Americas Cup Jubilee IACC Match Racing Final

HARRISON'S GBR CHALLENGE PIPPED AT THE POST IN AMERICA'S CUP JUBILEE REGATTA

After an incident packed day, Peter Harrison's GBR 52 narrowly failed to win the team's first ever America's Cup Class regatta against international America's Cup teams. After leading the final race until the final windmark mark, the team's spinnaker ripped seconds after it was hoisted, allowing the Prada team to take the lead. Although the Italian team still had to do a penalty turn just prior to the finish line, following an infringement in the pre-start, they were able to maintain their lead to win by five seconds.

Ian Walker outlined the feeling team's feelings. "Anybody who's competitive would be disappointed to lose as we did today. I think that in a week's time we'll look back on this and take great heart from how we sailed, but right now everybody's disappointed that we didn't manage to win."

"We had a great start today and clearly had the measure of Prada upwind. I think that we were a bit vulnerable downwind - we've only got one new spinnaker and we were trying to use that at the top end of its wind range. Obviously that spinnaker gave up on the second run and that cost us the race."

After the customary wait for the wind, an eight to ten knot easterly allowed the Race Committee to lay a three mile course for a sudden death one race final. The British team again won the pre-start after dominating the Louis Vuitton Cup winners to inflict a penalty, after Prada had gybed in their water, and earn the favoured right hand side of the course. After the start, Ian Walker took over the helm from Andy Green and tacked to cover Prada. The Italian team tacked and ducked GBR 52, with Walker reacting to again cover. After three intense tacks, the British still held control and continued to cover ITA 45. Each time Prada tacked, GBR Challenge reacted, until Walker was in a position to lay the mark. At the weather mark, GBR 52 held a 16 second lead.

After rounding, the British hoisted their asymmetric spinnaker, whilst the Italians hoisted a symmetrical version. The British team chose the left hand side of the run, but countered each Italian gybe to maintain control. However, the Italians showed superior boat speed to close the gap and were pressurizing the British team ten boat lengths from the leeward mark when their spinnaker blew out. The broken kite acted as a sea anchor behind the yacht, before the Italians were able to free the halyard. At the leeward mark, GBR 52 had a lead of 25 seconds.

On the second beat, the Walker sailed to the right of the course, whilst Prada initially opted for the left. The wind continued to build, gusting 15 knots. Halfway up the beat, the two yachts converged and GBR Challenge had a three boat length lead. The British then tacked on top of Prada and again forced the Italians to tack away. At the mark, GBR 52 again hoisted their asymmetric, which is the British team's only new spinnaker, but moments after the sail filled, the boat hit some of the wash from the spectator craft and the sail shredded. Prada rounded 29 seconds behind, and immediately gybed to the right hand side of the run.

The crew on board GBR 52 reacted to pull in the remains of the sail and then hoisted another, spinnaker. The key question which remained was whether Prada could gain enough of a lead to carry out their penalty turn before the line. As the two yachts came together it was apparent that it would be tight, but Prada managed to do the turn and cross five seconds ahead to take the gun.

In the first race of the day, Team New Zealand defeated GBR 41, after Andy Beadsworth and the GBR Challenge team had won the start. The America's Cup holders were able to use the superior speed and pointing ability, to grind out a lead by the windward mark and then extended their lead throughout the race.

Beadsworth outlined how the team managed to get the upper hand on Team New Zealand. "We were in a bit of trouble and the crucial loop was the last loop and I felt that I needed to keep it on port to force them to make the start a port / starboard issue and go to the right hand side. That gave us the only option to get back to the start line. They took that option and then had to tack and gybe to get back to the line which had a port end bias. We led back to the favoured end of the line as, after three loops they'd taken us above the line."

Harrison's General Manager, David Barnes, explained how the team are ahead of the goals set. "We're comfortably ahead of where we thought we'd be by this time. The UK sailing programme was always going to be about learning how to sail these boats around the course. Looking at the standard of teamwork on our boats, we've more that achieved that."

"The fact that we've been able to mix it with the big teams on equal terms and almost took the regatta away - we missed by half a boat length - is a huge achievement for everybody in the team. Although we've still got a lot to learn, I'm very excited with our prospects from here."

More Information:

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