MORNING BRIEFING DAY 4
Six races into the 36th America’s Cup and it feels like we are pressing re-set repeatedly as each day delivers another draw.
Three wins apiece from three days in which the result has finished at one-all, the races have now been the most evenly matched of an America’s Cup for almost 40 years.
Yet, despite being close, step by step we are learning more each day about the two teams’ capabilities and how best to win a race.
The clearest fact appears to be that winning the start leads to very good odds for winning the race. Until yesterday’s racing, there was evidence to suggest that entering the pre-start zone from the left-hand side on port delivered another advantage, although Emirates Team New Zealand’s victory in the second race of the day has now debunked that theory.
But when it comes to the performance of each boat, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has turned out to be every bit as slippery in light weather as the dockside chatter had suggested.
With Day 3 delivering the lightest conditions of the Match so far it was clear to see that the Italian boat is able to remain on her foils longer than that of Emirates Team New Zealand and recover more quickly when she is forced to splashdown.
The light winds and the risk of coming off the foils and the speed deficit that results have meant that we have seen little engagement between the two boats in the pre-start. Instead, remaining at speed has been the most popular strategy.
But when it comes to straight line speed it is also now clear that the Kiwi boat Te Rehutai is fast in light conditions, an area where little was publicly known about her performance. But now it seems clear that she is fast in the light, especially downwind where so far the team has frequently drawn out an advantage.
On the other hand, it is now apparent that the Italian team are super slick upwind and are able to tack more efficiently than the Kiwis. This has provided an advantage when it comes to working the shifts and getting to the breezier areas of the course. But, considering how light the breeze has been so far, the conditions have been stable, reducing the chances of any passing lanes. All of which could be relevant once again as we head into Day 4.
Today’s weather looks set to deliver conditions at the lower end of the scale once again, possibly lighter than we’ve seen so far, but it’s not a clear picture.
At his daily briefing regatta director Iain Murray said that racing will take place on course area A and if the NE sea breeze develops he is expecting 7-10 knots from around 020.
“I’m encouraged by the fact that we’ve got 6-7 knots off Rangitoto this morning,” he said. “If anything is going to happen we’re going to get a light northeasterly breeze.”
Having set the re-set button for the third time and with the weather keeping its plan up its sleeve, Day 4 looks set to deliver another tense day for sailors and spectators alike.