The form guide was spot on.
Heading into the final preliminary regatta of the campaign,
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and American Magic had been billed alongside Team New Zealand as having edged ahead of the rest of the fleet at this early stage of racing. Funnily enough, they were the three teams to feature in the finals of the previous two preliminary regattas – American Magic awarded the win in Vilanova i la Geltru in Spain as the top qualifier because a lack of wind meant the final against Team NZ could not be contested, and Team NZ beating a youthful Italian outfit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Those two regattas were contested on the one-design AC40, a scaled-down, four-person vessel with only helmsmen and trimmers onboard. A move to the full-scale AC75s for the first time this campaign saw no change and they should feel well placed heading into the challenger series.
Work to do
Ineos Britannia are an interesting case study and it will be fascinating to see what their performance is like when races that matter being. In several races during the preliminary regatta, Sir Ben Ainslie’s crew made unforced errors that put them on the back foot immediately, particularly in the starting box. When they got going, they looked formidable at times and a big turn in results come the challenger series would not surprise. They did a similar thing in Auckland in 2021, though that time they had two weeks to address their shortcomings, not four days.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing also had some good moments in the regatta, particularly their race against Luna Rossa on the final day, before a poor jibe saw their race unravel. They showed good signs of their match racing skills – the big question around them is whether or not they have a fast enough boat to compete or to be able to overcome the odd poor turn.
Orient Express Racing Team seemed almost the opposite. Having purchased a design package from Team NZ, the expectation is that their AC75 will have the pace. But they were the last team to get their AC75 on the water this campaign and that lost time might hurt. In Barcelona over the weekend, they struggled with errors and technical issues in a performance that left a lot to be desired.
Equalisers
Three teams had issues with their vessels through the regatta; Luna Rossa and Orient Express forced out of races with technical problems and American Magic having a rudder issue during a turn. A lot is going on under the hood of these vessels in terms of the electronics involved, and the reliability of all the crucial components is going to be key to a good, incident-free regatta. Technical issues could threaten to not only frustrate the athletes, but fans who want to see the world’s best sailors in action as well.
Outside of the boats themselves, the sea state was always going to provide an additional layer of intrigue around how well the teams manage the conditions in Barcelona. For most of the preliminary regatta, the sea was relatively calm and the wind was light. However, there was a clear bump on the water on the final day, with every coach mentioning how much more of a challenge that made things, particularly with the wind staying toward the bottom end of the range.
With these boats designed to fly above the water, the threat of waves lapping against the hull has been factored into the design, but that also adds another factor when it comes to strategy around sailing configurations. In some ways, the conditions could be a further equaliser across a contest that already appears like it will be tight. We are also yet to see how the teams go in conditions toward the upper end of the wind range in proper racing, so watch this space.
