Light wind stops racing as INEOS Britannia faces first defeat in Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals
by INEOS Britannia 16 Sep 19:44 BST
16 September 2024
INEOS Britannia and Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI) - Day 3 - Semi-Finals - Louis Vuitton Cup - Day 12 - September 16, 2024 - Barcelona © Ian Roman / America's Cup
INEOS Britannia will face a longer battle against Alinghi Red Bull Racing for a spot in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final after losing a race to the Swiss before racing was abandoned due to light wind. It was the first defeat in the Semis for Ben Ainslie's British crew, who had won all of its races against Alinghi on Saturday and Sunday.
INEOS Britannia's result was also echoed by the other Semi-Final pairing, with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli facing their first defeat against New York Yacht Club American Magic. Both pairings were due for a second race on Monday, but after the wind failed to meet the lower limit required, the rest of the schedule was abandoned. INEOS Britannia will next face Alinghi Red Bull Racing on Wednesday.
INEOS Britannia Team Principal and Skipper Ben Ainslie said: "It's always tough in these light conditions. It's frustrating but we made a couple of mistakes in some manoeuvers so we will go back and look at how we can do better in those situations. As we keep saying, until you get those five wins it's never over. We know we can sail the boat better and set it up better so that's positive, but you can never get ahead of yourself in sport, especially in the America's Cup."
In marginal conditions, the race between the Brits and Swiss got going after three attempts at a start. The light air was combining with a swell left over from the previous day's breeze, and it was reaching up to grab the boats, trying to suck them down into the water every time they slowed to tack or gybe. INEOS Britannia touched down momentarily in their pre-start routine and entered the box a few seconds late. Alinghi Red Bull Racing couldn't take advantage though, turning back to start their run to the line a little too early. Ben Ainslie and his crew timed their start at the left-hand end perfectly, with the Swiss too close to the start line. They got a penalty for their early start and INEOS Britannia was into the lead.
The conditions remained fragile though, and covering the moves of the opponent was not an option. No-one could afford an extra tack. The British crew was content to pick their own way up the first leg and went through gate one with a 17-second lead. INEOS Britannia extended that lead to 1 minute 10 seconds by the second leg, with the Swiss following round the right-hand mark of gate two. By then, the British crew were tacking at the boundary in some very soft breeze and came off the foils. Alinghi slipped past, and by the time Britannia was back up and flying, Alinghi was 500m in the lead.
The breeze stayed a little more solid for a painfully short period - during which time Ainslie and co. started to reel in the Swiss - but as it softened again a second touchdown on a tack ended their race. The Swiss got through gate three and most of the way down the fourth leg before they too dropped off the foils and went into displacement mode. After that, Alinghi was racing against the 45-minute time limit to complete a race, with neither boat able to get foiling. The Swiss boat eventually crossed the line with 3 minutes 38 seconds to spare and put their first point on the board.
The Semi-Finals will resume on Wednesday 18 September.