![]() ![]() Luna Rossa did have their own difficult moments in the windy conditions. The Italians were not without their struggles today, however, with a slightly sketchy bearaway at one windward gate and a big skid to leeward forcing them to crash off their foils during a leeward rounding. It might not be conventional, but continue to improve their comms and you suspect they will be a much tougher team to beat should they go through to the Prada Cup Final. Today, however, the communication between Bruni, other helmsman Jimmy Spithill, and mainsail trimmer Pietro Sibello was markedly improved and is clearly something the team has been working on. What once appeared an impressive development, allowing better manoeuvrability without the helms swapping sides each tack and gybe, had come to look something of a deficiency as they were outmanoeuvred by INEOS Team UK, who have taken a more conventional approach with a dedicated tactician in Giles Scott. The team’s twin helmsman setup has come under increased scrutiny from observers in recent weeks. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli looked very composed throughout racing today. Perhaps these words are down-the-line truth from the American leader, perhaps he fully believes that statement, or perhaps it’s the sort of answer given by someone with media training, batting away any possibility that his team might be at a psychological disadvantage. But I was not thinking about 12 days ago, I was just thinking about what I can do to help the team win,” commented team CEO and tactician, Terry Hutchinson, when asked if they had been nervy of the newly relaunched boat. Obviously it is quite windy and as you can see the boats are always on edge in these conditions. The American team will deny it, indeed did deny it, but they looked tense onboard, more so than a team just racing to remain a part of an event in which they have invested four years and countless millions of dollars. Those gremlins in lighter winds might mean a large loss, but in the top end breeze they could very well mean another capsize or worse. Of course, the flip side with regards the weather is that although they have managed to get their boat back on the water – going for their first test sail on Wednesday 27th January – their control systems have been completely replaced and there are bound to be some gremlins. Today they set out with their ‘batwing’ rigged, perhaps hoping this might be the silver bullet they need. Hutchinson says the concept is to reduce aerodynamic drag by having less sail in the sky but with the same amount of power to get foiling – in the windier weather.Īmerican’s Magic’s ‘batwing’ mainsail with battens extending out the cut-down leech. We have seen them use the sail in training and it has appeared fast, if at the expense of ultimate control. The US team do have something of a potential secret weapon in these conditions too, with a mainsail that is dramatically cut down in the top part of the leech – the team having found a rules loophole to exploit, that allows them to make up for a minimum size rules by having battens sticking a long way out the back of the leech – which they call their ‘Batwing’. Patriot has (at least before their rebuild) shown herself to be possibly the fastest boat in the fleet in the heavier conditions, so you might think that when American Magic helm, New Zealander Dean Barker, pulled back the curtains this morning (Friday 29th January) he would have been happy to see the windy weather. The early part of the racing took place in very windy weather, with windspeeds close to exceeding the 21 knot sustained average over which racing cannot start. If it is not entirely backs against the wall time, then certainly the US outfit is standing nearing that wall. LUNA MORNING SKY FLEET OUTFIT SERIESIf American Magic had been dreaming of a comeback story to rival some of the best in sport then today, the first day of racing in the Prada Cup Semi-Final, saw those dreams met with a cold, hard reality.įor all the time in the shed desperately trying to repair their boat, Patriot, over the course of the 12 days that have elapsed since their dramatic capsize and near sinking, they now end the first day of their return to racing 2-0 down in a first-to-four series against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. ![]()
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