INEOS Britannia kicked off the Louis Vuitton Cup, Challenger Selection Series with a win against its oldest rivals, the New York Yacht Club American Magic.
With things not all going Ben Ainslie’s way in the recent preliminary event, he finally got a break . . .
With the pre-start held in a patchy 5-8 knots of easterly wind it was a high-pressure opener.
INEOS Britannia came away with a precious point on the board after American Magic dropped off the foils just after gybing back to enter the starting box.
In the light breeze the Americans struggled to get the boat foiling again, only succeeding after the start gun had gone.
They also received a penalty for being overthe start line early, which meant they had to gybe back and re-start, by then the British boat was away and 700m ahead.
The advantage to Ainslie and his crew was just over a minute at the first gate. A lap later it was 59 secs, but the Americans came back into it on both of the next two downwind legs, riding the puffs.
By the start of the last upwind leg there was a 15 degree wind shift and American Magic was closing the gap. Cutting the 40sec lead, some 360m, to 14sec at the finish and just 80 metres.
After dream start, with some help, Skipper Ben Ainslie commented:
“It’s great to get a point on the board on the first day of racing, but the Americans did a good job getting back in the race after that start so we will definitely be looking at how we allowed them to close that gap and how we can improve on that.”
“The team worked really hard to keep the boat flying in those tricky conditions and to also stay focused despite us having the lead. As always in the America’s Cup, you’re never comfortable until you cross that finish line first.”
Elsewhere, Orient Express Racing Team (FRA) won their opening race against Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI) after an aggressive starting strategy got them the left-hand end of the line.
It was the right choice, and they were ahead when the boats came back together for the first time. The French team, who were considered the underdogs of the event, extended from there to take the point.
The race between Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) and Emirates Team New Zealand was just for bragging rights as the Defender’s races do not count. The Kiwis took the win but required a dramatic third leg passing move to do it.
Later Luna Rossa took a straight-forward 84 sec win over Orient Express, who had a mainsail control problem at one point.
The Round Robins continue Friday from 13:00 BST (14:00 CEST). INEOS Britannia faces Defender Emirates Team New Zealand in a non-scoring match.
