Tudor Team Alinghi third heading into final day
Tudor Team Alinghi will head into the final day of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Naples third overall and firmly in contention for a place in Sunday’s match-race final.
The results came after a disrupted start to Race Day 2. The shore team resolved a hydraulic problem and a chain around the foil, delaying the AC40’s departure for the racecourse and limiting the crew’s warm-up time.
The Swiss responded strongly in Fleet Race 3. After having to give way to another boat before the start, they crossed the line at the back of the fleet before working through the field to finish second.
Another front-running performance followed in Fleet Race 4, with good tactical calls and aggressive mark roundings helping them move into the lead on the final lap before finishing third.
Conditions became more difficult through the afternoon, with shifting breeze and uneven pressure causing frequent position changes throughout the tightly packed nine-boat fleet.
The Swiss followed their earlier results with fifth and seventh places, while La Roche-Posay Racing Team’s capsize when leading Fleet Race 5 showed how demanding the conditions were.
Tudor Team Alinghi ends the day third overall on 38 points, five behind second-placed Emirates Team New Zealand. Luna Rossa leads the standings with 51 points.
Two fleet races remain on Sunday before the top two teams advance to the winner-take-all match-race final. Tudor Team Alinghi enters the final day with a clear opportunity to challenge for a place in the final.
Paul Goodison, Skipper and Starboard Helm: “We were late off the dock with some hydraulic problems, and then we had the chain wrapped around the foil, so we didn’t get to the racecourse in time. The guys did a fantastic job of fixing it the best they could.”
“We had very limited warm-up and no practice starts. We didn’t really have time to do any mark roundings, so to come out and nail the first two races was really impressive.
“The last two were a bit more of a battle, but as a team we kept our composure and kept trying to fight for those places. When you’re at the back, it gets easy to throw everything away, but we stuck at it and battled well as a Team.”
Phil Robertson, Port Helm: “In the first two races we had really good pace and could put the boat where we wanted, which was key today. It was really shifty and puffy, and if you could tack where you wanted to tack, you were going to make gains. We managed to do that a lot and made some good calls on board.”
“We’ll take a lot of confidence from our boat speed going forward. It was a big step today in how we’re sailing the boat and managing to match a lot of the top teams. There are a lot of positives from today to reinforce going into tomorrow.”
All Images © Tudor Team Alinghi/ Samo Vidic
