America’s Cup, race one, six legs
12 October 2024, Barcelona time
Emirates Team New Zealand has waited five weeks for this race. Ineos Britannia has been waiting 173 years. Even so, Ineos is late – it turns out they had a battery issue. ETNZ goes out to meet them and could possibly have held them up from entering the start-box but that would have been like the underarm incident of America’s Cup sailing and I’m glad they didn’t.
You’ve heard it many times: ‘the fastest boat always wins the America’s Cup’ and that ‘all is revealed in the first cross’. I think such wisdom applies less to AC75 racing than in the old days. There are plenty of holes in the breeze and that will confuse things, too.
OK, fasten your harness: ETNZ takes a dip start, heads for the pin and hits the start line 3 knots faster, early advantage to Kiwis of 49m. On the digital flags above the boats, we’ve got a little Union Jack on ETNZ vs the big Union Jack on Ineos. The Kiwis control the first beat but is it a faster boat or a boat in faster wind?
Realistically, the boats are probably pretty even on boat speed; it will be all about VMG (velocity made good), which is all about picking the shifts, and good manoeuvres.
Rosco, my Man on the Ground in Barcelona, is at ease in a Barcelona yacht club and has finally put his beer down to comment: ‘They’re under different jibs.’ Ineos is on a J1; ETNZ on a slightly smaller J2. In foiling, a too-big jib can create more aerodrag than power so the correct headsail choice is especially critical.
Gate one: Kiwis lead in to take the left hand gate and leave their exhaust for Ineos; delta is 24 seconds. Leg 2: Ineos coming down the right hand side in more breeze and closing in on the Kiwis, 3-4 knots faster. Yikes.
Classic matchracing; the Kiwis lay a trail of gas on the way to gate 2 and are still in control. They take the right hand gate; UK follows with a delta of 15 and tack. ETNZ tacks to cover and we are licking our lips, hoping for a tacking duel. But the Kiwis are extending in better pressure. ‘Really stretching here at the moment,’ says Burling and he’s not talking about yoga. Advantage 227m.
Gate 3: Kiwis are gassing Ineos, 300m ahead.
‘I don’t think there’s a rush, is there?’ says Outteridge as ETNZ exits the gate.
'I don't think there is either,' says Burling, as he puts down his coffee and reaches for another Napolitana de chocolate. The delta is 36.
The second downwind leg is more settled than the first – unless you’re on Ineos and 634m behind the leader. But downwind is definitely Ineos’ strength and they make gains. ETNZ needs to remember that for the final leg. But the delta is 40, I think that’s because Ineos had to do an extra manoeuvre.
Coming into gate 4 of this six-leg race: Delta is 40. Ouch. Ray Davies, ETNZ coach boat, says Roger Badham, aka Clouds, nailed the breeze prediction to within half a knot.
At gate 5, ETNZ leaves more dirty air on the doorstep for Ineos to tack into the mark. It’s reminiscent of the Louis Vuitton finals when Ineos was doing this stuff to Luna Rossa. Delta is 56. Ineos follows ETNZ down the final leg and crosses the finish line, in serious need of a hug and behind by 41 seconds.
Ineos left the Louis Vuitton finals full of confidence, so this is a big reality check. I personally think Luna Rossa changed something between the semi-finals and finals and it didn’t work well, so Luna Rossa were weaker than expected in the finals; plus, Ineos was gifted two races. But that was then. This is now.
They have an hour or so to regroup and meet the Kiwis for race two.
© Rebecca Hayter
Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto, America's Cup
Haha literally took the Napolitana de chocolate bicuit with this one. I was 'in need of a hug' and this was it. You are a Wordwitch!
Your re-cap is understated and hilarious.
Please keep them coming (with the same outcomes please!)