Barcelona, Spain (October 13, 2024) – There was ruthless execution on display in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match as Emirates Team New Zealand extended their advantage to 3-0 after forcing a penalty on the Challenger of Record INEOS Britannia in the pre-start period of the only race completed today in Barcelona.
Conditions were promising in the early afternoon, but forecasters were expecting a slow shut-down of the easterly breeze, and this took place faster than expected, postponing the second race today.
Race three of the first-to-seven-points series got underway on time with pressure patches dotted around the course, yielding up to 11 knots and the average strength at around 8-9 knots.
With a two points to zero overnight lead the Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand were clearly in no mood to pass up opportunities and as both boats circled in the early stages of the pre-start, the Kiwi team showed they had sharpened their match racing skills since the 2021 America’s Cup.
INEOS Britannia had sailed into the box on port gybe before executing something of a trademark move – heading up after crossing the incoming Kiwi boat’s bow before tacking around above the start line to try to get on their rival’s stern. But New Zealand was countering this move, having tacked to starboard and now aiming at the British as they came down below the line on port gybe.
As the gauge between the boats quickly closed, both boats went into a hurried gybe to avoid the other, with the yachts so close that their foils were overlapped. Following protests by each, the umpires deemed INEOS Britannia was too late in their action, earning them a ‘get-back’ penalty of 75 metres.
The moment was reminiscent of a the fourth race during the challenger finals when the British trailed Italy on port during the pre-start, and as the Italians gybed in front of them, the British had to gybe quickly to avoid, and were surprised their protest was not upheld. This time they did not anticipate the Kiwi tactics, and after having been the most aggressive challenger during the Louis Vuitton Cup, INEOS Britannia is no longer the hunter. They are the hunted.
Both instances had port helm Dylan Fletcher on the wheel, but in the latter, New Zealand has shown signs of a maneuverability advantage and their quick tack from port to starboard set up the confrontation. Perhaps no other team could turn so sharply while remaining on the foils, and it was a gradual turn by the Brits in their gybe that caused the foul.
Despite expending the penalty quickly after the start, the INEOS Britannia were met with a doggedly determined Emirates Team New Zealand crew that allowed their opponents no possible leverage as they covered tenaciously throughout the three laps of the 27-minute race.
The Kiwis gained on every leg, picking the wind pressure beautifully across a tricky easterly facing course that was peppered with pressure patches that came and went indiscriminately. As the race wore on and the wind dropped to around seven knots, Emirates Team New Zealand’s delicate flight control balance and superior speed out of tacks and gybes saw them extend out to a 52-second victory.
INEOS Britannia will take heart from similar straight-line speeds between the boats but the Kiwis have good pace in the maneuvers and a super-smooth style all around the course.
Emirates Team New Zealand marched forward to 3-0 in this first-to-seven series with all the assuredness of a champion team at the very top of the sport of sailing. As Defenders of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, they have been virtually faultless so far in this series. For INEOS Britannia, the scale of the task ahead of them is clear, leaving them looking to quickly reset and perhaps hope for different conditions later in the week.
“Obviously we’re pretty happy with the performance of the boat,” noted port helm Nathan Outteridge for New Zealsnd. “We looked at the performance yesterday and saw that we were making gains in the tacks, so we thought we would play that game again today. We’ve done a lot of work on the performance of the boat and also how we sail it in the maneuvers. Very happy to get the win and it always helps when your nose is in front off the line.”
Despite the loss, INEOS Britannia Skipper Ben Ainslie and starboard helm maintained an air of determination: “I think it’s a much closer relative performance but through the races they’ve done a brilliant job when they’ve been in the lead of defending and finding the right moment to extend a little bit. Obviously, it has been tough for us, but we’ve kept it relatively close. It might look like there’s a big gap in performance, but I don’t think it’s actually that big and we know that we can still make gains.”
Asked where he felt improvements could be made, Ainslie explained: “Clearly there’s a lot of technique in sailing these boats well: the set-up of which sails are put on the boat, the depth and how you trim the sails, and I think it’s lots of little things.
“We shouldn’t be disheartened, the performance is close, clearly they’re going well on the upwind and through the tacks in particular, but we will keep analyzing that and will keep pushing. Tomorrow is a different day and no way are we going to take this lying down.”
The fourth race of the series has been postponed to tomorrow, with the single-race day starting at 1410 CET.
Viewing details – Race information – Results – Weather forecast
Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period was from December 1, 2021 until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the reveal, finally confirming Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 2024.
Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)
2023-24 Preliminary Regattas
September 14-17, 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30-December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August 22-25, 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, Spain
2024 Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series*
August 29-September 9: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)
*Team New Zealand competes in the round robin stage only, but the results of their races were not included in the challenger leaderboard.
2024 America’s Cup
October 12-27: 37th Match (Best of 13)
For competition details, click here.
Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the Youth America’s Cup and Women’s America’s Cup.
Noticeboard: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Event details: www.americascup.com/en/home
Source: ACE, SSN – https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/10/13/americas-cup-hunter-now-the-hunted/
