Athena Pathway, the British team supported by Cobham-Ultra competing in the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, finished second in both its races on Day 2 of the Qualification Series. The British youth team is battling to retain the trophy, after GBR last won the event in 2017.
The first race on Wednesday got off to a later start after NYYC American Magic played their delay card to deal with a foil issue. They were unable to rectify the issue and did not compete in either races, but they were not alone, with the French Orient Express Racing Team also facing a problem and missing both races. This left Athena Pathway (GBR), Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA), Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) and Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI) battling it out in the two fleet races.
Athena Pathway had a solid start to the first race, crossing the line in a strong position at the front of the fleet. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) then took the lead shortly after. It was extremely close racing on the approach to Gate 1, with ITA, GBR and NZL each hoping to lead round the mark. Emirates Team New Zealand manage to get round the mark first, while Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli received a penalty for sailing too close to Athena Pathway. The Italians perform a gybe to wash off the penalty, handing second position to GBR.
The British team then fell of their foils during a manoeuvre, leaving them back in third. Luna Rossa manage to take the top spot from Emirates Team New Zealand, and after a touch down by the Kiwi team during a gybe, Athena Pathway cruises into second place. The Brits make good gains on the final leg, but are still unable to catch up with the Italians who cross the finish line first, taking 10 points. Athena Pathway comes across in second with 7 points and Emirates Team New Zealand in third for 5 points.
The Brits had a difficult start in the second race, starting at the back of the fleet, but they made huge gains after finding good pressure on the right-hand side of the course on the second leg to jump from fourth to second. The Italians lead, but then on the approach to gate four, Athena Pathway slip down into third position as NZL overtake. It wasn’t for long though, as the Kiwis then fell of their foils mid-gybe, which lead to both GBR and SUI surpassing them. The Athena Pathway crew manage to maintain second to the finish line, behind the Italians.
Athena Pathway Co-Helm James Grummett said: “We’re happy with how today went. We came away from yesterday feeling like we left some points on the course after finishing in fourth and third, but we learned a lot from that. We had some discussions with our Coach Chris Draper and that paid off today. It’s all about keeping the boat in the air as long as possible, but every day we are learning so much. It’s just about getting through this first round and hopefully getting more races in.”
The two second place finishes means Athena Pathway gains one place on the Group A leaderboard, with them now sitting second, behind Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA). The 12 youth teams have been split into two groups, with the sailors representing the official America’s Cup teams racing in Group A whilst Invited teams from Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden will race in Group B. The top three teams from each group progress into a Final Series of four races to decide the top two teams that will go head-to-head in a winner-takes-all Final Match Race.
