Barcelona delivered some stunning conditions on the fourth day of the first round-robin stage of the Louis Vuitton Cup on Sunday (1 September) with an easterly breeze that oscillated around 10 knots, allowing the race committee to set a course running close to the Barceloneta beachfront.
The sailors were on point too, delivering an all-action day packed with lead changes, overtakes, match-racing tactics and execution of the highest order.
In the overall standings (including the America’s Cup defender), three teams finished the opening round robin with four points: Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Britannia. Meanwhile, in the challenger-only standings, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli are on top having delivered a perfect 4-0 scoreline.
While the top of the table is clear, it’s down at the bottom where the fight is real and for Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Orient Express Racing, who both lost important and winnable races today. They are in the fight of their lives in the second round robin that’s scheduled to start on Tuesday (3 September).
The Swiss lost their opening race against Emirates Team New Zealand through disqualification after a mast/mainsail issue forced them back into the Port Vell and they just fell foul of the boundary requirements on their return to the racecourse. A close race but ultimately a defeat by a ruthless Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in their second race leaves the Swiss with zero points from the opening round robin.
For Orient Express Racing Team, today was a huge opportunity to secure a vital point but they faced a fired-up INEOS Britannia who recovered supremely well from two penalties on the first upwind leg to snatch a victory and dash French hopes.
The concluding race of the Louis Vuitton Cup opening round robin was something of a classic between Emirates Team New Zealand and NYYC American Magic — two teams who both had something to prove, gain and learn from each other. It was a tense, close battle right from the start with some textbook match racing and pin-point execution that saw lead changes aplenty before the Kiwis ultimately came up with masterful positioning on the second downwind leg and some great reading of the pressure to seize a lead that they never lost.
For Emirates Team New Zealand it was a chance to check in after their repairs on Friday and Andy Maloney, trimmer on ‘Taihoro’ appeared more than pleased, saying: “Amazing effort by the shore crew to get us out there yesterday like they did and the boat was feeling good…the phases though were extremely difficult out there. We didn’t read them that well on the first upwind, which we sort of kick ourselves for, but then from then on, I think we regrouped well and sailed a really good race, keeping in phase when we could and splitting when we had the opportunity to get past them. But extremely difficult and I think you can both be in phase with different puffs around the racecourse.”
There is now just one scheduled day off before the regatta rolls into the second round robin and most teams will elect to take a maintenance day before racing is scheduled to start on Tuesday with what could be a semi-final decider race between Orient Express Racing Team and Alinghi Red Bull Racing in the very first race.
