Louis Vuitton Cup - Semi Finals Day 4

BMW Oracle Racing go 3-1 down after race 4 of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi Finals © Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW ORACLE Racing

Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge take control

Luna Rossa Challenge has jumped out to a 3-1 series lead over BMW ORACLE Racing at the Louis Vuitton Cup. In the Semi Finals, the first team to win five races advances to the Final, and following today's victory, the Italian team is one step closer to its goal.

In the other pairing, Emirates Team New Zealand started ahead of Desafío Español 2007 and extended the rest of the way around the race track. The Spanish made up five-seconds on the final run, but it wasn't enough; the Kiwis won by 42-seconds. The Emirates team now enjoys a 3-1 series lead.

An enormous spectator fleet enjoyed a sunny Friday afternoon with good sea breeze conditions for racing. The wind varied between 10 and 13 knots, with slight oscillations over the course of the afternoon. Racing in the Semi Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup resumes on Saturday afternoon.

Match 1 - Luna Rossa Challenge beat BMW ORACLE Racing - DELTA 0:23

Chris Dickson succeeded in avoiding James Spithill's attempt at aggression in the pre-start, and BMW ORACLE Racing rolled off the start line at pace, to the right of the equally quick Luna Rossa. When USA 98 tacked away, the Italians followed them out to the right, with a slight edge on the Americans.

After a long sail out to the right side of the course, Dickson eventually tacked, a move which initiated a long and tiring tacking duel all the way to the starboard layline. From there the Italians led around the windward mark with a 13 second advantage. Unlike previous races where USA 98 had shown a clear downwind advantage, the Italians kept their rivals at bay and led by 12 seconds at the leeward gate.

However, after a tightly fought match up to this point, Luna Rossa allowed BMW ORACLE to break away unchallenged to the left, Torben Grael keeping faith in the right. By the time Dickson tacked back, the separation between the boats was 2700 metres across the race course. Everything would now come down to who found the better wind. For a time it looked like USA 98 had the advantage to the left but when the boats finally reconvened in the middle of the course, Italy had jumped ahead to a five-boatlength lead.

It was a 29-second delta round the final mark and despite a protracted gybing duel down the last leg BMW ORACLE could only close the gap to 23 seconds by the finish. This was an emphatic victory for Luna Rossa.

Match 2 - Emirates Team New Zealand beat Desafío Español 2007 - DELTA 0:42

Karol Jablonski has looked very dangerous in the pre-start, but today Dean Barker gybed inside Desafío Español to seize the right-hand side of the start box. However, rather than starting on the right, Barker got a hook on the green boat, by slipping his bow under the Spanish transom, forcing Jablonski to tack away towards the Race Committee boat. The Spanish started downspeed while the Kiwis accelerated off the left-hand end of the line.

The New Zealanders sailed a typically tight match against Spain, taking small chunks out of their opposition in a tacking duel up the first beat and leading by 25 seconds at the first mark. They were never seriously challenged after that, and Emirates Team New Zealand crossed the finish 42 seconds ahead.

Louis Vuitton Cup - Friday's Semi Final matches:
(the first team to win five points in each pairing advances)

Update from Luna Rossa:

Luna Rossa wins once again, the score now is 3-1

On the northern race course 10-12 knots of sea breeze from the east south east and calm seas. BMW Oracle has the initial advantage of starboard entry. Both boats dive deep into the box and a minute later head up to wind in a dial up. After some aggressive circling USA 98 sails off towards the start line keeping herself to windward of Luna Rossa. ITA 94 accelerates and cuts the line on starboard tack at the center, separated by at least three boat lengths. The speed test begins and a third of the way up the beat the boats tack with Luna Rossa leading by half a boat length. The Americans from the right and the Italians from the left give life to a tacking duel at the end of which the Yacht Club Italiano’s boat can point the windward mark with a 50 meter lead on her opponent who rounds the buoy lagging by 13 seconds.

Down the first run Luna Rossa’s afterguard mirrors every move USA 98 makes keeping her in check and at the leeward gate has gained one additional second. The second and final beat begins with the two boats heading off in opposite directions, Luna Rossa sailing to the right hand side of the course. The lateral separation between them exceeds 2000 meters and USA 98 makes up the distance pulling into the lead. Tacking back towards the center of the course the right hand side choice pays off and Luna Rossa bounces ahead by over 100 meters. At mark 3 the delta is 29 seconds. The finals run sees Dickson’s men throwing a series of gybes at the Italians hoping Luna Rossa will not be able to sail in phase anymore, but on board ITA 94 the situation is under control. Luna Rossa wins the fourth race with a final delta of 23 seconds and the provisional score is now 3-1.

At the end of the race skipper Francesco de Angelis said: “Every single victory is important. Each race is difficult and going home with an extra point is always a good thing. We are learning something new from every race, pushing the boat and crew to grow at every chance we get. At the leeward gate we rounded the starboard mark as we wanted and had a good feeling of what was going to happen up the course on the right hand side. Of course it’s gut wrenching every time there is a separation, but one must believe in the choices one makes. Pleasure without pain is too easy: we need to work hard and keep on moving forward.”

Update from BMW Oracle Racing:

BMW ORACLE Racing remains confident

Scoreboard goes to 3-1 in favour of Italian team

The Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final mountain got steeper today as BMW ORACLE Racing went 3-1 down against Luna Rossa Challenge, but the USA team remained confident about fighting back. The two yachts engaged in a spirited battle all the way around the course, with very little difference evident in boatspeed. Racing in a steady 10-12 knot seabreeze, the course presented few passing opportunities and, despite strong tacking and gybing attacks upwind and downwind, USA 98 was unable to break through. “We never feel good about losing and being 3-1 down is not where we wanted to be at this stage,“ said BMW ORACLE Racing navigator, Peter Isler. “But, there is still a long way to go and the strategy remains to go out and win one race at a time. We have confidence in the crew and the boat and we are determined to go out there and turn it around.“

Race summary: The afterguards of both teams in the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final engaged in a battle of nerves out on the race course as they separated right across the course by 2.7km. The split took place on the second windward leg after Luna Rossa Challenge led around the first two marks by 13 seconds and 12 seconds respectively. In a steady breeze and with very similar boatspeed, the two yachts reconverged after the split with no significant change in their relative positions. At the start, skipper Chris Dickson and the BMW ORACLE Racing crew fought for and won the right hand side. It was close round the first windward mark and even closer round the leeward mark as the yachts split through the gate and then marched away from each other in that massive split. When they rounded the final mark, Luna Rossa Challenge had a 28 second lead. USA 98 mixed it up again downwind, throwing gybe after gybe to keep the pressure on the Italian team. BMW ORACLE Racing gained all the way, but was unable to find a passing opportunity and trailed by 23 seconds at the finish.

Quotes from BMW ORACLE Racing navigator, Peter Isler: “We wanted the right hand side at the start and everybody did a nice job of getting it. After a drag race on starboard, we both tacked over and Luna Rossa Challenge was marginally ahead. On the long port tack, we expected a right hand shift, but the wind was remarkably steady. It was as if the two boats were tied together and that half boatlength advantage remained for Luna Rossa.

“The big split in the second windward leg was like a battle of nerves. As we split through the leeward gate, the Italians made an effective gain of a couple of boatlengths by sailing a shorter distance. We were looking for something to go our way on the left, but the shift did not come. When we came back together, the gap was about the same. We threw a lot of tacks and gybes at them and our guys did great work. But, without any mistakes on the Italian boat and no big windshifts, we could not erase their lead.“

Update from Emirates Team New Zealand:

NZL 92 takes a 42 sec win, to be 3-1 up

NZL 92 took another win today to lead Spain 3 –1 in their semi-final of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Taking control at the start, Emirates Team New Zealand were never threatened as they stretched out to a 42 second win.

In today’s other semi-final match, Luna Rossa beat BMW Oracle by 23 seconds.

Today, the breeze was a 11 – 14 knot south-easterly, that was reasonably stable.

Adam Beashel returned to the afterguard today after seriously injuring the index finger on his left hand before the start of the second race in Act 13 on April 3.

His finger is still bandaged. Boat builders have made a protective finger guard from carbon-fibre. Part of Adam’s job is the wind-spotting from the mast, a function he performed today without difficulty.

Grant Dalton said the team had done exactly what was expected of them today:

“Dean Barker, Terry Hutchinson (tactician), Ray Davies (strategist) and the weather team got it exactly right. They made the calls and got perfect backup from the boys.

“We sailed well today. We led from the start, plugged away at building a lead and then kept it tight and conservative when we needed to and extended when we were comfortable.”

NZL 92 started to leeward of ESP 97, going fast off the line and crossing 4sec ahead of Spain. Both boats were on starboard, then tacked on to port, heading to the right of the course with NZL 92 having a slight speed advantage.

ESP 97 went on to port tack and as the yachts converged, Dean Barker tacked on their bow, forcing Spain back out to the right. With NZL 92 well in control, ESP 97 tried to break away to the left, but they were never given the chance.

Barker remorselessly herded the Spanish boat out to the right hand lay-line, giving them no choice but to follow into the top mark. As NZL 92 rounded, the distance was 100m, which became a 25 sec deficit for Spain.

On the run, NZL 92 covered and extended and led around the first leeward mark by 30 sec. The second beat was a repeat of the first. NZL 92 went into it round the windward gate and controlled from there, extending further to round 47 sec ahead. At the finish, the delta was 42 sec.