Day 3 of the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta and the British team desperately needed to up their game and get some points on the board.
And it was a good news and not so good news day for INEOS Britannia fans.
The good news was that the challenger of record finally have a win on the board.
In their match with the Swiss, Alinghi Red Bull Racing they came off the startline neck and neck, then tacked away and crossed behind Alinghi.
But by the first gate Ainslie took Britannia round with a 4 sec advantage to lead downwind, and continued to build the lead on each leg, to take a 33 sec win.
So far, so good . . . but this comfortable performance was spoilt in the second race, where the Brits faced much stronger opposition in Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.
Ainslie picked-up a start line penalty and despite a close start had to let the Italians gain a 75m lead to clear the penalty.
That was not helped by a boundary penalty dropping them to a total 190m deficit.
This sort of gift is just something you cannot give to Jimmy Spithill, who took Luna Rossa up the course without error and built a 400m lead by leg 4.
The wind was dropping but Luna Rossa continued safely to a 46sec win at the finish.
The errors were small but critical in this matchrace format on the tight course, and this race really defined the INEOS Britannia performance so far.
INEOS Britannia will race France’s Orient Express Racing Team in their final race Sunday.
This really has to be a confident win of the Kiwi doppleganger, for the Brits to go forward with any hope of being a contender.
Meanwhile Orient Express Racing Team FRA, bounced back from their Foil Cant System issues of yesterday.
They got a sail-over win after NYYC American Magic were forced to retire, with a rudder rake cylinder issue that brought ‘Patriot’ to a halt before they could start.
The final race of the day saw Emirates Team New Zealand take on Alinghi Red Bull Racing and a split tack start with the Kiwis taking the right and the Swiss going left.
When the two boats came back together, it was a 40m advantage to ETNZ and they capitalised on every leg, winning by 1 minute and 15 seconds.
The Kiwis now have a four win record and will sail unruffled into Sunday’s match against NYYC American Magic having already sealed their place in the final.
The forecast for for Sunday is an increase in wind strength, which may inject some jeopardy into the event, apart from the technical issues!
Racing starts at 13:00 UK (14.00 CET) every day – 22 to 25 August – and will be screened here on the America’s Cup YouTube channel.
