Barcelona saw some dynamic and fast-moving conditions on Sunday (8 September) with a northerly airflow switching east but ushering in significant rain showers and the ever-present threat of thunderstorms coming off the hills to the north of the city.
With the risk of lightning coming across the designated racecourse of the Louis Vuitton Cup, shortly before 1.30pm CET race director Iain Murray took the sensible course of action in instructing the yachts to cease sailing and return immediately to harbour.
This precautionary move was fully respected by all the teams with further instructions that the race committee would be monitoring the situation with the intention of starting racing later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, at 4.10pm local time it was decided to cancel racing for the day with the wind just not settling, despite the storm clouds clearing — and the boats, who had reset up along the Barcelona waterfront, towed back to harbour.
The morning was not without drama for Orient Express Racing Team, however, who suffered a nosedive during practice and were forced to return to their base to repair unspecified structural damage.
A sterling effort ensued by the shore team and with minutes to go before a scheduled start against INEOS Britannia, the AC75 was fast-towed to the racecourse. The wind gods played in their favour, however, and the subsequent delays allowed them to get race-prepared but the ultimate cancellation of today’s racing will give the shore team more time to repair any damage incurred.
Quick action by the shore crew mitigated structural damage on Orient Express Racing Team’s AC75 | Credit: Ricardo Pinto
We now look to Monday (9 September) when the race committee will attempt to conclude the closing day of the round robin stage of the Louis Vuitton Cup. For the French team, who will take on the hard-charging INEOS Britannia in the first race on Monday, the deal is simple: Win and they have every chance of forcing a play-off against Alinghi Red Bull Racing. Lose and they are eliminated from the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup.
For the Swiss, who will face a dangerous Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli after their first challenger defeat on Saturday to the British, they are in for a tricky battle but will know their fate (or exactly what they need to do) with their race being the second on the race schedule behind ‘Le Crunch’. If the French secure a win, then it’s maximum pressure on Alinghi Red Bull Racing who would need a win against the Italians to avoid a winner-takes-all race-off.
Meanwhile, at the top of the standings, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Britannia could be locked in a tie for first place if the British win against France and the Italians lose to the Swiss. That also would force a play-off for the top spot in the semi-finals, with the winner getting a significant advantage in being able to select both their opponent and the side of the starting line entry in the opening match.
Whoever tops the standings at the end of the round-robin stage will announce their selection of opponent at the pre-semi–final press conference scheduled for Friday 13 September at 11am CET.
For shoreside spectators in Barcelona, and everyone else watching from afar, Monday is going to be a race day not to miss.
