EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND BEAT LUNA ROSSA ON THE FIRST DAY OF RACING IN THE LOUIS VUITTON CUP ROUND ROBIN

The AC75’s now almost one ton lighter than the first generation of AC75’s used in the 36th America’s Cup all capable of foiling comfortably if sailed well in these low end conditions.

In the second race of the day, Emirates Team New Zealand was straight back into the cauldron, a rematch of the Preliminary regatta final against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, but in completely different conditions that were raced in just four days ago.

However, the result was the same with Emirates Team New Zealand beating the Italians in another classic match race, decided by a dramatic overtake move by the kiwi crew, on the second upwind leg.

AMERICA’S CUP RACE REPORT:

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Port Entry) vs. Emirates Team New Zealand

Can the blockbuster be repeated? That’s the question as these two evenly matched boats square up. Francesco Bruni drives Luna Rossa in hard at 2 minutes 10 into the start box and easily makes the cross on port. The Kiwis come in and immediately gybe onto their stern and both boats head to the right with Emirates Team New Zealand taking a leeward position on port and then ignoring the gybe from Luna Rossa, preferring a tack around at the boundary and a high final approach. With 20 seconds to go, the Kiwis bear away from above the line and join Luna Rossa as they parallel down the line with the Italians to leeward and the Kiwis to windward at the start.

Early advantage to the Italians who go into super-high mode and force the Kiwis to tack first. Luna Rossa tacks on the boundary to come back to the middle and at the first cross, they have a clear advantage from which to build of around 50 metres. Ignoring the tight cover and allowing the Kiwis to get to the left, Luna Rossa looks to prefer playing the right side of the course and heads over hard to the right boundary to try and make the final layline. The Kiwis come back from the left trying to squeeze up to the starboard marker layline but when the Italians nail a perfect tack and bear away to lead by 11 seconds, the Kiwis are forced to tack over to the port marker to round clear astern.

Downwind, the Kiwis are forced to play the right boundary initially, and the delta is narrowing as they come back together mid-course with Emirates Team New Zealand clicked into a nice puff. Again, the Italians prefer to sail their own race and head to the right side (looking downwind), gybing on the port layline and making the port marker with ease. The delta however, with both boats exiting from alternative leeward marks was just 5 seconds and the second windward leg sees split tactics in the initial stages. 

At the first cross back with the Italians coming in with starboard tack advantage, it’s a small gain to Luna Rossa who make no mistake about tacking directly onto the Kiwi’s bow, bouncing them off left. The Italians like the right, want the right and are protecting the right. A tack on the boundary again brings the boats back together and it’s more of the same tactics-wise with the Italians attempting the lee-bow tack but just timing it slightly wrong, allowing the Kiwis to go into high mode and eke out above. At the boundary tack from port onto starboard tack, it’s advantage to the Kiwis who now have the perfect leebow and emerge bow ahead to lead around the port marker with a six second lead that translates into an on-water distance of almost 150 metres.

Bouncing off the right boundary (looking downwind), Emirates Team New Zealand slaps a tight gybe cover on the Italians and look to have superb speed downwind. A gybe on the starboard layline brings the Kiwis into the final leeward mark at pace and they elect for a gybe and round up at the starboard marker with a 22 second lead. The Italians take the port marker to split the final windward leg tactics which Emirates Team New Zealand are alive to and cover off immediately in the middle of the course. With no option, Luna Rossa tacks over to the right-side boundary which the Kiwis ignore as they find new breeze out left and take a big gain, stretching the lead to almost 300 metres in the final quarter.

Rounding the final windward mark, and with the sea breeze now in across the course, it was one way traffic. The Kiwis exited the starboard marker at 45 knots with a 21 second leading delta and headed off down the left side of the course initially whilst the Italians rolled the dice out to the right. At the gybe back, mid-way down the course, Luna Rossa looks to have made a small gain, so the Kiwis gybe covered to leeward post-cross and sailed hard for the left boundary. The Italians split away again to try the right but with Emirates Team New Zealand nailing the layline to the finish, it was a 12 second winning delta.

Tight racing from two top-class teams. Blockbuster repeated!

Emirates Team New Zealand Skipper Peter Burling was happy to come away with a first up win, “It was an awesome race.  We actually wanted the left,  we were quite happy the way we held them out there at the start. But then they got a bit more advantage than we thought so crossed us quite comfortably at the first cross.

But then the way we just held in there keeping it close, instead of doing what we did in the preliminary regatta against American Magic was really pleasing for the guys, and we took that opportunity to pass when it arose.”

“We are happy with the boat the boat is going. It has been a tricky day to be honest, we thought it was going to be a bit lighter than it is, so we are a bit over range with our kit. Every race we do we get better, but so will the opposition as well, so it won’t make life easy next time.”

Emirates Team New Zealand are sailing in the double round robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup however the races between the Challengers and Emirates Team New Zealand will not count in determining which Challengers qualify for the LVC semifinals.

At the end of the round robin, Emirates Team New Zealand’s next race will be race one of the America’s Cup on October 12^th. For the challengers, the lowest ranked team is eliminated from the competition. The top ranked challenger will get to select which team they chose to race in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final.