What did we learn on day 3 of the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta - Barcelona?
by Mark Jardine 24 Aug 2024 15:40 BST
23 August 2024
The pecking order is shaping up with the teams. The Defenders, Emirates Team New Zealand, look calm and assured at the top. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli are arguably the best of the Challengers, but New York Yacht Club American Magic could also justifiably lay claim to that spot.
INEOS Britannia picked up their first point, which will give them confidence, and puts them just above Alinghi Red Bull Racing in my opinion, with Orient Express Racing Team the weakest team.
It is important to remember that these boats are changing all the time. Developments on the boats physically, changes to the software, and how they are trimmed. What we see now is far from the finished article.
On the live coverage we saw VMG added on the downwind legs, which was a welcome addition. Seeing how quickly an AC75 goes in a straight line is all well and good, but seeing how quickly they are approaching the next mark is far more useful. It would be great to have this on the upwind legs as well.
Hearing more of the comms from on board the AC75s was excellent, with the commentators starting to choose their times wisely just to listen in to what was being said on the boats.
Team Coach input was good, giving real insights from the teams as to what their thoughts were on both speed and tactics.
It would be useful to display sailor names with the cockpit views, as it is hard to identify sailors behind their visors. It is more essential than ever that we identify with the sailors now that they are fully enclosed in the yachts.
A camera view of the cyclors would show the effort they are putting in. An AC75 is utterly reliant on the power they provide, so let’s give them some time on camera, so we can appreciate the pain they have to endure during a race.
INEOS Britannia vs. Alinghi Red Bull Racing
Very good time on distance by both teams at the start, with them tacking in unison near the lft boundary upwind. Alinghi squeezed up on port tack, forcing the British team to tack away.
On the next engagement, INEOS Britannia ducked Alinghi while on port, getting to the favoured right hand side of the course, overtaking the Swiss and tacking in front of Alinghi at the right mark of the windward gate, covering the Swiss team. From then on the British team confidently took control, winning the race by 33 seconds.
British coach Robbie Wilson said afterwards that they were still:looking for a little bit of upwind pace, but happy with their downwind pace.
New York Yacht Club American Magic vs. Orient Express Racing Team
The US team fell off the foils pre-start when their rudder stalled, coupled with a bang heard from on board. The team quickly signalled their retirement, handing the French their first win.
The American shore team will have some work to do overnight to get their AC75 back on the water for tomorrow.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. INEOS Britannia
The Brits picked up a pre-start boundary penalty, entering the start box a fraction of a second early.
INEOS Britannia then started well, but had to drop back the 75 metres due to their penalty.
The Brits then picked up a boundary penalty on the upwind leg, tacking from starboard to port just too late.
On the first downwind leg INEOS Britannia closed the gap between them by seven seconds, but in a dropping breeze, with the course being continually shortened in length, Luna Rossa kept control of the race, winning by 46 seconds.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing vs. Emirates Team New Zealand
In an interesting pre-start, the Kiwis pushed the Swiss team up, trying to hook them, but they kept clear, forcing the Emirates Team New Zealand to tack away and start on port.
The Kiwis eked out a lead, then covered Alinghi in a tacking duel as the breeze died down to just 7 to 8 knots. They showed superb manoeuvrability aboard the New Zealand boat, dropping less speed in the tacks and gybes, and communicating calmly.