PRADA CUP FINAL RACE 5

Start: 1615
Port: ITA
Stbd: GBR
Course: E
Axis: 245
Length: 1.82nm
Current: 0.2 knots @ 353
Winner Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli – 1:20

Any nervousness that the sea breeze would struggle to develop was dispensed with well before the start with 8-10knots sweeping across the course area from the south west. In the pre-race preparations, both teams were foiling comfortably around the race course area, the day was on.
Coming into the pre-start duel Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli came in from the right, crossing INEOS TEAM UK who entered on starboard, but would either team risk close engagement and risk coming off their foils?

The opening seconds of the pre-start suggested not as the pair kept their distance but then, as the clock counted down to the start both clearly wanted the right hand end of the start line.
The British were to windward, a commanding position as they swooped down towards Luna Rossa in the closing seconds. But the Italians had managed their final run into the line perfectly and were able to force the British to alter course and keep clear at a crucial stage in the countdown.

The jury delivered a penalty to the British but both boats were early across the line, the penalites scrubbed each other out. But in the coming together of the two boats INEOS TEAM UK were deemed to have infringed the boundary around Luna Rossa and were given a penalty. But the story wasn’t over yet.
The pair had split tacks and when INEOS TEAM UK and Luna Rossa came back together for the first time Luna Rossa claimed that the British had gained an advantage from their position. The jury agreed and gave INEOS TEAM UK a second penalty. Now the British had to give away distance to clear it but that proved difficult.

INEOS TEAM UK had got to the better side of the course and kept benefitting from their position making it difficult to scrub off the distance and clear their penalty. By the time they had, Luna Rossa was in the lead.

By Gate 1 it was Luna Rossa that were through first, rounding the right hand mark 15 seconds ahead. On the downwind leg there were few passing lanes, but INEOS TEAM UK were able to sail slightly deeper to reel in some distance on Luna Rossa taking the advantage from 220m to 160m. But their gain was short lived.

As the race played out the Italians sailed a perfectly executed race aboard a boat that appears to have an extra gear when it comes to the angles that it can sail upwind. As each lap went by the Italian advantage grew and by the finish Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli crossed 1min 20sec ahead.
“Jimmy [Spithill] did most of the job on that time on distance run into the start,” said his co-helm Francesco Bruni.

“The start was clearly very close,” said Sir Ben Ainslie, “And we just have to keep plugging away. But we are struggling for straight line performance, upwind they were sailing away from us.”

Two more wins was all it would take for Luna Rossa to take the PRADA Cup.
Two more races were all that were left for the British to stop them.