Wet day doesn't dampen spirits at Louis Vuitton ACWS Portsmouth
by ACWS Portsmouth 24 Jul 2015 21:42 BST
23-26 July 2015
Portsmouth gave the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series sailors an enthusiastic welcome on Friday, July 24. Despite damp conditions, thousands of visitors flocked to the free Waterfront Festival Arena and Fanzone Arena at the Southsea event village to watch the first races for six 'foiling' AC45s.
The eagerly anticipated first Official Practice Races for the AC45s didn't disappoint. In race one Land Rover BAR took an early lead, and held onto it to win from America's Cup defender Oracle Team USA.
With a building breeze the spectators were treated to a taste of what these foiling AC45 catamarans can do, with the crews flying into the finish line at over 20 knots. Third went to Emirates Team New Zealand. Artemis Racing just snatching fourth from Groupama Team France on the finish line. Softbank Team Japan were sixth.
The second race was held in lighter winds, but places changed constantly throughout the race as the competition was no less intense. Land Rover BAR got the best start, but Emirates Team New Zealand came flying through the pack, going from nearly last to first in a single leg.
At the finish Emirates Team New Zealand won from Artemis Racing, with Land Rover BAR third. Fourth was Oracle Team USA, fifth Softbank Team Japan, and sixth Groupama Team France.
In between races the hands-on activities in the free event village, the Waterfront Festival Arena, proved popular with the RYA sailing simulator and 'grinding' challenge giving visitors a taste of sailing without getting wet.
Tomorrow's onshore activities include aerial displays from the Red Bull Matadors, and The Blades acrobatic team. The day's programme will finish with pop extravaganza Portsmouth Live!, a live concert featuring Spandau Ballet, Wet Wet Wet, McBusted and Carly Rae Jepsen: www.ticketmaster.co.uk/portsmouthlive
Two races are scheduled to take place tomorrow, with all points to count towards the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series. The weather forecast is for 10-16 knots of south-westerly wind, with mixed sunshine and cloud.
Due to serve weather conditions organisers had to cancel the evening's South Coast Proms Royal Marines Concert for public safety reasons.
Sailor quotes
Jimmy Spithill, Oracle Team USA
"The coolest thing on a day like today, it's absolutely pouring down, and all the fans are out there, the kids are out there with their rain hats on, and that's great. It means we're in a pretty cool town that loves the water!
"I think a lot of kids, especially the ones who are here who aren't sailors, have been really surprised by the boats. They look at them and go 'Wow, that's not what I thought it would be!' They think it's more like a spaceship, and that's great because if it looks cool they'll probably want to give it a try.
"The competition is really close. Earlier on in training I think Ben had a little bit of an edge, but all the teams have caught up now and so it really has blown it wide open."
Glenn Ashby, Emirates Team New Zealand:
"The breeze was quite a bit shiftier than what we thought it was going to be. A lot of mode changing and gear changing today so the teams that picked their way around the track and changed gears the best did the best of the day.
"I think we're going to see a bit more breeze tomorrow, and I think some of the speeds and action is going to be pretty fierce!"
Iain Percy, Artemis Racing
"We're wet anyway so we didn't really mind, but it was amazing to see people coming out to watch sailing in driving rain! That was really nice to see and encouraging for the weekend.
"Worldwide the sailing fraternity is crying out for America's Cup competition, and particularly in the UK there's a massive sailing following – it's one of the biggest participation sports in the UK, so when something like this comes to town it's a big deal."
Giles Scott, Land Rover BAR:
"We're pretty happy. We'll go away and have a good look at the racing today, and try and work out what we need to do tomorrow to do even better. Obviously today's just a practice, but it's very good to get that done and get our heads around what it's going to be like for tomorrow and Sunday.
"I think the racing is going to be really, really tight. The boats are one-design, and everyone is very similar speeds, so the team that ends up winning here will be the team that is sailing best and is making the best of the course."
Ben Ainslie, Land Rover BAR:
"It was good out there today, quite tricky because there was a lot of rain, and it makes life a little bit harder, and with the wind light it was testing for all the teams. We had a nice start in both races and we were leading.
"The first we made a good sail choice and the second we had a nice lead, but there were some interesting things going on with the course boundaries and we got a bit caught out with that on the second lap, but overall really happy with the day. It was great to try some different conditions - we are really looking forward to starting for real tomorrow."