America's Cup: Official Practice Raceday in Jeddah

Technique of a very different kind was the order of the day today but after three races, an indication of the front-runners in contention to lift the magnificent trophy at the end started to be formed. 100% flight time was an absolute must and a determinant of outcome in all three fleet races, and indeed the match races, with the trim teams really earning their keep. Full-on concentration was required from those sitting behind their helms in the AC40s but equally, smooth helming through the manoeuvres was paramount and by the time racing concluded, a pattern emerged.

The race committee initiated three match-race practice starts with ITA vs USA, FRA vs SUI and GBR vs NZ, all remarkable for the errors that crept in to all three race flights. In the first start, Luna Rossa came off their foils on a circling gybe, losing grip on the rudder, nose-diving and ending their race. In the second start the French were OCS and so too in the third race, INEOS Britannia were called over. The format of these practice match races was for the boats to sail for just three minutes upwind and then head back. Little to take away other than all teams were a way away from perfect so the team coaches will have much to discuss in the debriefs. The best by a mile were Emirates Team New Zealand, NYYC American Magic and Alinghi Red Bull Racing – and there was a sense that time in the simulator and on the water was paying dividends for these three teams.

After the match-racing, quickly the race management team moved into the three fleet races as the breeze remained constant around the 7-10 knot mark.

Fleet Race 1

NYYC American Magic and Emirates Team New Zealand were eyeing each other up at the committee boat end of the line and it was Tom Slingsby who put the first really aggressive move onto the Kiwis, squeezing them out at the buoy and effectively ending their race. INEOS Britannia made a brilliant start mid line and with pace and point, headed out to the port boundary and ended up leading at the top mark starboard exit. Orient Express gave chase with Luna Rossa but the story of the race was how American Magic kept in contention and then pounced right when it mattered. With no less than five International Moth World Championships and two Olympic Gold medals between them, Tom Slingsby and Paul Goodison were sensational, grinding away with a foiling smoothness that was a class apart. It was a close battle though all the way with INEOS Britannia, and the key moment was the final port mark windward rounding where INEOS came in hot after making big gains out to the right, American Magic tacked inside and a very near collision occurred with an unsighted Ben Ainslie bearing away over the bow of Tom Slingsby who was struggling to keep clear.

The British copped a penalty that they didn’t take, this was a practice race after all and a great place to test boatspeed, and at the finish line, although disqualified, INEOS Britannia took the first place with American Magic second. Alinghi Red Bull Racing had a quiet race but eked third on the water, second officially, after a super-close finish with Luna Rossa. Emirates Team New Zealand clawed back to 5th with Orient Express in sixth after coming off their foils on a downwind whilst leading early on and never recovering. Great first race.

Text and images courtesy of The America’s Cup. Read more at americascup.com.