Cup Spy: August 24 – Day 3 of the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta

by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz Aug 24 12:08 UTC
25 August 2024

The question today will be whether the demolition derby will continue.

After two days of sailing, a third of the six teams suffered a “technical failure”. If you add in the broken mast of Alinghi Red Bull Racing last Tuesday, this third of the technically stricken fleet has risen to half the affected fleet in less than a week.

And the competitors cannot attribute the failures to the conditions that were ideal for sailing foiling monohulls.

Will it continue like this today? Are the challengers not ready to sail against defending champions Emirates Team New Zealand, as the rumor mill would have us believe?

Stay tuned to see what unfolds today.

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Live Action – Day 3 of the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Event

Race summary:

Alinghi Red Bull Racing vs INEOS Britannia – Race 9:

Start with the INEOS crossing at the leeward end, keeping 5-8m off port before heading to the right hand side of the course with Alinghi to leeward.

The British could not keep up with the Swiss and withdrew, allowing the Swiss to drift to the right and gain a lead of 60 metres before the intersection and 30 metres at the meeting.

Mark 1: INEOS Britannia 4 min 16 sec leads 4 sec ahead of the Swiss

Mark 2: INEOS Britannia 7 min 43 sec 9 sec lead. The British extend their lead over the Swiss to 150 meters and increase it later in the stage to 200 meters and then again to 160 meters.

Mark 3: INEOS Britannia 12m 14sec. 19sec lead. Boats take opposite marks for leg 4. Swiss aim for the right gate after the British have rounded the left. Halfway through leg 4, the British extend their lead to 450m.

Mark 4: INEOS Britannia again extends the lap time at 15m, 30 seconds after the start and 28 knots ahead. Both are racing on the right side of the track. The Brits have a 300m lead coming off the beach

Mark 5: INEOS Britannia leads at 19 metres 57 seconds after the start, giving them a lead of 25 seconds and 600 metres on the final leg.

Finish: INEOS Britannia crosses the 23 m 1 second after the start and wins with a lead of 33 seconds over Alinghi Red Bull Racing. It is the first victory in the series for the British.

American Magic vs Orient Express – Race 10:

American Magic struggles with technical problems, rears up before the start and the USA gives up, the points go to France. A cry is heard from above: “The rudder is broken.”

The crew first looks at the head of the rudder portal on the transom and removes protective covers from the rudder cylinder

The next game will be moved up in the schedule.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs INEOS Britannia – Race 11:

Game moved up in schedule.

INEOS Britannia was penalised for the early start with a small lead of 2.4 metres under the race control system in the pre-start. The British started on starboard tack but then received a boundary penalty and were 200 metres behind the Italians by the time they sailed.

Mark 1: Luna Rossa leads after 4 m 16 seconds after the start and a lead of 23 seconds or 300 meters on the water

Mark 2: Luna Rossa leads and rounds 8m 0 seconds after the start but with a reduced lead of 16 seconds – a win for INEOS Britannia. Lead on Leg 3 is 220 metres. Wind 8.9 knots from 205°

Mark 3: Luna Rossa rounds 12m 57 seconds after the start and has a lead of 23 seconds over INEOS Britannia. A good win for the Italians. Lead of 335 – 375 meters on the water – a good win for Luna Rossa.

Mark 4: Luna Rossa rounds 16 m 41 seconds and a lead of 28 seconds – another win for the Italians. The course is shortened to a 1.5 nautical mile leg

Mark 5: Luna Rossa rounds 57 seconds after the start at 20 m and with a lead of 30 seconds – a small improvement. The Italians are sailing on the downwind leg with four times the wind speed. Both have chosen to round the left mark. Italian lead 550-600 meters.

Finish: Luna Rossa finishes 23m 56s after the start, with a big lead over the Brits, who finish 46s ahead. The wind is said to be about 2 knots lighter at the top of the course, which may explain the bigger lead. The Italians say coach Hamish Willcox’s late decision to go with the bigger jib paid off – but that ignores the double penalty for the Brits, who sailed in clear winds for the entire race. The Brits say they had the wrong jib.

Emirates Team NZ vs Alinghi Red Bull Racing – Race 12:

There is still a light breeze, but we continue driving.

The Kiwis tried to get under the Swiss but didn’t quite make it. The Kiwis didn’t quite make it and decided to tack. There was an even start with split tacks, with the Kiwis swimming off to the beach and the right hand side of the course. The Kiwis led by 120 metres on the first leg, but in light winds tacks become difficult and one boat is likely to slip off the wings at some point.

Mark 1: Emirates Team NZ rounds 4m 13 seconds after the start and is 12 seconds ahead of Alinghi Red Bull Racing. The boats are sailing at four times the wind speed, giving them a 300m lead before the wind. The lead is extended to 400m before the wind.

Mark 2: Big win for the Kiwis, rounding ETNZ in 7 min 42 sec and 29 sec gap. Wind at 9-11 knots, dropping to 8.5 knots at times. The Kiwis are sailing close to the surface and with a characteristic slight incline to windward. Course shifted and shortened to 1.4 nm. The gap on the water is about 330 meters on leg 3 and soon expands to 420 meters.

Mark 3: Emirates Team NZ rounds 12m 18sec after the start and with a lead of 45sec, with a lead of 700m halfway through Leg 4. The Kiwis have not rigged their No.1 jib – probably a No.2.

Mark 4: Emirates Team NZ rounds 15m 36 seconds after the start and extends the lead to 52 seconds. ETNZ sails 31 knots downwind past Alinghi, who are sailing 34 knots downwind and have an 800m lead on the water.

Mark 5: Emirates Team NZ finished the lap 19 minutes and 31 seconds after the start with a lead of 75 seconds over Alinghi Red Bull Racing and a lead of 1.1 km on the water.

Finish: Emirates Team NZ crossed the finish line 22 minutes and 30 seconds after the start, while Alinghi Red Bull Racing maintained its lead at 75 seconds.

Weather forecast:

The Predictwind America’s Cup Centre is forecasting another day of excellent conditions for the AC75 race.

This Saturday 24th, light and variable winds will blow in the morning. In the afternoon, southerly winds in the range of 190-200° at 10-15 knots will hit the race course, making it another great day of racing. It will be sunny with warm temperatures.

There will be a change in the weather on Sunday 25th. In the afternoon the strong winds in the Mediterranean will subside towards Barcelona and there may be light to moderate winds from the east/southeast on the circuit. It will be a cloudy day with temperatures a few degrees colder.

Race program day 3 of the Louis Vuitton heat – Barcelona, ​​​​24 August 2024

Crew Lists – Day 3 of the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Event – ​​Barcelona, ​​​​24 August 2024

Pictures from Day 3 – Louis Vuitton Pre-Event – August 22-25, 2024