One win, one loss for British on Day 3 of America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta

Some relief for the British and French camps as both teams finally get a race win on the scoreboard on Day 3 of the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta racing - plus what else we learned on the third day of AC75 racing

The third day of racing for the 37th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta 2024 got underway in 11 knots today in Barcelona providing solid foiling conditions for the AC75 monohulls that was forecast to briefly build, then ease, over the course of the afternoon.

The first two days of America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta racing have seen wins for Emirates Team New Zealand, American Magic, Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli with both INEOS Britannia and Orient Express Racing Team failing to get a score on the board. No question – pressure is building for those teams – how would they handle Day 3?

Key takeaways from America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Day 3

• INEOS Britannia win a race and demonstrate improved downwind speed
• American Magic suffer a rudder failure – reliability looks set to remain a major factor for the AC75s
• Boundary penalties scupper INEOS Britannia for their second race of the day
• Italians appear to have the most complete package among the Challengers
• Kiwis continue to look dominant, and confident

Race 9 INEOS Britannia Vs Alinghi Red Bull Racing

Skippers
Alinghi Red Bull Racing: Arnaud Psarofaghis & Maxime Bachelin
INEOS Britannia: Ben Ainslie & Dylan Fletcher

The opening race of Day 3 saw INEOS Britannia go into the pre-start handling their AC75 with confidence despite yesterday’s difficulties. INEOS Britannia got the best of the start, leading Alinghi across the line. Immediately helm Dylan Fletcher could be heard discussing the need to get to the right-hand side, which has proven time and time again to be the favoured side in these Barcelona conditions.

In the first true speed race we’ve seen of this Preliminary Regatta. both boats looked evenly matched up the first beat, Alinghi squeezing INEOS off and taking the favoured right-hand side, while the Brits opted to protect boat speed and bailed out to the left hand side of the course. When the two boats came back together, Alinghi crossed ahead, but INEOS took the right with a click more speed – would we see the first place changes of the regatta?

INEOS indeed gained back to lead around the first mark rounding and began to extend slightly away, covering Alinghi to the downwind gate. On each downwind leg they gained a few hundred metres, on each upwind Alinghi tried to chip back at their advantage. But at the close the Swiss team were 30 seconds behind.

What did we learn from the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Race 9?

The main takeaway from this race for British fans will be that INEOS Britannia has found some pace, certainly against Alinghi. INEOS Britannia coach Rob Wilson noted during a mid-race link that while downwind boat speed was now looking strong for the team, they were still seeking a few more gains upwind.

We’ve no idea what might’ve been said in Wilson’s debrief last night, but Ainslie and Fletcher came out fighting today and were sailing smartly. Communication between the two sounded clear and confident – discussing whether, for example, to cover Alinghi or take the favoured layline, there  was no sense of panic despite the team’s urgent need for a point on the board. “A bit better,” was Ainslie’s understated response.

The race was also once of the closest we’ve seen –  in the early stages at least – with place changes on the first beat and the boats evenly matched enough that one single minor boat handling slip would have handed the advantage over.

Sail selection is also starting to become a factor – with a variable breeze forecast and two races scheduled for INEOS Britannia today, the British boat opted for a smaller mainsail than the Swiss. There’s also some evident variations in headsails between the teams – something which will no doubt be endlessly refined over the coming weeks.

Race 10 American Magic Vs Orient Express Racing Team

Skippers
American Magic: Paul Goodison & Tom Slingsby
Orient Express Racing Team: Quentin Delapierre & Kevin Pepponet

Tech gremlins reared their head for American Magic almost immediately after they entered the start box, with helms Tom Slingsby and Paul Goodison saying they had ‘lost the rudder’. The USA team swiftly retired, and the race was halted, letting the French take their first win.

What did we learn from the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Race 10?

Much as the French were desperate to get a point on the scoreboard, this is not how they will have wanted to do it. After a series of starting disasters, the French need a true race to gauge themselves against the other AC75s.

For the US team it’s unclear how serious an issue this could is – the we’ve seen minor electrical and mechanical failures across a couple of teams over the past couple of days, but a reasonably loud bang was audible on the video transmission, which indicates something physically broke on Patriot – helm Goodison said they had suddenly lost rudder rake control. Systems and components reliability is likely to be a significant challenge for the challengers with a long series to keep their AC75s going through.

Race 11  Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Vs INEOS Britannia

Skippers
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli: Jimmy Spithill & Francesco Bruni
INEOS Britannia: Ben Ainslie & Dylan Fletcher

This was a big one for the Brits – lining up against one of the strongest teams – could they maintain their positive momentum from today’s opening race win?

Unfortunately, it didn’t get off to a great beginning, with the Brits picking up an early entry penalty in the pre-start by a fraction of their bowsprit. The two boats engaged with an evenly matched start, with INEOS Britannia just leading across the line. The Brits then went for a low mode, trying to expunge their pre-start penalty (in metres), only to pick up a second boundary penalty in the early stages of the first beat.

On the back foot from the outset, they were 200m behind half way up the first beat. As Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli stretched out ahead, viewers were treated to the return of the Spithill and Bruni double act, as the Italian co-helms calmly discussed their tactics with their characteristically relaxed comms style. Italians won by 46 seconds.

What did we learn from the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Race 11?

This is a Preliminary Regatta and is the first real opportunity for teams to test elements like viewing the virtual boundaries while under the pressure of being on course with another boat. Having said that, the Brits will be deeply frustrated to be picking up unforced errors, and there is no room for any such mistakes once the points start to really count.

With no boat-on-boat engagement to watch in this race, all eyes were on the relatively boat speeds, and one thing the Brits will be able to take away with some positivity from an otherwise disappointing race was that their downwind speed seemed to stem any major further losses on the offwind legs.

After racing Dylan Fletcher commented: “It was definitely a tough pill to swallow – we thought we were safe on it [the boundary] but obviously not by enough.

“After that we were quite happy with the start, to beat the Italians at that point, but then it was tough from there being on the wrong jib and with that early penalty.”

The Italians, meanwhile, continue to look like a class act, the boat demonstrating a fast, wave-skimming mode, while Bruni and Spithill’s partnership – the most long-standing of any of the co-helms in this Cup – seems to have only improved with time.

Race 12 Emirates Team New Zealand Vs Alinghi Red Bull Racing

Skippers
Emirates Team New Zealand: Pete Burling & Nathan Outteridge 
Alinghi Red Bull Racing: Arnaud Psarofaghis & Maxime Bachelin

This race start will be one that Arnaud Psarofaghis can look back on fondly, holding his nerve against the Defenders to force them to split to the far end of the line, the Swiss marginally getting the better jump on the start gun. But the Kiwis swiftly demonstrated their superiority, sticking a tack right on top of the Alinghi team and bouncing them off to the left hand side of the course in the early stages of Leg 1.

From then it was all over for the Swiss, ETNZ stretching out their lead on every leg in the softening breeze.

What did we learn from the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Race 11?

It’s not a new observation: but Emirates Team New Zealand continue to demonstrate that they are going to be very, very hard to beat. They’ve won every race they’ve started, and they’re sounding ominously relaxed – it’s hard not to imagine that there is a lot more in the tank for the Kiwi boat.

This race did show that if a Challenger can engage them in the pre-start, there are opportunities to be taken – and with the fate of so many races sealed by halfway up the first beat, an early advantage could put the Defenders on the back foot. But Emirates Team New Zealand’s boat speed and boat handling means they once they have the upper hand, they’re not giving it up.

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