In a day that was expected to bring potential eliminations in the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals, surprises took center stage as both Alinghi Red Bull Racing and NYYC American Magic secured race wins under challenging conditions, keeping their hopes alive in the competition.
Challenging conditions in Barcelona
Testing the lower wind limit of 6.5 knots on a beautiful late summer Monday, the opening race of the day featured Alinghi Red Bull Racing against INEOS Britannia. After a series of delays, the race commenced with the sailors aware that any fall off the foils could prove costly.
INEOS enjoyed an early positional advantage over the first two legs. However, as they headed upwind on the third leg, the situation changed dramatically. Forced to tack on the left boundary of the course, Britannia fell into a wind hole, losing their flight and descending into displacement. Sensing an opportunity, Alinghi capitalized on this misstep, executing their tack flawlessly and maintaining their foils to accelerate away to an insurmountable lead.
Alinghi’s resilience
Despite their lead, Alinghi also faced challenges. On the fifth leg, they too fell off their foils, racing against the 45-minute time limit. Fortunately, they ghosted across the shortened finish line just in time to secure a morale-boosting victory.
A relieved Arnaud Psarofaghis, skipper of Alinghi, remarked, “INEOS did a really good race in the beginning, but when we got to the left boundary, we had a bit more pressure and managed to tack effectively. We kept fighting, racing more against the time than against INEOS. We’ve got one win, we’re still in the game, and we keep pushing.”
American Magic’s comeback
In the other semi-final, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli faced NYYC American Magic, who were at match-point. The race showcased intense competition, with the Italians initially holding the advantage. However, the Americans, leveraging strong match-racing skills from helmsmen Lucas Calabrese and Tom Slingsby, executed a brilliant tactical maneuver to seize the lead.
American Magic capitalized on better pressure on the right boundary of the course, overcoming penalties incurred by Luna Rossa. In a pivotal moment at the leeward gate, American Magic sailed smoothly around their opponents, who had fallen off their foils, securing their first race win and bringing the series score to 4-1.
Tom Slingsby expressed satisfaction post-race: “It was a good race. The boat felt really good, and we’ve made changes that improved our performance in light winds. We aim to be even faster on Wednesday.”
Conversely, Luna Rossa’s Francesco Bruni lamented the penalties that hindered their performance. “We didn’t get the best out of the day. We need to learn from our mistakes and improve for the next race,” he stated.
Looking ahead
As light winds persisted throughout the afternoon, the race committee announced the abandonment of racing at 17:10. The Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals will continue on Wednesday, September 18, with two more races scheduled for each pairing.
In the meantime, the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup will kick off tomorrow, promising excitement with fleet racing for America’s Cup teams starting at 14:00 CET.
Today’s events in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals served as a reminder that in sailing, as in sport, the improbable can always happen.
