Ben Ainslie, Team Principal and Skipper of INEOS Britannia, said the first day of the 37th America’s Cup Match was “not the start we were looking for”, after two defeats by Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand. The British Challenger of Record, racing for the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd, faced the Kiwis for the first time since the Round Robin series five weeks ago.
Two races took place on Saturday, with close battles and several lead changes, but Emirates Team New Zealand ended up taking both wins and scoring two points in the first-to-seven series. Ainslie said although it was not the result his team INEOS Britannia wanted, it gave the British team “a great opportunity to check in” with the Kiwis and see how they had altered their AC75 race boat since they last raced them on 5 September.
“We always knew this would be a tough battle, but today gave us a great opportunity to check in with New Zealand and the changes they’ve made since the Round Robins,” Ainslie said.
“There are a few things we need to work on and I’m confident the team can do that. There’s still a long way to go in this series and we will keep plugging away and take every opportunity to learn and improve. While the Kiwis won two races today, it was still quite close and it was tricky out there in those shifts and pressure bands. We’ve all seen in the America’s Cup before that things can change very quickly, so we will come back tomorrow and look to get some scores on the board.”
The first race took place in very patchy conditions, with significant shifts and holes in the wind. INEOS Britannia was late to the start box after pre-race battery issues. They recovered well, but Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) gained at the start, getting into better breeze on the left-hand side of the course and winning the first cross. The Brits were just 64m behind in the first leg, but the Kiwis were going hard on defence, choosing to tack in front of the Brits, leaving them to either sit in their dirty air and lose speed, or perform an additional manoeuvre to get into clean air. This meant the gap extended throughout the race, culminating in the Kiwis finishing the first race with a 400m lead.
Race 2 was a much closer battle with INEOS Britannia leading into the race. The Kiwis weren’t far behind though, and the two AC75 race boats were neck and neck for much of the first leg, with a total of six lead changes. ETNZ managed to lead round the first mark, with INEOS Britannia just 11 seconds behind. The Brits managed to clinch the lead back in leg two, but then three more lead changes followed and once again New Zealand was first round the mark. Ainslie’s crew managed to stick close to the Kiwis and swap lead positions for five of the eight-leg race. In the sixth leg, New Zealand managed to make gains and extend their lead to 400m, while INEOS Britannia continued pushing hard they were unable to catch the Kiwis, and they eventually claimed their second win.
Between the two races was the Final of the inaugural PUIG Women’s America’s Cup, where Hannah Mills’ British team, Athena Pathway, faced the Italians, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. The one-race final was extremely intense with it all to play for. The Italians secured the lead at the start and while the Brits were hot on their heels, they were unable to catch Luna Rossa. The race ended with the Italians crossing the finish line just eight seconds ahead of Athena Pathway.
Ainslie, who is Co-Founder of Athena Pathway, said: “It was a fantastic achievement for Hannah and the team to make the PUIG Women’s America’s Cup Final. They sailed a really great race and credit to them for keeping it close all the way around the course. Luna Rossa sailed a brilliant race and so congratulations go to them for winning what’s been a fantastic inaugural Women’s America’s Cup. For Athena Pathway, this is just the beginning of a great future for youth and women’s sailing.”
Racing in the 37th America’s Cup Match resumes on Sunday, with two more battles between Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand and Challenger of Record INEOS Britannia. UK viewers can watch all the action live on TNT Sports from 13:00 BST (14:00 CEST).
