UniCredit Youth America's Cup tests crews with big seas and fresh breeze

UniCredit Youth America's Cup, Race Day 1 - Group A - Alinghi Red Bull Youth Team - 17th September 2024 © Alinghi Red Bull Racing / Samo Vidic

The highly anticipated first day of racing for Group A in the Unicredit Youth America's Cup was a long test of patience for the sailors and spectators who had to wait over three hours for the wind to arrive- and arrive it did.

The vibrant scene for the Unicredit Youth America's Cup was set at a colourful and enthusiastic dock off from the Port Olimpic base for all of the teams and their supporters which ultimately was a long time before the first start.

The wind was always marginal for the AC40's with forecasts floating around the lower windlimit of 7.5knots for much of the day with a tricky swell as an added complexity.

Despite continuous attempts to get racing under way, the Race Committee finally got racing under way at 5:38pm local time as the breeze increased sharply

Fleet Race 1

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

oni 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 under way 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.

Emirates Team New Zealand sit in 3rd= with Athena Pathway, tied on 8 points each, and looking like that will be the battle over the next 6 races for the all important 3rd place spot to qualify for the final 6.

Unicredit Youth America's Cup resumes tomorrow morning Barcelona time as Group A resumes racing for two more flights, before it is Group B's turn on the race track.

All racing will be live on YouTube.

Unicredit Youth America's Cup from 8:30pm- 11:30pm.

Louis Vuitton Cup Semi Finals from 12am- 2am.