Boots on the Ground in America’s Cup Park, Barcelona!
¡Hola! It’s boots on the ground here in Porta Vela and America’s Cup Park, Barcelona, Catalonia. More breeze has finally seen its way here as yesterday’s first day of the Louis Vuitton Cup and the UniCredit Youth AC (UYAC)’s last day felt more like an average afternoon on San Francisco Bay. The wind limit was actually exceeded twice (brings back memories)!
In Catalan: Més brisa finalment ha vist que arriba aquí, ja que el primer dia d’ahir de la Louis Vuitton Cup i l’últim dia de l’Unicredit Youth AC en realitat es va sentir més com una tarda mitjana a la badia de San Francisco. ¡Ja que el límit de vent es va superar dues vegades (ens recorda)!
It was a bittersweet day for the American Magic Youth Team as they fell short against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in their match race for the UniCredit Championship in a winner-take-all final. (Va ser un dia agredolç per a l’American Magic Youth Team, ja que es va quedar curt contra Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli en la seva cursa per al Campionat Unicredit en una final amb un guanyador.)
The Italian young guns’ generational talent dominated the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup Final with a comprehensive victory over NYYC American Magic in a high-adrenaline six-leg race. They sailed in winds up to 18 knots with speeds up to 47 knots and some Banzai Pipeline waves to win by 36 seconds. Led by the mercurial Marco Gradoni, undoubtedly a name for the future of America’s Cup racing for Italy, and with the outstanding talents of co-helmsman Gianluigi “Gigi” Ugolini and trimmers Rocco Falcone and Federico Colaninno, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli were simply a class apart, leading from start to finish. The team showed consistent and conservative front-running after capitalizing on an early start-box entry penalty for NYYC American Magic.
As with the grownups, there was no magic for American Magic as they started off on the back foot copping a penalty for arriving late on port entry, something that Patriot has made a habit of over the last few years. But the kids did us all proud with an excellent series, and with three of the four onboard the AC 40 from Wisconsin, they all have bright futures on the water with American Magic or elsewhere.
Led by Harry Melges IV (yes, Buddy’s grandson), who is absolutely a chip off the old block, the team’s leadership would be wise in following Emirates Team New Zealand’s “blueprint” of moving the “youngsters” up to the big boat.
“First off, huge congratulations to Luna Rossa on a great race. They sailed flawlessly, and it was an honor to compete against them,” said Harry IV. “I couldn’t be prouder of our American Magic team; we fought hard, stayed focused, and left everything out on the water.”
It was in 2013 in San Francisco when Peter Burling and Blair Tuke won the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, and a short four years later won the Auld Mug in Bermuda.
“This moment is important because we worked a lot for this and now we have achieved our goal,” Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s Gradoni said. “I really want to thank everyone, the coach, the shore team, the tech team, everyone really because it was super-hard to get here at this level. But we did it and it’s an amazing feeling.”
The Italians ruled the day though, as the LRPP Youth Team were fearless and dominant. They took home the trophy in a wild celebration at AC Park, portending a microcosm of the frenzy that would ensue and what it would be like if Italy won the America’s Cup. Ciao, bella!!
On a day when the UYAC was moved up to a noon start time because of wind and wave concerns, basically a typical day on the Bay, the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup final was moved back, and boy, it didn’t disappoint! With a solid southwesterly “Garbi” breeze that topped the upper wind limit of 21 knots more than once, it was survival sailing at times, with the sailors opting for double-board round-ups at the leeward gates and minimizing maneuvers throughout the eight-leg races. With speeds in excess of 52 knots on the bearaways at the windward mark, this was top-class match racing from two of the world’s finest America’s Cup teams.The AC 75s were not really built for 2-meter chop and large rollers from North Africa.
Both boats survived intact as LRPP’s Jimmy Spithill and Francisco Bruni hit the line in force against INEOS Britannia, led by Sir Ben Ainslie and newcomer behind the wheel Dylan Fletcher, who replaced Giles Scott last month in a bold move by the team.
The foiling monohulls smashed through the waves, flying above the water toward the first gate as the Italians took control and never relinquished their advantage to win by 30 seconds.
“We’ve seen it all along: These are two very evenly matched teams, and we were expecting a tough series and today showed that both teams can win races,” said Spithill. “I thought the performances were pretty similar; they made a couple of errors, maneuver-wise, in that first race and we were able to step out. In the second race they sailed it very clean so performance-wise there not a whole lot in it, but obviously we’ll be checking on that tonight.
“These conditions were definitely up there with big waves, right on the limit on the breeze, so a mistake is, as always, just around the corner,” Spithill continued. “In that first one they were hoping we would make a couple and then vice versa, but that’s what you want, you want to be pushed, and you want a fight.”
The second race was the complete opposite of the first as the Brits evened the score 1-1 winning by just 18 seconds, which actually both teams considered to be a victory, with today being a lay day.
