With the score at 4:0, British skipper Ben Ainslie said before Saturday's races: "Our starts weren't good enough. We have to do better. We have to turn the tide." The endeavour was at least partially successful. With the first winning point after another defeat against the Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, Ineos Team UK has at least been able to end its black streak. In the challenger final for the Prada Cup, the score is now 5:1 in favour of the Italians. Patrizio Bertelli's team are two points short of reaching the 36th America's Cup match at their sixth attempt. The British would have to win six times if they want to beat the Italians and challenge the Kiwis.
What happened on the water on Saturday: A summary of the Prada Cup final races five and six
"Ben has ice running through his veins when it counts," said two-time Olympic champion and TV commentator Shirley Robertson to her long-time team-mate in the British Olympic team before the races. A little of this was evident at the start of race five, even if the Italians did better. Both boats started several seconds too early. The associated penalty was neutralised. Because the British came too close to the course boundary on this first section of the course, they received the next penalty. In order to clear it, they had to drop back 50 metres behind the Italians - which proved to be not so easy on the right-hand side of the course, where there was initially more pressure. The Italians promptly protested again the first time they met the Brits. The accusation was that the Brits had taken advantage of their infringement of the rules and the resulting position. The jury agreed, and Ainslie's men were awarded another penalty. They eventually finished this first section of the course 15 seconds behind the Italians in a hail of penalties. The Italians subsequently dictated the encounter and crossed the finish line at the end of race five in winds of eight to ten knots with a lead of one minute and 20 seconds.
Francesco Bruni said afterwards at 5:0: "That was a fantastic race. Obviously Jimmy did most of the job with good timing at the start. That was textbook." And a shot across Ainslie's bow. His response between races five and six: "It's tough. A decision like that at the start is in the hands of the referees. We really wanted the right-hand side. It was worth the risk. I would probably do it again." But that was not necessary at the start of race six, which began with a clean parallel start for both boats with a slight advantage for the British. When the course of the two boats crossed on the way to the first turning mark, the Azzurri were behind for the first time in this Prada Cup final. "Good work," said Ben Ainslie to his crew on board and was also clearly audible to the fans via the onboard microphones. "Britannia" was travelling with the largest headsail J1, the Italians with a slightly smaller version.
The crews and especially the grinders had a brutal job to do in this second race of the day with 124 tacks by the British and 138 tacks by the Italians. In action for the Italians on "Luna Rossa": Francesco Bruni, Jimmy Spithill, Pietro Sibello, Emanuele Liuzzi, Enrico Voltolini, Gilberto Nobile, Matteo Celon, Nicholas Brezzi, Pierluigi de Felice, Romano Battisti, Umberto Molineris. Under the British Union Jack on board "Britannia": Sir Ben Ainslie, Giles Scott, Leigh McMillan, Ben Cornish, Bleddyn Môn, Chris Brittle, Graeme Spence, Joey Newton, Luke Parkinson, Neil Hunter, Nick Hutton. Both crews were evenly matched in race six and fought an almost classic match race duel.
Things got exciting once again on the last section of the course. The Italians had previously turned a 42-second deficit into a nine-second gap at the final turning point and built up the necessary pressure. But the Brits held firm, showed strong nerves under high mental pressure and brought their lead to the finish line by 14 seconds. With their first winning point in this Prada Cup final, the eleven-strong British crew ended their black streak and left their fans dreaming of a possible turnaround.
What the skippers and tacticians had to say about races five and six in the Prada Cup final
Visibly happy about this comeback, skipper Ainslie also pointed out that his team still had deficits in winds below 13 knots. "That is the case. We know that. And they know that. But I can't praise my team enough. They never give up and we will fight to the end. We had a not so good race today. And a good race. The Luna Rossa guys had the better speed, especially in the wind. We've been seeing that for a few months now. We have to make the best of the boat we have." "Luna Rossa" co-steersman Jimmy Spithill said: "It is the case that we have an advantage in lighter winds. But it also remains the case that we have to keep focussing extremely hard."
The Italians are just two wins away from reaching the 36th America's Cup match against Emirates Team New Zealand, who are lurking in the wings. The Prada Cup duel could come to an end as early as Sunday with races seven and eight, as the winner of the final will be the team that secures seven victories first. The wind forecast for Sunday promises a light north-easterly sea breeze of around twelve knots. On paper, this is once again good news for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team. How it turns out on the water will be clear from 4 a.m. on Sunday morning. to see live here.
Results, interim results and live reporting is also available here (please click!).
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
