Here’s Andy Bull’s report from Barcelona.
Here’s Reuters’ short take:
Britain won a second race in their head-to-head America’s Cup final against New Zealand on Wednesday, reducing the holders’ lead to 4-2 in the first-to-seven points series.
The British crew skippered by Ben Ainslie outmanoeuvred the New Zealand crew led by Peter Burling in the final moments of the crucial pre-start and shot across the line in their foiling AC75 to establish an early lead in the day’s second race.
Britain led around the first mark and were able to stay ahead in all of the eight legs, hitting speeds of more than 35 knots as they navigated a churned-up sea and held off a late New Zealand challenge at the finish.
Double 'W' Day for Britannia 🚀
— INEOS Britannia (@ineosbritannia) October 16, 2024
We race again Friday 👊#AmericasCup pic.twitter.com/KwtRWuHCsb
Updated
Georgie Ainslie is seen celebrating the winning feat of her husband, and famed Maxonian, Sir Ben, with a Union Jack. No sign of Big Sir Jim yet.
They do it again! @ineosbritannia deliver two 2 wins on Day 4.
— americascup (@americascup) October 16, 2024
🇳🇿4️⃣⚔️2️⃣🇬🇧#AC37 #Day4 pic.twitter.com/NNmhfByoOr
So, the cakewalk is at an end and it’s Ineos Britannia the form horse.
Ben Ainslie: “Solid effort from the team. Still a long way to go but the comeback’s on. Every day we’re getting better at driving this boat.”
Leigh McMillan: “We just need to keep the pressure on.”
Dylan Fletcher: “We really needed to get this win.”
NZ’s Peter Burling: “That race felt like we had them on the ropes but one tiny mistake.”
NZ”s Nathan Outteridge: “None of us are suprised, they are good sailors. That start, they just managed to roll us.”
Team Ineos Britannia wins race six, and it's 2-4
Can Ineos Britannia take this one home? It’s in their hands, a perfect day in store. The gap is still around 100m. The vessels almost cross, and it becomes tighter. The tension mounts as Ineos comes across the New Zealanders. “We’re back in it,” says Ben Ainslie. His team are the comeback kids. “That’s huge,” he says.
Seventh leg, and New Zealand look for their chance. Britannia made a slightly ropey tack, and the Kiwis are on their tail. The finish line will be shortened, the race committee announce. The Brits manage to push out their lead, but almost come to grief on wave. They hold their position – just. This is so tense. GB keeping up their pace as they enter the top gate and turn for home. Just one leg to go.
Into the sixth leg and the Kiwis are bemoaning getting caught out at the start, and now wait on a British error. The gap is 110m. The GB cyclists being asked to pedal for their lives. There’s two legs to go, and Ineos Britannia are winning.
Into leg five, and a healthy lead is maintained and extended…250m is the gap, and the rate of knots is far higher. Full control here from Team GB. They’re well clear as they exit the gate.
The fourth leg, and so much hard work for the Team Ineos pedallers. Some audible grimaces. The sea state is not at all easy to deal with. They’re now trying to match their opponent’s movements, nice defensive sailing. The Kiwi team boat goes low into the drink as Ineos goes past the marker after the fourth race.
Emirates New Zealand looks a bit bumpy, they struggled with closing out the gate for the second leg. The third leg sees the Ineos vessel enjoying the conditions far more. The gap is just shy of 200m now. On-board, dark clouds above but signs of sunlight. They lead after the third leg. It looks so different than the previous three racedays.
On to the second leg, the gap is 140m, as wide as it’s been. Then it’s up to 150m, much better from the Brits today. Nice and smooth, picking up the wind and sailing clear. They lead after the second leg of eight.
Race six is go...
The New Zealand boat circles after the British challenger. The Brits on the back foot a minute from the start. But they spin round, and we are go. And the British team are quicker over the line. They timed that beautifully. When New Zealand tacked, they stole in. The gap is just 80m or so, far closer than the first leg. They’re veering close to each other. Team GB looks short of room but they lead after the first leg.
Race six is coming up. The Kiwi team will hope the following doesn’t happen. Both teams out in the pre-start, and whizzing around. This could be a quick race.
America's Cup Match: Race 5 Summary
— EmiratesTeamNZ (@EmiratesTeamNZ) October 16, 2024
Foiled in the pre start. pic.twitter.com/YXKCAk84x5
The waves are bumpy, the wind is lifted. And that may make for higher boat speeds.
There’s about 15 minutes to go until race six. Both teams making their final adjustments.
That was Team GB’s first America’s Cup point since 1934, the same year Fred Perry won Wimbledon. England’s football champions that year? Arsenal, with Tottenham relegated.
Jeremy Boyce penned this before the first race: “Not sure even Sir Ben can turn this one round, they’ve surely used up all their jokers already and need Ace of Spades all the way now? He will certainly be hoping to avoid the Ineos/Ratcliffe reverse-midas effect that has so far worked absolutely no magic at all on the bikes, in the cars and on the football field. What does this say about his skills at the helm of the cash-cow funding the whole thing? Could they have even more money to pour down bottomless pits with someone else steering ? Here’s one to fire up Ben and his crew before racing, and is exactly how fast they need to go today.”
Relief all round in the Ineos yard.
AC Match 5 - FINISH
— INEOS Britannia (@ineosbritannia) October 16, 2024
GBR sailed a safe, clean final leg to take their first win in the series with a margin of 1 minute 18 seconds.
Watch LIVE https://t.co/11rUTdhq6B pic.twitter.com/pZvf2cfqh7
So, Team GB back in it. We await the second leg. “Nice one, guys, let’s keep this one going,” said Ben Ainslie on the line.
Ben Ainslie: “Tricky on the start, we managed to make it stick and get them off the foil, and it was tough for them. There’s nothing comfortable about sailing in these conditions. Good one for the team.”
Dylan Fletcher: “Tricky for them, we time-trialled it home. It’s important we take each race as it comes.”
New Zealand’s Peter Burling: “It’s really frustrating to fall off the foils.”
The New Zealanders come in, one minute and 18 seconds down on Team GB.
Britain win the fifth race, and it's 1-4
Sixth leg, and plainsailing for Ineos Britannia. They’ve taken their chance at last. The Kiwi fans are seen roaring on their sailors but to little avail. Ineos staying high over those choppy waves, staying 1.3km ahead of their chasers. They’ve been all but flawless. The comeback: it’s on!
Fifth leg and the gap is over a kilometre. The gap is so big that the TV commentator has taken to flattering his female counterparts in the commentary box. Silence from them. The Kiwis support boat at a loss to explain that bad start. The start seems so important for these races. The gap is still over kilometre as they approach the top gate for the final time, and turn for home and a first win. Leg five: done.
Fourth leg now, and Ineos Britannia does seem to be enjoying the conditions and running smoothly. Some real hard work has gone in since Monday. The gap is back to 1.5km, and New Zealand are hoping for Team GB to scuttle if they want a way back. The race judges extend the course, and that plays into the sails of the Ineos team. Leg four is done, and just two to go.
Into the third leg, the Brits’ big sails keeping them ahead though the gap is dwindling to 1200m, though the New Zealanders complete the second leg a full kilometre down. The gap starts rising back up. New Zealand paying desperately for that earlier error. Ineos Britannia are halfway to their first win, that’s leg three done.
Into leg two, and the gap is 1600m ahead. The Brits trying to keep it simple and stay on the foils. The two lads in the cycling department pedalling like demons. The gap still growing, though New Zealand are travelling at the same 35km/h speed as the Brits. Leg two is completed with that lead.
And away we go in race five - disaster for New Zealand
Ahead of the start, Team GB have more pace, the New Zealanders get caught in the waves. This is their chance. The Kiwis are going to be late for the start. The wind is just over six knots. Britannia whips past the Kiwi boat as the start is sounded, and the New Zealand boat takes a while to get moving. They can’t catch the wind. Their speed is 8km, to the Brits’ 32km. Sir Ben nailed it as the Kiwis fell off their foils. The waves are causing all sorts of problems to the leaders. All the Brits need to do is stay on their foils. The gap is almost 700m, and the New Zealanders drop to a kilometre behind. They lead after the Leg 1 by a street.
The word is that the conditions are wavy, and that may play into the hand of Ineos Britannia. The wind is due to pick up to 10 knots a bit later. We’re racing in three minutes, the wind test having been passed.
Updated
Race day is on, the wind high enough for two races. Sunday, remember, got curtailed by a drop in wind.
More Weather Report here.
Weather report here:
All eyes on the weather as a light southerly airflow dominates with the remnants of yesterday’s front leaving a south-easterly swell that could top 1 metre.https://t.co/ZQUp9LYnCP#AC37 #Day4 pic.twitter.com/kV3XvhmDbH
— americascup (@americascup) October 16, 2024
Here’s today’s schedule:
Get the race day schedule 👇
— INEOS Britannia (@ineosbritannia) October 16, 2024
Learn how to watch race day 4 here: https://t.co/CQOE9tHtiT #AmericasCup pic.twitter.com/10bhz1azii
Here’s Monday’s report from Stephen Burgen.
Key quote from Sir Ben: “Clearly, they’re going well. I think we have our moments but there are moments when we are losing a click and that’s really the difference. It’s a good opportunity to take a day on shore and try to figure out how we can find some gains.”
Preamble
To say it’s not gone well for Sir Ben Ainslie’s team isn’t quite right, it’s maybe just that they have come up against a superior team in the New Zealanders. Sir Ben’s temper seethed on Sunday, and then his team were well beaten in the next race, in much the same style as before.
So, this is where the revival needs to start, if it is to ever start.
First race just after 1pm UK time. Join us.
