There was a special feeling in the Port Vell, Barcelona on Saturday afternoon (12 October) as Emirates Team New Zealand and INEOS Britannia docked out of a packed waterway. Despite the drizzle, crowds thronged around the harbour as packed pleasure craft honked horns to send off these two elite teams that are locked in battle for the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup.
With low cloud cover sucking up the wind, initially the race committee went into postponement. But as the clouds slowly cleared and separated, in came a tricky and puffy south westerly breeze that filled to a maximum of 12 knots in the puffs but could cruelly leave wind holes at will right across the racecourse.
Racing got under way after a short postponement with self-professed “underdogs” INEOS Britannia struggling to get into flight down at the bottom of the pre-start box with three minutes to go, while Emirates Team New Zealand were well into their drills to start at the port end of the line.
The British were late, entering with only just over a minute to go and were faced with a determined Kiwi team who were doing their level best to disrupt airflow, positioning and the ultimate lead back to the line.
In the final throes of the start, Emirates Team New Zealand started fast to leeward with separation, leaping forward off the line and by the time of the first tack back had established a lead that they would never lose over the next six legs of the course.
Showing manoeuvre execution of the highest order, the Kiwis were 24 seconds up at the first mark and despite some spirited downwind comebacks from INEOS Britannia, Emirates Team New Zealand extended on every leg and rounded the final windward mark with a lead out to 56 seconds. The final winning delta was 41 seconds and 1-0 to Emirates Team New Zealand.
With the enormity of the challenge before them, a fired-up INEOS Britannia came into the second race with more determination and accuracy. A port entry gave the British a chance to execute their characteristic tack-around-and-trail move once across the Kiwis, something that had worked so well against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, but this time they were greeted with an aggressive Emirates Team New Zealand who had gybed around to come back on starboard tack and dictated tactics thereafter.
What followed was a dance to hold the right side off the line, and as the clock ticked down it was the Kiwi boat to windward with speed who tacked right on the starboard marker, with pace, and headed to the right boundary.
A fascinating duel ensued with lead changes aplenty that eventually arm wrestled in Emirates Team New Zealand’s favour but on a shorter-legged course and more laps (eight laps this race), manoeuvre execution was tested as the wind hovered around 8-10 knots.
The crucial decider was the third beat where Emirates Team New Zealand stepped out on INEOS Britannia, who had been gambling to the right side of the course while new breeze was coming in left. The Kiwis bounced the British relentlessly right and bore away with a 28-second lead that they never looked like losing.
INEOS Britannia and Emirates Team New Zealand duel in the second race of the day | Credit: Ian Roman/America’s Cup
By the finish, Emirates Team New Zealand were reading the puffs masterfully and sailing supremely with pitch-perfect flight control and smooth execution of their tacks and gybes. Crossing the finish line 27 seconds ahead, they moved to 2-0 up in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match and have set the sailing bar high for INEOS Britannia to try and compete.
Speaking afterwards, Andy Maloney, starboard trimmer on Taihoro reflected on a perfect day for Emirates Team New Zealand, saying: “It was really hard to get every phase right today. There was a little sea state coming through, so being super accurate on the flight and the trim of the boat was really difficult as well. We were doing everything we could to try and pull off good manoeuvres but even then, it felt like we were making some mistakes, so I think there’s a lot in the technique, but I think both boats were going really well. It will be interesting to watch it back, but it’s tight.”
Talking about the unique atmosphere of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match, Maloney added: “It was a great start to the match, the whole day has been awesome really, with the support from the family and friends at the dock out show and the vibe from the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei group that’s here for us made it just an awesome first day of the America’s Cup, one that was really enjoyable. We’re happy to come away with two wins, get the first day out of the way and get stuck into this going forward.”
Sir Ben Ainslie, skipper of INEOS Britannia came ashore with an air of calm and assessed the day, saying: “It wasn’t the day we were looking for to start off, but all credit to them, they sailed two really good races. For us it was a great opportunity to check in and suddenly it feels like we need to up our game in a few areas.
“We will take a look at where they were outperforming us and why and our coaches will no doubt do a great job with the technicians and engineers trying to help us figure that out. There’s a long way to go in a series and we will keep plugging away.”
Exuding an air of confidence and determination, Sir Ben added: “It’s definitely not a time for panicking and we’ve all seen that the America’s Cup is a funny old game, and things can change pretty quick, so we’ve just got to keep plugging away and as a team we will look again at the way we sailed, and we’ll just take every opportunity to learn and improve.
“I definitely think that whilst they won the two races today, I think it was maybe a little bit closer than it looks, so we will keep pushing to find that extra speed in the performance and in the manoeuvres and come out swinging. Tomorrow’s another day.”
Both boats came into a bustling Port Vell flanked by an armada of support vessels of all shapes and sizes. Barcelona is the centre of the sailing world right now and the atmosphere was electric all the way down the harbour as fans lined the shoreside and cheered with colourful banners and flags.
The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match is well and truly on. Emirates Team New Zealand showed real class and execution on the racecourse and at 2-0 down, INEOS Britannia needs a solid Sunday (13 October) to slow the Kiwis’ progress.
