When the gap between Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Switzerland) and American Magic (USA) exceeded 200 metres, just a few minutes into the fourth race of the sixth day of the America’s Cup Round Robin, the Swiss squadron simply watched and imitated the movements of its pursuer. If the American team turned to starboard, Alinghi turned to the right. If it turned to port, it turned to the left. A reactionary action in a perfect maritime choreography with a single purpose: to prevent its rival from finding a different gust of wind and being able to overtake it.
If the America’s Cup is the Formula 1 of the sea, Barcelona is the Monaco circuit. With light winds in the city, there is no way to overtake on the Barcelona regatta course and the races are decided by what happens before the start: the first to cross the start line is almost always the first to cross the finish line. “The pre-starts account for 65% of the race,” says Francesco Bruni, experienced Luna Rossa pilot.
As the AC75s need to start the race in full flight, the race introduces a three-minute countdown for the boats to gain speed before crossing the starting line. And then begins a dance of changes in position and trajectory to get off to a better start than the opponent. “Your objective in the pre-start is to get an advantage, whatever it may be; in metres, in position or in speed, whatever you can,” Bruni continues.
Aware of this, the teams decide before each race how they will act. “We look at how the rivals have moved in the previous pre-starts and what their boat’s strengths are in terms of wind and speed. And a game of chess begins: now you move and then the other one,” says the Luna Rossa pilot. The sailboats have to respect the right of way (the boat with the wind to starboard always has it, according to international rules), so the AC75 that enters the race course with the wind to port does so 10 seconds earlier to balance the scales. If they enter at the same time, the boat with the right of way would always have a crucial initial advantage.
Of the five races held on Thursday, four were won by the team that started ahead. “In these conditions (light breeze) it is very difficult to overtake,” laments Matt Rossiter, cylor (generates energy by pedalling) of Ineos Britannia (UK). Rossiter points to the turbulence generated by the AC75s leading the race and affecting the performance of the boat behind as a limitation when sailing. “When the wind hits the sails of the leader, the air pressure reaching the pursuer is reduced. He has less wind and moves slower. That is why whenever you are ahead you try to give your opponent dirty air and slow him down as much as possible,” he explains.
The racing conditions are not helping either. With a Garbí wind (the usual wind in Barcelona, with a south-southwesterly component) of between seven and nine knots (12 to 16 km/h), only the American Magic managed to overtake its rival, the Ineos, despite having started behind. “If the Garbí grows, the boats start to go faster; the apparent wind makes the angles narrower and the dirty air channel becomes smaller,” exemplifies the English sailor. Only last Tuesday, when lightning struck a few metres from Luna Rossa when it was competing with Team New Zealand in the middle of a storm, did the intensity of the wind allow the boats to exceed 50 knots (93 km/h).
Both Bruni and Rossiter know that the scenario is going to change. Their teams are practically qualified for the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the competition that will determine Team New Zealand’s opponent in the final match in October. The qualifiers take place between 14 September and 9 October and the weather is expected to be tougher. “We will see more action then,” smiles Luna Rossa, one of the favourites to face the Defender.
The Italians won their fifth consecutive game on Thursday against the Orient Express (France) and are leading the standings with no losses. If they finish top of the Round Robin, the qualifying phase that ends on the 8th and leads to the semi-finals, they will have the right to choose their opponent in the first round. The other side of the coin was the French team, which is on the ropes after the victory of the Alinghi Red Bull. The Orient Express, which started these qualifying phases with a victory, has not won any more and is at the bottom, a position that means elimination. Now they want to move up. At sea and in the standings.
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