If proof were required as to just how closely matched the two teams in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final are, today in stunning and breezy Barcelona conditions, INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli went toe-to-toe throughout the day’s two races and at the end shared a race win apiece.
With a solid south-westerly ‘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 minimising manoeuvres throughout the eight-leg races. With speeds in excess of 52 knots on the bear-aways at the windward mark this was top-class match-racing from two of the world’s finest America’s Cup teams.
The opening race saw Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli come out fast and slugging, with the encounter effectively decided at the start when a match-hardened Jimmy Spithill powered the Italian AC75 back to the starting line, clear ahead and to windward of the British boat, forcing INEOS Britannia into an early tack away shortly after the start.
From there it was a case of the rich getting richer – primarily down to some fine execution and near-perfect tactical race-craft by Spithill and co-helm Francesco Bruni, who established a lead in excess of 30 seconds before keeping a loose cover on the British who simply could not find any opportunity to get back into the contest. A 46-second winning delta was the final reward for the Italian crew.
