American Magic, the highly fancied team from the New York Yacht Club, was widely expected to emerge as top challenger from the Round Robin phase of the Challenger Selection Series.
Instead they have come away from two days of racing without scoring a win point. INEOS Team UK, written off by most commentators before the regatta, has emerged with three points from three races.
Despite Regatta Director, Iain Murray's expectations to the contrary, the SW breeze filled in and racing started on schedule just after 3 pm as originally scheduled.
Today's forecast was for breezes around 10 knots, which would be less suitable for INEOS based on her performance in marginal foiling conditions, in December's America's Cup World Series and the Xmas Cup Prada Cup 2021
The British syndicate came out yesterday on Day 1, putting a stranglehold on the Prada Cup and shocking the sailing world. Ben Ainslie and crew dominated their competitors and took home two easy wins. They showed excellent pace in the denser south-westerly wind that hovered around 15 knots. Despite their impressive Day 1, there was still speculation that they may struggle in the lighter winds forecast for today.
Yesterday the breeze filled in nicely with a solid 12 to 15 knots, in which the Brits were foiling easily, with a softer south-westerly, today's conditions were always going to be a moment of truth for the Brits.
Luna Rossa got away to a very nice start, while American Magic got stuck off the foils deep in the start box. The Italian syndicate set off on the first beat at double the speed of the Americans. Spithill and Bruni stepped out to a 300m lead very quickly. Things went from bad to worse for Barker and Hutchinson as they slipped off the foils during a maneuver as they entered the top third of the course.
Luna Rossa looked very much in control as they did during the Xmas Cup, doing a small touch down on their final tack before the mark but rounded tidily and set off downwind towards the right-hand boundary while American Magic still couldn't get foiling again.
Race officials deemed there to be sufficient wind to get the race underway but at the top of the course it looked extremely light. Luna Rossa's boat speed dropped below the magic number of around 17 knots required for foiling as they completed their boundary gybe and splashed down into the water themselves. Spithill and Bruni had to turn back and sail upwind to get to the next puff of wind so that they could get underway again. Meanwhile American Magic is still to round the first mark, now more than five minutes behind.
