America's Cup Replay: Brits stumble in Semi-Final start - Day 10

by Richard Gladwell 5 Jun 2018 20:08 PDT 6 June 2018

Land Rover BAR continued their run of bad luck, with a wingsail breakage just after the start of Leg 3 and being black flagged by the Umpires after a series of penalties were imposed and then the Brits were disqualified before rounding Mark 3.

Emirates Team New Zealand elected to sail part of the course, before pulling out as they had already been awarded the race and the point.

Although Land Rover BAR returned to their base and wanted to fit a second wingsail, time was against them and Emirates Team New Zealand started the their second race of the day (Race 3). The Kiwis went through a pre-start and started, at that point the Umpires stepped in, penalised GBR for not starting and awarded Emirates Team New Zealand their second win from a race that lasted less than a minute.

Today's racing was held in excellent conditions for sailing, the only downside being that there was not more of it. Emirates Team New Zealand once again missed some vital hard racing practice that Land Rover BAR showed they could offer - being only six seconds behind at Mark 3, and having dropped just a single second since the start.

The race was shaping up to be a cracker, although New Zealand skipper Peter Burling was well in control of the start and was set to ease away upwind, but not after a high flying hull experience as he rounded Mark 3, reminiscent of the team's near capsize in the 2013 America's Cup. But the 49er Olympic Gold medalist soon had the situation under control, and Emirates Team New Zealand were sailing impressively in the SW breeze puffing to 17kts.

The other half of the semi-final was a more even affair with Artemis Racing and SoftBank Team Japan scoring a win each.

Both races saw a lead change half way through the race, with Artemis racing being the leader for the start and first couple of legs, but they were caught and passed when the Dean Barker skippered Softbank Team Japan opted for the right hand side of the beat which once again paid its usual dividend. He then went to the left hand boundary and forced Artemis Racing to give way despite being a starboard tack yachts which would normally hold right of way. Softbank Team Japan established a comfortable 17sec lead at the next mark and then eased away to lead by 27s secs at the end of the second beat and 22 seconds at the finish.

Barker started the way he had finished in the second race of the day, after an even start with Artemis Racing. Softbank Team Japan stretched out to a 14 second lead and looked to be sailing away, before skipper Dean Barker tripped while crossing the boat during a gybe - reducing the Japanese Challenger's lead to just three boat lengths, or six seconds.

Artemis Racing gained a narrow five second lead and stretched it to 22 secs on the next windward leg by sailing better angles than Barker, who often had better speed. Artemis went further ahead on the run to the finish.

The two teams now lie even on the points table with the prospect of and extended series in the first to five wins.

At the Media Conference Ainslie said that Land Rover BAR had a good start, but with Emirates Team NZ getting in top of the Brits.

'We split down the first run, and came around the bottom gate close behind Emirates Team New Zealand. We did a nice rounding and it was at the end of that rounding that we heard a crunching sound from the wing.

'In that situation it is too easy to ignore it and keep pushing hard. It was lucky we stopped when we did, otherwise we would still have been out there picking bits of carbon out of the bay.'

Ainslie wouldn't elaborate as to exactly what broke, citing competitive reasons 'it is a very technical piece of kit', but confirmed that they had a catastrophic breakdown in a control system.

The four-time Olympic Gold medalist said they expected to be out sailing on Tuesday with the system repaired and using the same wingsail.

When the AC72's and then the smaller boats were used, it was claimed by some that they would be able to change wingsails between races if necessary. Land Rover BAR proved that wasn't possible today. 'The issue was that we couldn't sail the boat and had to use our chase boats to push the AC50 backwards and sideways to get back to the dock - which took a good 20-30 minutes, which put us out of the second race.'

'We'll come back stronger tomorrow', he added.

There is a forecast of strong winds for the next three days, and the Semi-Final must be completed by Saturday when the Challenger Finals begin.

Close competition and contrasting fortunes in first Challenger Playoff races - Official Report

After Mother Nature put paid to the scheduled first day of Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs action, Bermuda presented the four teams contesting the second stage of competition in the 35th America's Cup with clear skies, perfect race conditions and good winds. Those conditions helped to produce a day of contrasts, with fantastic competition in one half of the Semi-Final table, and heartbreak for Sir Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR in the other.

The duels between Nathan Outteridge's Artemis Racing and Dean Barker's SoftBank Team Japan provided close competitive racing, both teams recording a win and a loss in their opening two races of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Semi-Finals.

In contrast, a technical issue put paid to Sir Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR's afternoon. There was drama right from the off in the battle between the British team and Peter Burling's Emirates Team New Zealand, but an issue with the Land Rover BAR wingsail handed victory to the Kiwis.

The British team discovered a technical issue with their wingsail, sending them back to their base to try and take out the damaged wingsail and replace it with a spare, but they were unable to send their boat back out and had to forfeit their second race of the day. That meant that Emirates Team New Zealand won both races, their second one by default as Ainslie's Land Rover BAR were unable to make the start.

"We've had a really tough day and unfortunately we suffered a breakdown in the wingsail control system," conceded Ainslie.

"We got back to the dock to try and fit our spare wing but we just could not get back out in time for the second race.

"It is extremely disappointing to lose two races to Emirates Team New Zealand in that way but a positive to take is that we had some good gains in our speed and we will keep fighting all the way.

"These boats are really high-tech and we are pushing them to the limits. It was unfortunate what happened and we certainly did not need that today, but that's life.

"The shore crew will be working into the night to fix the wing. They have been fantastic throughout the whole competition and no doubt we'll come back stronger tomorrow."

In the race one pre-start sequence Burling out manoeuvred his opposite number Ainslie, Emirates Team New Zealand timing their approach to the start line to perfection, allowing them to gain the early advantage over Land Rover BAR heading towards the first mark. Press reports before the race suggested Ainslie would be ultra-aggressive in the pre-start, but he was bettered by Burling whose team pulled out into a six second lead at the second gate, before a dramatic moment ended the race before it had really started.

Heading out of gate two, and into the third leg, Sir Ben Ainslie's Land Rover BAR ACC boat suddenly came off its foils and into the water, halting any momentum and allowing Emirates Team New Zealand to race ahead into a huge lead.

As the British team discussed the issue with their race boat out on the water it was quickly clear that their race was over. Ainslie radioed through to the on-water ACRM umpires to confirm that Land Rover BAR would retire from the race, ending their race one challenge and handing victory to Emirates Team New Zealand.

The damage suffered in the first race ultimately ended Land Rover BAR's involvement in the day's action. Sir Ben Ainslie's team were unable to return to the start line for their second scheduled Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoff Semi-Final against Emirates Team New Zealand.

As a result, Peter Burling's team only had to cross the start line in the scheduled third race of the afternoon to clinch victory, which they duly did, taking a two-point advantage over the British team in the process.

"It looked like we were in for a really exciting race against Land Rover BAR in the first race until they had that major failure," said Emirates Team New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling, who has urged his team to stay focused despite enjoying a 2-0 lead over Sir Ben Ainslie's team.

"It's never nice to see that sort of thing happen to anyone but unfortunately that's part of sailing.

"Obviously for us it is great to take the two points and enjoy what proved an easy day for us.

"However, the pressure is certainly not off of us. We've seen in the races so far that the teams are so close and things can change quickly so we have to stay focused going forward."

The second race of the day, and the first Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Semi-Final encounter between Dean Barker's SoftBank Team Japan and Nathan Outteridge's Artemis Racing, proved less dramatic but no less enthralling as the Japanese team sealed their important first point against the Swedes.

After an even start, it was Nathan Outteridge's Artemis Racing who stole the early lead, reaching the first mark narrowly ahead of the Japanese team.

However, the tides turned on leg three of seven, as a perfectly executed manoeuvre from Dean Barker saw him pass Nathan Outteridge as SoftBank Team Japan snatched the lead heading into gate three.

It was an advantage they would not relinquish for the remainder of the race, maintaining a steady lead over Artemis Racing with Dean Barker holding his nerve to bring his SoftBank Team Japan over the finish line 23 seconds ahead of their rivals.

The scheduled third race of the afternoon was due to be Emirates Team New Zealand against Land Rover BAR, but the damage to Sir Ben Ainslie's team's wingsail put paid to the action on-water, so attention turned to Barker vs Outteridge, round two.

Having lost the first encounter, Nathan Outteridge came back fighting to clinch a crucial win and level the scores at 1-1.

In contrast to the first encounter, it was Dean Barker who won the pre-start duel to claim the early advantage, with Nathan Outteridge trying and failing with a penalty call.

However, Barker was not to have it his own way as the race progressed into a topsy-turvy encounter with multiple lead changes, particularly during leg five when Artemis Racing came out of the gate five turn with a slender lead.

Under pressure, Dean Barker made a costly and ultimately crucial mistake, tacking poorly to all but end SoftBank Team Japan's challenge and hand the advantage to Artemis Racing.

It was a gift that Outteridge seized upon, opening up a clear gap on leg six, rounding the final mark before crossing the finish line safely ahead of his rival to level the scores and leave the tie finely poised heading into tomorrow's scheduled races.

"We had a really good first race and we were delighted with our sailing to take that first victory," said SoftBank Team Japan helmsman Dean Barker.

"In the second race, we had a good start and were leading comfortably but a bad gybe from ourselves allowed them (Artemis Racing) to take control.

"It is never ideal to have a poor manoeuvre like that but we go away and refocus on what we need to do going forward."

In reply, Artemis Racing's helmsman Nathan Outteridge was satisfied with his team's performance overall in what proved a close battle against Dean Barker.

"I'm very happy overall to get a point on the board," said Outteridge.

"We had two tough battles but we sailed really well and I thought the pace of the boat was great throughout the day.

"I think we were unfortunate to lose the first race because we let them through but in the second race we kept the hammer down and took a nice win.

"We backed ourselves and got an important win and that is really pleasing to take away."

Results Day 10:

Race 1: Emirates Team New Zealand beat Land Rover BAR (Land Rover BAR retired)
Race 2: SoftBank Team Japan beat Artemis Racing by 23 seconds
Race 3: Emirates Team New Zealand beat Land Rover BAR (race terminated)
Race 4: Artemis Racing beat SoftBank Team Japan by 29 seconds