America's Cup: Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finalists determined - Au revoir, "Orient Express"!
Tatjana Pokorny
· 10.09.2024
One man's joy was another man's sorrow on the ninth day of racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup off Barcelona. The double round-robin phase of the Louis Vuitton Cup, in which all teams met each other twice, ended with tie-break tension and blue-white-red heartache at the start of the week. For Ineos Britannia, the British Challenger of Record, on the other hand, there was great joy. The Brits secured victory in the Challenger classification in the jump-off with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.
Louis Vuitton Cup: Time is the enemy of the French
However, the very first match of the day sealed the end for France's midnight-blue "Orient Express". The French were clearly defeated by the fast and strongly sailed "Britannia" with co-pilots Sir Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher-Scott, even in very light winds. Only one point in the Louis Vuitton Cup account was not enough for the French to make it through to the semi-finals.
"We are sad today, but we will come back all the stronger," said helmsman Quentin Delapierre after the final race for the team of Stephan Kandler and Bruno Dubois. France's sailing greats gathered one last time in the French team camp the morning before the race: Former helmsmen and Cup helmsmen such as Bruno Troublé, Marc Pajot, Franck Cammas as a team member and many more had come this week to cheer Les Bleus on as they set off for the final battle.
However, just one year of preparation ultimately proved to be too short compared to the three to four years that other teams had. Even though the competition kept talking up the steep upward curve of the French and commented with great respect on the speed potential of the "Orient Express", which had been created and further developed on the basis of a design package acquired from the New Zealanders.
Les Bleus: Disappointment and pride
The great sailing nation, which is inviting the best ocean sailors to the solo round-the-world race with the Vendée Globe for the tenth time on 10 November and will once again become a sporting world stage itself, still has to wait for its breakthrough in the America's Cup.
The Orient Express Racing Team bid farewell to the Louis Vuitton Cup "with pride and disappointment", but with its youth and women's team it has two hot irons in the fire for the Unicredit Youth America's Cup (17 to 26 September) and the Puig Women's America's Cup (5 to 13 October). German teams are also taking part in both competitions.
France's latest America's Cup campaign was only launched in February last year. The team has only completed 46 "flying hours" with the "Orient Express" since the AC75 foiler was handed over on 6 June. It was clear to everyone involved that the mountain to be climbed would be very steep.
Franco-German co-founder Stephan Kandler took stock emotionally, but also with a view to the future: "We are disappointed, and we have to digest that first. But we knew that we started from a long way back. We have managed to catch up, make progress and reduce the gap."
Stefan Kandler also said: "If we detach ourselves for a moment from the idea of competition and look at the bigger picture, the results are very encouraging. Thanks to this Orient Express Racing Team project, we now have an AC75, an AC40, a mobile base and a headquarters that will be set up in Lorient. We have talent in all areas to manage an AC75. We are determined to take part in the next edition of the America's Cup and other events that will allow us to remain part of the team."
Positively conspicuous: New Zealand's "Taihoro"
Stephan Kandler is convinced: "It's up to us to recover and come back for the 38th Cup. We wish the other Challengers and the Defender great races. May the best team win!" The best team in the double round robin round were the New Zealand Defenders. Their performance in their unusual participation in the Challenger competition may not have played a part in the battle of the five Challengers for four semi-final places. But the Kiwis certainly made a positive impression.
Only a defeat without a fight after the crane accident and a losing point in one of the duels with "Luna Rossa" briefly interrupted the Kiwis' winning run. No challenger was able to reach the eight victory points with which the Emirates Team New Zealand ended the instructive exchange of blows with the challengers at the top of the standings with all teams. The pure challenger classification without New Zealand's "Taihoro" was won by "Britannia" with seven wins ahead of "Luna Rossa" (5 wins).
Brits and Azurri progressed to the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals in that order. They were followed by NYYC American Magic (4 wins) and the happiest team on 9 September: the cowbells rang out loudly at Alinghi Red Bull Racing's headquarters in Barcelona as the Swiss "BoatOne" returned to port after the final day of the double qualifying round. The day could have meant her end, but things turned out differently. The defeat of the "Orient Express" in the first race had already sealed Switzerland's place in the semi-finals.
It's all about moving on." Silvio Arrivabene
The Swiss were even able to add a third point to their two victory points because there was a problem with the starboard foil in the duel with the Italians on board "Luna Rossa". The Azzurri were unable to manoeuvre or enter the starting box properly. They were disqualified for this. The Italians, who had been so strong up to this point, then had to concede defeat to the British in the play-off for victory in the challenger classification after the round-robin rounds.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing's Co-General Manager Silvio Arrivabene said in the evening in Barcelona after the sometimes loss-making and difficult start for his team: "The round robin round was like a rollercoaster ride for us. But that is often the case in match race regattas, unlike in fleet racing formats. It's all about progressing."
Silvio Arrivabene continued: "The round robin lasted two weeks. A lot happened during this time. We had different wind conditions and all the boats experienced technical problems at times. Today we were looking forward to a good battle against Luna Rossa. But at the end of the day, the only thing that counts is that we have progressed. Now we have a few days to rest. At the same time, we can examine things, analyse data and then go into the semi-final in good shape."
Who will Ineos Britannia ask to the semi-final dance?
Which teams will meet in the semi-finals remains to be seen until Friday (13 September). By winning the challenger classification, Ineos Britannia has earned the right to choose its opponent for the semi-final dance in "first to win five" mode. The team that reaches five points first will go through to the final. The choice can prove to be a blessing or a curse. It is often described as "Pick your own poison".
Who Sir Ben Ainslie and his racing team will be up against in the final from 14 to 19 September remains to be seen until the end of the week. Four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie said: "The team did a good job in the pre-regatta and this round robin and learnt lessons from all these races."
The America's Cup is a development game." Sir Ben Ainslie
Commenting on Ineos Britannia's overall performance to this point, Ainslie said: "Our recent performance is a real credit to the team, not just those on the water, but those at base in Barcelona and in the UK - all the hard work is paying off. We've said all along that the America's Cup is a development game. We were a bit rusty in the pre-regatta and at the start of this round robin phase, but every day we sail this boat we are getting better and better. I think we have a great package but still have a long way to go."
The decisions in the battle for a place in the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup
Louis Vuitton Cup, race day 9, match 28 - Orient Express Racing Team vs. Ineos Britannia:
Louis Vuitton Cup, race day 9, match 29 - Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vs. Alinghi Red Bull Racing:
Louis Buitton Cup, Race Day 9, Match 30 - Emirates Team New Zealand vs. NYYC American Magic
Louis Vuitton Cup, race day 9, match 31 (jump-off) - Ineos Britannia vs. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
