TOUGH CONDITIONS FOR THE START OF THE UNICREDIT YOUTH AMERICA’S CUP

Wind limits and course rules for the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup are slightly different from what we see in the Louis Vuitton 37^th America’s Cup with the most notable being a 7.5 knot lower limit to start racing. The upper limit is also reduced to 17 knots, very much with safety in mind in the AC40 fleet. Races have a reduced time-limit of 30 minutes and the time-limit to the first mark is also reduced to 10 minutes.

The target-time of each individual race in the fleet-races is 20 minutes and note that the boats must be in the starting-box area at 2 minutes and 10 seconds or face a penalty. Penalties are set at 75 metres. The start-line itself will be increased to 0.25 nautical miles for the fleet races and the legs of the course will be approximately 1 nautical mile, depending on conditions.

Today in Barcelona the wind is expected to start in the east but slowly move around to the ‘Xaloc’ south-easterly direction which produced some very even courses when the AC75’s raced in those conditions in the Louis Vuitton Round Robins, with even pressure and shifts across the course.

The conditions could mean, for the AC40s, especially in fleet racing, a lot of potential passing lanes and the UniCredit Youth sailors will have to keep their eyes out of the boats looking for the pressure and shifts. Wind speeds are expected to build with the official forecast suggest 6-10 knots, however a ‘Xaloc’ wind here in Barcelona can surprise to the upside.

The big factor today could well be the swell size and with an easterly swell direction, whipped up by the mistral further up the Mediterranean, and forecasters are saying that it could top out at 0.9 – 1.0 metre. In an AC40 that’s considerable and the teams will be looking to keep their rudders in the water, particularly when flying high downwind and along the troughs. It could be very tough for the flight controllers and trimmers today, and with four fleet races on the schedule, the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup is wide open.

FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION FROM THE UNICREDIT YOUTH AMERICA’S CUP RACECOURSE HERE from 14:00 CET

UPDATE 1300 CET 
Racing delayed due to light winds and a wavy sea state. 

UPDATE 1430 CET
Race committee aiming to get racing underway at 1520 – conditions permitting.

FLEET RACE 1

After a long delay waiting for breeze to arrive, the first race of the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup got underway at 17:38 CET as a south-easterly breeze filtered in and the boats got foiling.

At the start, New Zealand were over and are forced to return but Italy, with Marco Gradoni on the helm, takes an immediate lead showing pace and point off the line and head straight out to the left boundary. Already the pecking order is showing as USA and GBR giving chase, but this is all Italy up the first windward leg, and they round out the top mark with an enormous lead – devastating performance from Gianluigi Ugolini and Marco Gradoni. Athena Pathway are second, and American Magic third and it’s the Americans who split the tactics taking the starboard windward marker which is covered by the Italians down the course.

Orient Express L’Oreal racing, representing France are disqualified for going outside the boundary, whilst Luna Rossa touches down in the waves briefly. USA overhauls a struggling GBR who touch down and the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team take third. Up the second beat, with the wind gusting at 15 knots, Luna Rossa stretch away and all the boats are struggling on their big J1 jibs. New Zealand recover to third behind USA who are doing their best to hang on to a flying Italy some 300 metres ahead.

After a brilliant one-board rounding, USA close the distance to just under 250 metres to the Italians on the final upwind leg. Italy cover tenaciously but in the building sea-state it’s a battle of survival as the boats are so over-powered on their largest jibs. Italy execute a cautious two-board down rounding and maintain their lead all the way down the final run to secure the 10 points. Outstanding racing in big conditions. USA take second (7 points) and New Zealand secure third (5 points).

 

FLEET RACE 2

Has the pecking order been established? Race two gets underway with the fleet reducing their jib size to the J3. The French and Swiss failed to start due to technical issues so four boats contested the start with dark clouds overhead. Off the line it was an immediate three-way contest with the Kiwis getting a superb start up at the starboard end of the line as the Italians and Americans jockeyed to the boundary.

Nothing to pick between these three but Emirates Team New Zealand pops out in front and rounds the windward mark clear ahead. Epic bear-aways executed with speeds up to 44 knots and it’s the Italians chasing down the Kiwis as USA loses ground. A big splashdown mid-run by the Kiwis allows the Italians into the lead. Italy survive two scares at the leeward mark with a big splashdown followed by a skid around the mark and USA close down the gap dramatically with a brilliant one-board rounding.

It's nip and tuck up the second beat between USA and Italy in 18 knots of breeze, and in the final quarter, American Magic take the lead out by the right boundary, latching onto the starboard tack advantage, with both boats hitting 30 knots in the white-crested waveforms.

Having slingshotted around the top gate, and with conditions becoming extreme, the Race Committee shorten the course to finish at the second leeward gate. Harry Melges and Kyle Navin make no mistake on this hairraising final leg and tear across the line at 40 knots to take the race win. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli cross for second and these two are now neck-and-neck at the top of the standings. Outstanding racing from all of the youth sailors.