK +33 seconds

If the tension surrounding this Italian/British shoot out for the right to jump straight to the PRADA Cup final wasn’t enough, the weather was about to throw plenty of more stress into the mix.

As the start time arrived, the breeze was shifting back and forth across the race course, preventing the race committee from setting a fair course.

As a series of delays followed, pushing the start back by almost an hour, news then came that INEOS TEAM UK needed to play their ‘delay card’ of 15mins as they struggled to repair a problem with the cunningham, one of the key controls for the mainsail.

By the time the race did start at 1720 the breeze was up towards 20 knots at times and still clearly very shifty. In the pre-start and with just a few seconds to go there were the first indications that this would be a closely fought race.

As they crossed the line, both were at the pin end, INEOS TEAM UK to windward, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli to leeward.

As they headed out towards the left hand side of the course INEOS were first to tack away. Luna Rossa followed shortly afterwards and when the pair came back together on the right hand side of the course they were still neck and neck. Luna Rossa tacked underneath, but were slow to come out of the tack. From here, the close battle continued to the first gate where INEOS rounded just 2 seconds ahead of Luna Rossa.

Drag racing down Leg 2 both were on port tack with Luna Rossa slightly lower and faster. But when they came back together, the Italians had lost out as the British crossed ahead.

At Gate 2 the British lead had increased to 9 seconds as they rounded the left hand mark. Luna Rossa took the right.

The next time they came back together Luna Rossa had taken the lead, the Italians appeared to be in phase with the shifts and were capitalising on it, pulling out more distance. By Gate 3 their lead was 19sec.

But there was plenty more left in this match.

Once again, the pair took opposite marks as they headed down leg 4.

When they came back together this time BRITANNIA had taken distance out of their opponents and by Gate 4 the gap was down to 10sec.

As both boats went around the right-hand mark, Luna Rossa headed out to the right while INEOS TEAM UK pulled off a more tricky tack around the mark to split from Luna Rossa who saw the move and tacked to cover.

Both now on starboard, when the British team came back they were now just a boat length apart as INEOS TEAM UK passed just behind them.

From there, Sir Ben Ainslie pushed out to the right, they needed the breeze to swing in their favour to capitalise on their move to the right of the course. Next time that they came back together, INEOS TEAM UK were ahead as they crossed the bow of the Italians on starboard. The tables had turned yet again.
From here, just over one leg lay between the British quest to jump to the final and the Italian hopes to keep their fast track to the Prada Cup alive. By the top mark for the last time, Gate 5 there was just one second between the pair as they headed down the final downwind leg.

Once again, they took opposite marks and they came back together INEOS TEAM UK were on starboard, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli on port, the British were ahead by no more than a second as both tacticians talked of the left hand side being the better side.

For the next cross into the finish, INEOS TEAM UK were on port but could lay the finish, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli couldn’t and tried to get INEOS TEAM UK on a port starboard. As they approached the stern of the British boat, Luna Rossa called a protest as they claimed they had to avoid the give way boat. The umpires didn’t agree. The Italians had played their last card, it hadn’t worked and Sir Ben Ainslie cut the finish line 33 seconds ahead.

PRADA Cup 2021

QUOTES FROM THE RACE COURSE

SIR BEN AINSLIE - INEOS TEAM UK Team Principal and Skipper
"That race was one for the fans. Pretty awesome race, great to take part in. Lots of lead changes, neck at neck all the way to the line, credit to the Luna Rossa guys for pushing hard. We had few issues leading into the pre-start as we were missing one of the key settings. The guys did an awesome job getting us around the track in one piece and getting the win."

JIMMY SPITHILL – Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli – Helmsman
“When we lodged the protest the both of us were doing 45 knots, we had to avoid BRITANNIA so it was a bit surprised that they thought it wasn’t close enough. At the top we didn’t pull off a couple of tacks as we should have, but it was really shifty. A continuous up and down the entire the racetrack and that’s why we saw so many lead changes. It was a good effort from the guys on board, and congratulations to INEOS TEAM UK. We didn’t get the result we wanted but we certainly learnt a lot from that one.”

PRADA Cup 2021RR3 Video

In recognition of being top round robin qualifier, INEOS TEAM UK were presented a bottle of G.H. Mumm and have been awarded with the PRADA Christmas Race trophy - which was not assigned in December as races were not held due to the lack of wind.

INEOS TEAM UK now have three full weeks to develop their boat and getting ready for the next race, whereas Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli have only 6 days before to fine tuning their AC75 before the next race against American Magic who are in a race against time to repair their boat and get back to the startline. The Semi-final - the first knockout phase of the PRADA Cup - starts on Friday 29 January and by then the pressure ramps up dramatically.

No races will be held tomorrow.

American Magic's withdrawal from racing in the last two round robins of the America's Cup Challenger Selection Series means a revised schedule of racing on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour this week.

Following New York Yacht Club American Magic informing the Regatta Director that they will not be racing in Round Robins 3 and 4 of the PRADA Cup this weekend, the racing schedule has been revised as follows:

• Saturday 23rd of January 2021:
  LUNA ROSSA PRADA PIRELLI vs INEOS TEAM UK – Start at 16:00 NZT
• Sunday 24th of January 2021:
  INEOS TEAM UK vs LUNA ROSSA PRADA PIRELLI – Start at 16:00 NZT

In order to comply with the formality of the Regulations, after finishing the above races both competitors will have to take the start of a “ghost race” vs New York Yacht Club American Magic to allow the Regatta Director to award the point to the relevant team. The “ghost race” will then be suspended just a few minutes after the start. The rule of 25 minutes between the two starts will not apply to these “ghost races”.

Should INEOS TEAM UK win the Saturday race, the Sunday race result will be redundant as INEOS TEAM UK would be the first classified team of the Round Robins and, as such, will go directly through to the PRADA Cup Final. In that event, the two teams will have the choice whether or not to race on Sunday.

After racing into a squall, crashing, capsizing, incurring significant damage and coming close to sinking, American Magic's AC75 racing yacht, PATRIOT, made it back to shore at 10:45 PM NZDT after a herculean effort to save the boat.

The arrival of the American AC75 back to the team base in Wynyard Quarter was due not only to the perseverance of the team, which never gave up the fight over many hours, but that of the greater Auckland and America's Cup communities. The three other Cup teams, the AC36 event management team and multiple branches of Auckland's rescue services came to the aid of American Magic in a moment of urgent need.

Hutchinson said that this type of incident would certainly be a major challenge to overcome, especially with only 12 days remaining until the Prada Cup semifinals. He also said that the resilience of his team is never in doubt.

Statement from Commodore Christopher J. Culver Regarding American Magic:

Like New York Yacht Club American Magic fans around the world, I watched yesterday’s Prada Cup race against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli eager to see PATRIOT show her speed in her favorite conditions. To see our team go from almost certain victory to almost losing the boat in a few short moments was heartbreaking. I am extremely grateful that no one was seriously injured.

On behalf of the Flag Officers and members of the New York Yacht Club, I want to express our most sincere thanks to the other three America’s Cup teams—Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Team UK—along with the America’s Cup Event staff, local fire and rescue personnel and Coastguard New Zealand for their immediate and unwavering support yesterday. Without it, I don’t think we would’ve been able to keep PATRIOT afloat.

The road ahead will be challenging. But after interacting with the American Magic team over the past three years, I know there is no finer crew of sailors, builders, designers, engineers and support personnel on the planet. We will get PATRIOT back on the water.

It’s not easy to create an America’s Cup syndicate from scratch and be competitive. But as the first five legs of yesterday’s race proved, American Magic did just that, building a boat and crew fast enough to take on the world. We are tremendously proud of this team. I look forward to cheering on PATRIOT in the near future.

Go American Magic. Go PATRIOT.

Sincerely,

Christopher J. Culver, Commodore
New York Yacht Club

The America's Cup is living up to its high drama billing in Auckland at the PRADA Cup, with all the support teams now battling to save NYYC American Magic's AC75 'Patriot' after a spectacular capsize.

Local reports from the race course say that in New York Yacht Club American Magic's match against Luna Rossa PRADA Pirelli, the Americans team tried to complete a tack bear away in a big squall while in the lead. With the leeward runner seemingly jammed on, the bow reared up, resulting in the main foils both leaving the water, then rolling into a capsize.

After righting the yacht, it was clear that there was a significant amount of water inside the boat, with buoys and other floatation devices attached and pumps deployed quickly. Despite this, the bow is still under the water.

Capsize for American Magic on day 3 of the PRADA Cup Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

pic.twitter.com/cHgKqa9aqO

— NYYC American Magic (@NYYCAmericanMag) January 17, 2021

A tricky and yet revealing day for the Challengers competing in the America's Cup PRADA Cup Round Robins due the to the tricky light wind conditions that frequently forced the AC75’s off their foils.

A positive day for the Challenger of Record of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli as the Italians took a nerve-wracking win against American Magic on the first race of the day to lodge their first point on the board.

The second race of the day, once again was the British challenger INEOS TEAM UK that again surprised many by winning their third race in a row in conditions they were expected to struggle in against the Americans.

It was a tough day for American Magic, with two consecutive losses which Skipper Terry Hutchinson described as ‘character building’.

The pressure mounting, but the turnaround performance for the British team is a clear example as to how fast things can change and nothing can be taken for granted.

A positive day for the Challenger of Record of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli as the Italians took a nerve-wracking win against American Magic Photo: COR36/ Studio Borlenghi

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli win RR1 Race 3 against American Magic

RR1 Race 3
Start: 1515
Port: ITA
Stbd: USA
Axis: 204
Length: 1.8nm
Current: 1.1 knots @ 336
Wind
8-14 knots / 225 degrees
Winner: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA)
American Magic (USA) DNF (time limit)

As Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) entered the pre-start area from the left-hand side there were the first few signs that this would be a tricky race. Struggling to stay on their foils the Italian team made it across the bow of right of way American Magic (USA), just. But shortly after this both boats had dropped down into the water and were now very slow.

At 30 sec to go to the start Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli had managed to get back up and running, but American Magic were still dead in the water.

At the start, the Italians crossed the line at speed on starboard from the committee boat end of the line leaving the Americans still struggling for speed coming in on port.

Eventually, Dean Barker did get underway, but they were already 250m behind.

In the patchy breeze and when they were fully underway, boat speeds were around 27-28 knots on the first upwind leg. But this kind of pace was short lived. Although Luna Rossa Prada

Pirelli were able to get around through the first gate on their foils they couldn’t keep this pace for the entire downwind leg.

As the breeze stayed down at around 8 knots Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli were having trouble getting down leg 2. In their attempt to create sufficient boat speed to get onto the foils they were forced to sail so high that they were sailing across the course rather than down it.

As they continued to struggle, the tables were about to be reversed as American Magic managed to get into some breeze, get up to speed and haul back the massive 700m+ deficit to catch and then overtake the Italians.

Crowds watch the Prada Cup in Auckland

But once again, the patchy breeze caused fortunes to be reversed. This time it was Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli who got back up to speed to sail away from American Magic once again. Minutes later they had passed through gate 2 in the lead.

From here, American Magic never got close enough to pose a problem for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. As the Italians approached gate 3 they were well out in front, foiling around the left hand mark. But once again, from the on board comms it was clear that their main concern now was keeping on their foils to get to the finish in a race that had been shortened from three laps to two.

The Italians held their nerve, connecting the dots to stay with what little breeze they could find and managed to cross the finish line inside the 45min time limit.

Luna Rossa had taken a nerve wracking win to put their first point on the board for Round Robin 1.

It was a tough day for American Magic, with two consecutive losses Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

INEOS Team UK win RR2 Race 1 against American Magic

Start: 1655
Port: GBR
Stbd: USA
Course: combination between C &D
Axis: 211
Length: 1.58nm
Current: 0.4 knots @ 337
Wind
8-12 knots / 220
Winner: INEOS Team UK (GBR)

As the sky cleared, so the heating on the land showed hints of the ingredients for a sea breeze as the wind speed climbed slowly towards double figures. The wind direction had also changed slightly causing the race committee to delay the start of the race as they re-aligned the course axis. But once again, the rise in the wind speed was deceptive.

On the pre-start entry INEOS TEAM UK (GBR) were travelling at speed, fully in flight as they entered the zone at speed, on time and on port tack. They crossed their opponents American Magic (USA) with ease who appeared to have got their timing wrong, entering the zone too early and gaining a penalty as well. Even worse they came off their foils and struggled to get back up to speed.

With 30 sec to go, INEOS TEAM UK were at speed burning time on the right hand side of the pre-start area as they headed back towards the line and American Magic who were dead in the water.

Seconds later INEOS TEAM UK tacked onto port, crossed the start line and charged off on the upwind leg at speed leaving American Magic dead in the water.

One minute and 30 seconds later INEOS TEAM UK were 500m ahead of American Magic. Seconds later it was 700m and growing.

As INEOS TEAM UK approached gate 1 there was concern aboard the British boat that it would be difficult to avoid the light patches further up the course. As they rolled into a tack onto port the breeze dropped and the British came off their foils. This would be the first of many splash downs for both teams.

Meanwhile, American Magic were up and running and charging up the beat at 30 knots to INEOS TEAM UK’ 2 knots. But the advantage was short lived as the American’s sailed into the same lull in the breeze.

Sir Ben Ainslie sneaked through gate 1 and inched their way downwind.

Boat speeds were now down to 4-8 knots.

Having inched their way down leg 2 INEOS TEAM UK were the first to get onto their foils, but it was a brief moment. One gybe and they were back in displacement mode, sailing like an everyday race boat.

As they did so American Magic had found some breeze and were back up on their foils, closing the distance on the leaders. But it wasn’t enough, INEOS TEAM UK had found a slither of breeze too and were sailing at over 30knots, enough to get them down to gate 2 as they rounded the right hand mark.

The next lap of the course was tense for the race leaders in trying to avoid the flat patches and ignore the moments when American Magic was reeling in the distance.

But as the British approached gate 3 for the final leg, (the had been shortened), the concern was now around whether there was enough time to complete the race.

Eventually, with 7 minutes to go before the time limit expired INEOS TEAM UK found the breeze and got back up to speed. Two thousand metres to go, three and a half minutes left, the British were travelling at over 30 knots, this was going to be close.

In the event, they crossed the finish with two minutes to spare to take their third race win from three starts.

With 7 minutes to go before the time limit expired INEOS TEAM UK found the breeze and got back up to speed

Teams debrief on stage after Day two

QUOTES FROM THE RACE COURSE

FRANCESCO BRUNI – Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli helmsman

“It was very challenging out there. We are very happy, it was one of those races that you can win or lose very easily. It was really demanding for the boys to produce power, it’s harder in the lighter wind than in stronger winds. So, they have done a fantastic job. The boat was always with enough power to pump, to take off and I’m very proud of them.
I think that in the light wind we have an advantage due to our big foils. Actually, it’s a combination of things: we have power in the sails and power in the foils. We definitely like the light wind, but today it was not so much a matter of speed edge but more the ability to stay in the pressure. And I think we did a good job. To keep calm and collected it is by far the harder thing… especially for Italians.”

SIR BEN AINSLIE, INEOS TEAM UK Team Principal & Skipper

“It was a tough race given what’s at stake. It was toughest for the grinders, they worked hard the whole time, as today it was much more intense to try and keep the boat on the foils. On every maneuver, if you come off the foils, that might be the end of the race. The guys did a great job handling the boat and also did Giles trying to find the little breeze that it was.

I’m not sure today is an accurate read of our performance because it was so puffy, so shifty, and it was really about just trying to stay in the pressure. We are still not sure with light winds how we stake up, but it’s definitely a huge improvement from where we were three weeks ago. We will see how we go as we get further in the competition, we will keep pushing.”

TERRY HUTCHINSON American Magic Skipper, Executive Director & Tactician

“We were off the foils on both starts so that left us behind straight away. From there we struggled in the light breeze. On the second race we got similar situation, we were a little bit jammed up on the entry timing and came off the foil. Again we sailed up a good bit, got close at the top and it was about who got the pressure and who got pumped first. From my perspective there is not much to turn around, we must stay patient, trust in ourselves and trust in our team, which we do, and keep chipping along, there is a lot of meat left on this fire, and we will keep fighting.

Statistically, we are sailing in the windiest month of the year, so I think when you design and make decision for your boat, situations like today are character building. On the shore tonight we will have a debrief with the team and make sure we all remain true to ourselves, work hard and keep ready to turn things around.”

PRADA Cup 2021 Video - Day Two

AC36 Jury Case 01

The AC36 International Jury has issued its first decision following the opening day of racing in the PRADA Cup after a “Claim of Non Compliance” was lodged by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli against INEOS TEAM UK in respect of apparent intentional openings in their mainsail contravening AC75 Class Rule 18.1.

The Measurement Committee Report, approved by the Rules Committee as a correct interpretation of the Class Rule, found that INEOS TEAM UK raced Races 1 and 2 while not in compliance with the Class Rule but after consultation with the Regatta Director determined that the non-compliance had not either improved performance of the yacht nor had a significant effect on the outcome of a race.

Based on the Measurement Committee Report and as it was a first Class Rule Offence, the Jury penalized INEOS TEAM UK the sum of US$5,000 (NZ$7,010.00) to be paid to the Sir Peter Blake Trust (a charity selected by the Jury with the support of COR36 and the Defender) by 25 January 2021.

INEOS TEAM UK went from zero to hero by winning both races with solid starts, smooth sailing and protecting their leads over their opponents, both American Magic and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team respectively. It is a result few people had predicted before yesterday's races.

However, an as of yet, an unconfirmed protest has been lodged against INEOS Team UK according to Live Sail Die website. It wouldn’t be the America’s Cup without some sort of litigation. In this case, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is said to be protesting Ineos Team UK for having their outhaul penetrating the sail skin on their main fairing. More here.

All the build-up and discussion ended and the points started to count in Auckland as the first two races of the PRADA Cup officially kicked off.

Race course C - sheltered between North Head and Bastion Point - was selected for the racing to take advantage of the predominant Southwest wind at start time. The right side of the course was strong all day and Ben Ainslie and his INEOS Team UK knew it.

By the top gate INEOS TEAM UK were ahead by 11 seconds Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

RR1 R1 – INEOS TEAM UK beat New York Yacht Club American Magic

Start: 1515
Port: USA
Stbd: GBR
Course: C
Axis: 205
Length: 1.8nm
Current: 0.9 knots @ 330
Wind: 8-16knots / 215 degrees

As the clock counted down for the first race of the day, the pressure was on for both INEOS TEAM UK (GBR) and American Magic (USA), but for the British there was no doubt that the stress of not having won a single race since arriving in Auckland was weighing heavily on the entire team.

But when it came to crunch time Sir Ben Ainslie’s team appeared to have a strong game plan from the start.

As both boats entered the starting box there appeared to be little appetite for engagement on either side. With a minute to go both were out on the right hand side of the pre-start area. American Magic were the first to tack back onto starboard choosing to take the lower route back to the start line setting them up to leeward of their British opponents.

If Ainslie and Co had wanted the right-hand side of the course and the windward side of the start they had got it as the gun went.

Both boats had made a perfect timed run into the start, crossing the line on time and at full speed. But as INEOS TEAM UK were the first to tack off onto port to head for the right hand side of the course, there were the first hints that the British favoured this side of the race track.

By the top gate INEOS TEAM UK were ahead by 11 seconds.

From here, the British were able to pick the side of the right hand side of the course which still had more breeze while also keeping a loose tactical cover on their opponents. Meanwhile American Magic took the left hand mark at the top gate, a move that cost them time by the bottom of the first downwind leg.

American Magic took the left hand mark at the top gate, a move that cost them time by the bottom of the first downwind leg Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

As the first lap was completed INEOS TEAM UK had stretched out their lead to 19 seconds.

Another lap of the course saw a big stretch in the distance between the pair to 1min 8 sec after lap two.

From there little changed, INEOS TEAM UK sailing confidently and accurately throughout to increase their lead to 1min 20 sec by the finish.

“That feels a lot better than six consecutive losses,” said skipper Ainslie shortly after the finish.“ That was a good team effort.” 

In the pre-start, INEOS TEAM UK entered the start zone from the left-hand side crossing Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli with ease Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

RR1 R2 – INEOS TEAM UK beat Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

Start: 1615
Port: GBR
Stbd: ITA
Course: C
Axis: 200
Length: 1.86nm
Current: 0.2 knots @ 331
Wind - 16-22knots / 215
Winner: INEOS TEAM UK 0:28

As the British and Italian teams prepared for their match, the breeze was continuing to build reaching 16-22kts at Bean Rock towards the top of the race course. If previous performances were anything to go by these conditions were further into the British sweet spot and away from where the Italians have been most competitive.

But no one was taking anything for granted. All three teams had worked extensively on their boats and sailing techniques. They, as much as the spectators, were eager to find out whether they had improved and by how much.

In the pre-start, INEOS TEAM UK entered the start zone from the left-hand side crossing Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli with ease. For the opening seconds neither team looked keen on engagement. As the clock counted down to the last minute and as both boats set up to come back to the start line on starboard tack a left handed wind shift meant that neither could cross the start line on starboard. From their windward and ahead position, INEOS TEAM UK were able to tack onto port for the start line and cross ahead - a narrow leading margin perhaps, but one that the British team held as they headed up the first beat.

Once again, Ainslie and his tactician Giles Scott looked to work the right-hand side of the course where the breeze was still strongest. As they did so they were able to sail higher and faster than their opponents and force the Italians into their dirty air. This meant that Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli was forced to tack off and head towards the lighter conditions on the left-hand side of the course.

By the top gate, INEOS TEAM UK rounded the right-hand mark 15sec ahead of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

By the bottom of the first downwind leg the British lead had stretched slightly to 22 sec but, as the pair headed up the second beat the Italian strategy was emerging, staying close and waiting for an opportunity to pounce was the name of the game.
It never happened.

Although they were able to whittle the British lead down to 13sec on the last windward gate rounding, by the finish INEOS TEAM UK had stretched out to win by 28sec.
Another dominant performance and a big turn around for a team that has bounced along the bottom since the start of racing last December.

 Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli were forced to tack off and head towards the lighter conditions on the left hand side of the course. Photo: COR36 / Studio Borlenghi

Quotes from the Prada Cup Race Course

SIR BEN AINSLIE - INEOS TEAM UK Skipper and Team Principal

“It feels a lot better than six losses or whatever it was. We left it a bit late, nice to find the pace when it counts on time in this breeze. In the first race, the right-hand-side of the course was stronger, on North Head as we have seen. And in the races, a couple of weeks ago, it was a quite big feature. Giles did a great job calling the breeze and the guys sailing it fast and handling it. It was a team effort and I have got to say our entire team back on the dockyards, the designers, the engineers, the shore team, the boat builders, they had three epic weeks working to turn this boat around. So, this is for them and for our friends at Mercedes GP. As I said to the boys we are long way out of the woods yet, it’s a couple of good races. Time to make the most of the momentum now”.

DEAN BARKER - American Magic Helmsman

“It was a tough race, we didn’t expect to be quite a big difference at North Head, that gave to INEOS TEAM UK the control. Also, they start a very good race today, they were going a lot better than we have seen on practice racing. Maybe it was a surprise for some, but we kind of knew it was going to be pretty close. We lost a couple of opportunities, areas straight away where we knew we could have done a better job keeping it close. Early days, one race, we would have much preferred to come with a win, but it’s a long series we need to keep improving. We will look back through at the race and look at the key decision moments, trying to understand how we could have executed that race better, one or two key areas which ended up to be the difference”.

JAMES SPITHILL - Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Helmsman

“We were on time, we had a bit of time to kill, we thought we had a shot at hooking them actually when he tacked in front of us, but then on the way back, unfortunately, we had a big shift of the wind. We went from killing time to be racing, to be in late, and from that moment on there were not too many opportunities, they raced really, really, well.
Very early in the race we didn’t go damage control, we tried to keep them close and just wait for something to open up, unfortunately, they way the course was set up there wasn’t really too many opportunities on the left-hand side, they rightly so protected the right, there was a couple of things up the top but we couldn’t find a way around, but full credit they sailed very well”.

The three challengers will spend the next four weeks fighting it out in the PRADA Cup to gain the right to go up against the defenders, Emirates Team New Zealand to race for the America’s Cup presented by PRADA in March.

Today Race 3 of RR1 will start at 3:15 PM NZT weather permitting and will see Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs American Magic. RR2 Race 1 will follow and will see INEOS TEAM UK vs American Magic.