Athena Pathway, the British team supported by Cobham-Ultra competing in the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, has narrowly missed out on a place in the Final by just one point. The British crew raced Italy, America, Sweden, Spain and Australia in the Semi-Final, with the top two teams after four races going into the Match Race Final.
After three races, Athena Pathway was tied on points in second with NYYC American Magic, and despite a hard-fought battle where they reached speeds of 41 knots, the British crew finished one place behind America, who joins the Italians Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the Final on Thursday.
Athena Pathway Skipper and Co-Helm Nick Robins said: “We’re gutted, we really wanted to be in that final. It’s been tricky racing with it being so tight in the flat water and with everyone being at a similar level. It’s obviously tough to not be going through to the final but we feel really grateful to have been a part of this event. A massive thank you to everybody on our team, it’s been a great campaign and I’m sorry we couldn’t quite get to the final, but we certainly gave it everything.”
Hannah Mills OBE, Athena Pathway Co-Founder and Skipper of their Women’s America’s Cup Team, said: “The racing was unbelievably close and they did such a good job out there. They put on a brilliant show and showed everyone what they’re capable of, the whole team is super proud of them. Their performance gives everyone a lot of confidence looking ahead to the Puig Women’s America’s Cup in October. We are still pushing hard and will learn a lot from what the youth team have done out there.”
There were some extremely close moments in the first race, with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli receiving a penalty on the first leg for not leaving enough room between them and the Swedish. The Italians had to get 75m behind the Swedes, but this was then doubled to 150m after they did not clear the first penalty in time. Athena Pathway got across the start line in fifth but managed to climb up the fleet to be in third position around the final mark. The final leg was a fight to the finish line, with the British crew pushing hard to keep their third position as Spain were on their tail. It was a photo finish, but Athena Pathway managed to hold on to third, behind the Italians, who recovered well from their earlier penalties, and Artemis Swedish Challenge who took the win.
At the start of race two, Australia, Spain and Sweden were all over the line early, incurring penalties. The Italians took the lead, followed by USA and Athena Pathway who were sailing well in the middle of the fleet. The Americans managed to steal the lead from Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli as the fleet headed in to the fourth and final leg, while the winners of the first race, Sweden, were at the back of the pack. On the approach to the finish line, USA had a tense moment after a poor gybe left them struggling to stay on the foils, but they recovered to secure the first-place finish, followed by Italy in second and Athena Pathway with another third-place result.
Race three began with a packed group off the line. Italy led and imposed a penalty on Australia which was then doubled and subsequently tripled. Athena Pathway started mid-fleet but managed to overtake Artemis Swedish Challenge to move up to second position. It was then a battle between the Brits and the Italians with them flip-flopping between first and second position. After the first mark, USA then got into the mix with the three teams switching positions in the top three with the extremely close racing. On the approach to the second gate, USA suffered a poor gybe and GBR took second position, behind ITA. In the final leg, it was still GBR, ITA and USA battling it out at the front of the fleet. Athena Pathway showed their class by sailing nice and clean despite the tight racing. The Italians took the win, with Athena Pathway in second and USA in third.
In the fourth and final race of the day it was all on, with Athena Pathway and NYYC American Magic on equal points and competing for a place in the final. The Italians received a penalty for an early start, which left Australia leading the fleet, followed by Athena Pathway just 10m behind. Australia had the boundary protection which forced the British crew to tack away and then drop a place into third, behind Sweden. The Brits then managed to move back up to second after a bad tack by the Swedes left them off their foils and at the back of the fleet. The main aim for Athena Pathway was to stay ahead of the Americans to secure a spot in the final, but after a crash down, the door was open for NYYC American Magic to sail ahead of them. The Brits fought hard to recover, with just an 11m gap between the two boats at one points. Despite their best efforts, while hitting speeds of 41 knots, Athena Pathway was unable to catch the Americans, who finished fourth to their fifth.
Athena Pathway will next compete in the inaugural Puig Women’s America’s Cup which kicks off racing on the on 5 October.
