America’s Cup: How Ineos Britannia mounted a comeback against Team NZ in Cup match

Sir Ben Ainslie after Ineos Britannia won both races on day four of the America's Cup match in Barcelona. Photo / Ricardo Pinto, America's Cup

After going down 4-0 early in the America’s Cup match, Ineos Britannia struck back against Team New Zealand this morning to cut the deficit in half. Christopher Reive and Winston Aldworth look at the key moments as the series moved to 4-2.

The foil flop

In race five, Team New Zealand came off their foils early in the pre-start. A late arrival to the starting box, slowed down by the waves, saw them out of position for when the team crossed and without the necessary speed to exit their dial-down. It was an error port helmsman Nathan Outteridge said he could see coming as soon as he realised they would be late entering. They struggled to get the boat flying again and by the time they did, they were 1500m behind Britannia, who just needed to stay foiling to win.

Conditions

The light breeze and lumpy seas off the coast of Barcelona made it difficult for both boats to stay up and keep momentum. The Kiwis were the unlucky ones to pay the price, losing their foils early before the day’s opening race. The wind picked up before the second race, while the choppy conditions remained, and both teams had minor touchdowns in what was otherwise a well-sailed and tight battle.

The British have been clear about their belief their boat can perform well when waves are higher, as they often were in the Louis Vuitton Cup finals and this morning. Team NZ flight controller Blair Tuke said he felt the team handled the conditions well but their errors in the starting box ultimately led to the two losses.

“Our boat feels pretty nice in those conditions, to be honest. If it touches a wave, it does so with minimal drag and the foils are quite nice to control through those,” Tuke said.

“Hopefully we get to race again in some waves, but I think by the weekend the waves might have dropped off a fraction or there might still be some around on Friday.”

Emirates Team New Zealand were punished for mistakes in races five and six of the America's Cup match. Photo / Ricardo Pinto, America's Cup

Ainslie’s smart moves

The sharks will start to circle when there is blood in the water. That was the feeling as Brits flew by Team NZ close enough to disrupt their wind twice in the race five pre-start as the Kiwis struggled to get back on their foils. Britannia were late to the starting line so they could execute this, but it was more a matter of piling more pain onto the Kiwis while they could before going on to sail the race. They could just as easily have not engaged Team NZ, but this was a beautifully executed display of tactics and not letting a rival off the hook. If Sir Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher get any hint of an opportunity to get one over on Team NZ, they are going to fight to make the most of it.

Hitting the line hard

In race six, the Brits were faster at the starting line, thanks to a well-executed gybe that allowed them to accelerate quickly and get over the top of Team NZ. This forced Team NZ to split at the start in a bid to get clean air, but it put the Brits on the front foot with the favoured side of the course. That start made all the difference as, despite having to take the leftovers as they followed Britannia up the course, Team NZ gained on the challengers to the point where it turned into a final leg drag race.

“It’s great to get a couple of wins under the belt that’s for sure,” Ineos Britannia trimmer Leigh McMillan said.

“Emirates Team New Zealand have set the bar pretty high and we feel like we are clawing into them now. We are looking forward to getting back out there on Friday and keeping the pressure on and momentum going.”

Emirates Team New Zealand lead the Cup match against Ineos Britannia 4-2. Photo / Photosport

Reserve day

The British crew were out training yesterday, while Team New Zealand took a day off the water and put work in on the simulator. It is believed the British threw their boat around the course area on that reserve day to try to squeeze every last drop of performance they could out of it. It’s unlikely they reinvented their tactics in one day, but the break from racing allowed the challengers the chance to reset. Whatever they got out of the day, it clearly did some good.

Team NZ’s decision not to go out was in part because of the conditions, with Monday in Barcelona a bit windier and the waves closer together meaning it wouldn’t have given them any sort of edge in the different conditions today.

“It was quite different than today,” Tuke explained. “We got out there and got into the swing of things pretty well. It’s not like we had the day off yesterday, of course. We probably spent the same amount of time or more in the simulator going over things, but if you come off the foils in the first one of the day all that practice in the simulator wasn’t worth it, but that’s the way it goes. We’ll figure out the best way into those races on Friday and come out firing. We’re pretty pumped up.”