Race respite for Italians in Louis Vuitton Cup finals Day 2; key takeaways revealed
The second day of the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals in Barcelona saw a tense race between the two competing teams, INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, with the foiling AC75s taking centre stage.
The day started around 4pm local time in 7-8 knots of wind, which was expected to be at the lower end of raceable due to the light winds. INEOS Britannia, skippered by Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher, took a conservative approach to the start line.
The Brits had a slight advantage early in the race, with a significant right-hand shift benefiting them. They maintained a slim margin of advantage over the first lap, and by the second downwind leg, they were over 1 minute ahead. However, midway up the final upwind leg, INEOS Britannia dropped to the danger-zone of 16-17 knots, requiring a huge effort from the cyclor team to keep the British AC75 on the foils.
Meanwhile, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, skippered by Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni, demonstrated an impressive low wind mode, and early in the first downwind leg, they sailed to the shoreside of the course to pick up stronger breeze and briefly took the lead. Rudder control was tricky in the light airs, and there was a moment when Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli lost rudder control but managed to save it.
One minute later, the Italian team dropped off the foils. Both boats were left picking their way up the course in displacement mode at 6 knots or less. With ten minutes left on the race time limit to complete the final downwind leg, INEOS Britannia was halfway down the final leg and unable to complete the race due to insufficient time. All further racing was abandoned on Day 2.
The racing on Day 2 was a key indicator for the upcoming America's Cup, with the performance in light conditions being particularly important. The day was frustrating for sailors, spectators, and the British squad, who were close to winning the race when the time limit expired.
The Louis Vuitton Cup final is currently at one-all, with no races completed today. The teams will be hoping for better luck on Day 3.
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