WOMEN'S AMERICA’S CUP TEAMS VYING FOR THE PODIUM PLACES
The final day of the Puig Women’s America’s Cup Qualification Series sees the Group A America’s Cup teams go head-to-head for the podium spots and automatic selection for the Semi-Final stage. This is everything for the brightest and best elite female sailors on the planet and they’ve all got one eye on the podium and the other on the tricky conditions in Barcelona today.
We are scheduled to see a first start at 1110 CET and the Race Committee are hopeful of getting two races in before a battery swap and a possible delay as the wind resettles. The breeze is currently coming up from the south in the 6-10 knot region with a reasonable sea-state of 1.1 metre wave height. On the face of it, this is going to be a day that rewards the very best. Manoeuvres will be tricky. Wind spotting will be everything.
The leaderboard shows Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli out front on 33 points, followed by Athena Pathway on 29 points. Then there’s a gap to Emirates Team New Zealand who currently hold the podium spot on 18 points, but they have the well-drilled Alinghi Red Bull Racing snapping at their heels just 3 points back. By the end of the day, we will know who will be joining Sweden, Netherlands and Spain in the Semi-Final stage. Game on.
CHECK BACK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE FROM THE PUIG WOMEN’S AMERICA’S CUP STARTING FROM 11:10 CET
1130 UPDATE:
Racing delayed due to lack of wind. The Race Committe are sampling the breeze and hope to get racing under way as soon as possible.
1145 UPDATE
With insufficient wind for fair racing the Race Committee has snet the fleet ashore with the new scheuled start time for racing moved to 1410. Please check back with us then.
1200 UPDATE
Conditions have changed and the Race Committee has asked the fleet to stay on the race course with the aim of starting the day's opening race at 1220.
Race 5
After a delay as the wind shifted round to the north-east and gradually filled, racing got underway at 12:35 CET. Still a struggle to stay on the foils and with just over a minute to go, FRA fall off. At the start, ITA nail the port end of the line followed by SUI. NZ look good coming off mid-line, GBR started late at the starboard end. NZL the early leader. SUI fall off the falls on the first tack on the left boundary.
GBR start to play the right side of the course, spotted by ITA and NZL who follow over. GBR tack at the right boundary and duck ITA as NZL survive a scare but keep foiling.The Race Committee shorten the legs after the windward mark to 0.9 nautical miles. At the first gate, NZL hold on and come in on the port layline but fall off the foils on the bear-away. GBR touch down at the starboard marker but keep flying followed by ITA. Both boats sailing high angles downwind.
NZL pick up breeze to the right and gybe back as GBR and ITA struggle out left and are going boundary to boundary to try and stay on the foils. ITA fall off the foils before the right boundary, GBR succeed but NZL are looking strong down the course and have built a big lead to round the leeward gate some 700 metres ahead. Then disaster for NZL as they fall of the foils on the rounding. GBR begin to eat up the NZL lead but it’s very light at the bottom of the course and out at the left boundary fall off the foils.
Bringing pressure down the course SUI get into second place and round the leeward gate in second ahead of GBR. Race Committee announce they are shortening the course and finishing at the next windward gate. NZL are off the foils mid-course whilst GBR fall off the foils on the final gybe into the leeward gate. SUI manage to stay on the foils and nail their first tack at the left boundary to seize the lead. Agony for NZL who have never foiled on this upwind leg.
SUI going boundary to boundary to reduce manoeuvres but fall off the foils on the next tack out right. Difficult racing but SUI get foiling again and are looking good for the race win.One final tack which ends in displacement and SUI cross to win and secure 10 points. Big win for SUI. Now the rest of the fleet have just 5 minutes to cross the line. GBR are back foiling in second place and USA are up into third.
GBR pick up breeze in the left quadrant and have one tack to make the line but fall into displacement. No worries, they ghost across the finish line to secure 7 points. USA sail conservatively to come across the line and secure their first podium position to score 5 points.
ITA are scored 4th, NZL 5th and FRA 6th. SUI are now on the podium with three races left to go.
1. SUI
2. GBR
3. USA
4. ITA
5. NZL
6. FRA
1300 UPDATE
Race 6 scheduled start time is 1410 CET.
1500 UPDATE
Racing still delayed as the Race Committee wait for enough wind for fair racing.
1610 UPDATE
Race Committee have announced that racing is abandoned for today and postponed to tomorrow.
SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER
Group A Qualifying
• Race 6 scheduled start is 10:10
• Start times for subsequent races to be announced during racing
Final Series
• Race 1 scheduled start is 14:10
• Start times for subsequent races to be announced during racing
