Drama and exciting action ensure the LV Cup final

INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, the standout finalists in the Louis Vuitton Cup, were kept on standby ahead of today’s race as a strong Mediterranean ‘Garbi’ breeze blew frustratingly above the regulation upper wind range of 21 knots.

Eventually the breeze died down and the two teams were able to stage one of the classic gladiator fights that has always been synonymous with the America’s Cup.

The story before the exciting second race late in the afternoon centered on batten problems on Luna Rossa’s mainsail, where multiple fractures had punctured the carbon fiber material of the port skin. The only decision the Italians could make was to drop in and replace the mainsail, and they brought in their Chase Boat team to make the change happen. Unfortunately for the Italians, this happened just as the race committee’s wind measurements fell below 21 knots and the opening race of the day was declared “live”.

INEOS Britannia duly prepared for the start while Luna Rossa sat on the far right of the track with bare poles. When the British entered the starting box, head referee Richard Slater disqualified the Italians for providing outside assistance and awarded the race victory to Sir Ben Ainslie’s team.

More drama ensued an hour later when technicians boarded the Britannia as the wind continually stumbled above the wind limit during the day’s second race to inspect a problem with the batten at the bottom of her J5 boom. Eventually it was decided to partially drop the sail to correct the problem.

With the series now 2-1 for the British team, fireworks were expected from the Italians in the next race – the fourth in this series of first to seven points – and Luna slowly made her way into the starting box from the end of the harbor in Rossa The beginning of a high-pressure race that pushed the sailors to their limits.

INEOS Britannia arrived on time from the starboard side at almost 48 knots and immediately set off in pursuit of Luna Rossa, forcing the Italians to take evasive maneuvers on the left before making a long way back across the start box with the British close behind her lee hip.

With time running out, Luna Rossa attempted to dive in front of the British bow and jibe, a classic match racing maneuver that INEOS Britannia tried to block and quickly protested. This – the first of several protests by Brits during the race – was quickly dismissed by the referees.

Away from the start line, Luna Rossa had the smallest lead – but it was enough to establish a lead that they never lost over the course of the eight-day race.

The first two rounds saw constant banter between these two very evenly matched boats, with INEOS Britannia always the aggressor, positioning their AC75s in awkward leeward positions against the wind and making unsuccessful appeals to the referees on several occasions as they struggled to finish to achieve a “-behind” penalty, which would have resulted in an immediate 75-meter lead. The advanced telemetry used in this 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup means referee decisions are based on highly accurate and indisputable data – although this did little to assuage the audible frustration of the British rearguard.

Although Luna Rossa built a seemingly comfortable lead by the end of the fifth leg, the British refused to accept defeat and continued to extend the Italians’ lead. At the final windward gate they had fought back to within six seconds as the two teams began the final downwind leg. Now within striking distance, the British went on the full attack, but Luna Rossa covered smartly and intelligently to maintain their lead and crossed the finish line at almost 50 knots, just four seconds ahead of the pursuing British, leveling the Louis’ final series Vuitton Cup out of two races each.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli starboard helmsman Jimmy Spithill was clearly proud of his team and the way they handled the day, saying: “Probably the most frustrating part of the day was simply the wind limit, but we got that Race back and forth.” The guys recovered really well there, especially after the unfortunate problem with the mainsail.

“It was a great race, just a real street fight and we love things like that, it was a lot of fun. It’s just great for the team to be under that kind of pressure, that kind of stress and strain because.” You have to be able to get through it as a team, the guys just didn’t let up, they just kept their heads up, but also full credit applies to INEOS Britannia. They just kept going, but at the end of the day this is a good one for the team to take away.”

Asked if he had any concerns about boat preparation after the batten issue today, Spithill added: “No, I think when you get to the end of this technology and really push things to the limit, no one is immune from having to deal with it to be faced with some curve balls, and that happens at every America’s Cup. You will face a few things, but the team went into action again, we got the M1 (mainsail) up again and were able to start racing. It was a good reaction from the team and we absolutely couldn’t do it today.”

Although Sir Ben Ainslie once again ended the day completely balanced, questions remained in his mind about the referees’ calls on the racecourse and especially before the start. However, he was a bit ironic when asked about it: “It was a great race, we’ve had some good races against Luna Rossa over the years, but we were clearly frustrated by the decision before the start which we thought was a penalty .” – but you know one thing about yacht racing: the referees are always right!”

Asked about the two other protest calls that were rejected when INEOS Britannia challenged the stay-free rule, Ainslie added: “I don’t know. I haven’t seen the Umpire’s App, and the app can really often tell a different story – and that’s obviously what the Umpires do. The game before the start was, in my opinion, very, very close and from our point of view it was a penalty. I’ll have to look at the other two because it’s all about the nuances of whether or not there’s an overlap, and I’m sure it was very close.”

When asked about the top conditions the team encountered, Ainslie revealed: “We were up there again today and I think we hit our top speed on the yacht in one of our practice bear aways. The swell was a little lighter, which made it a little more forgiving for the guys.”

For the America’s Cup fans here in Barcelona – who packed the Race Village and FanZones – and for those watching on television and online around the world, today’s second race was undoubtedly worth the wait the wind dies down. Quality match racing at 50 knots is an irresistibly dynamic and captivating spectacle and this race will live long in the memory of spectators.

With four races completed, the Louis Vuitton Cup final remains on a knife’s edge and there is so little choice between these two teams that it feels like this series could go all the way to the end. It’s anyone’s guess who will blink first, but what’s certain is whichever battle-hardened team takes on Emirates Team New Zealand in the 37th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup game.

Racing continues tomorrow, Monday September 30th, with two further races planned under similar conditions to today.