With just one day of regatta fun, the first regatta of the 2015 America's Cup World Series off Portsmouth was very short. The organisers, who were delighted with around 50,000 spectators in the ticket area on Saturday, proved to be fair after the Sunday races were cancelled due to stormy winds and refunded the cost of the Sunday tickets. After all, the opening two races of the World Series in the run-up to the 35th America's Cup brought the realisation that the Cup defenders - at least on the AC45F catamarans - are beatable. Not only the British, but also the New Zealanders drove their boats to the finish line ahead of Oracle Team USA.
For the home team Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing, a race win and a second place after an acclaimed comeback were enough for overall victory. Among the enthusiastic guests were the Duchess and Duke of Cambridge. Kate presented the teams with their prizes and delighted tens of thousands of fans with her refreshingly cheerful appearance. Sir Ben AInslie said: "I am really proud of what our team has achieved this weekend, not only on the water but also on land at our home base in Portsmouth. To win the first regatta of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in front of our fans means a lot to us and points to an exciting future."
Ainslie's former Finn rival, teammate, tactician and foreshipman Giles Scott, hot favourite for gold at the 2016 Olympics, said: "We felt very comfortable in the stronger winds. Then on Sunday it was just too windy. So we accept the situation. A win is a win. And it's psychologically important."
As expected, Oracle Team USA helmsman Jimmy Spithill was cautious about the cancellation of the "Super Sunday", on which the race results are scored twice and which he had hoped would give him a chance of a comeback. Spithill said: "We are all disappointed that we couldn't sail on Sunday. Because of the double scoring, Sunday is the most important day..." Commenting on the catamarans, Spithill said: "These boats provide a brutal test of endurance. Sometimes you're just on the edge of losing control." Speaking about the victorious Brits, Spithill said: "Their performance shows how cool it is to have a British team in the Cup competition again. We've had some very serious spectator interest here. If you take a look at the estimated crowds on land and on the water, it was like it was already about the America's Cup itself. It was really comparable."
Editor's addition (28 July 2015): The final result of all regattas in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in 2015 and 2016 has an influence on the qualifying round for the America's Cup in 2017: the winner of the World Series starts the qualifying round preceding the 35th Cup duel with two points. The second-placed team takes one point. The Cup defender and all challengers take part in the qualifying round. The top four challenger teams at the end of the qualifying round qualify for the playoffs, in which the opponent for Cup defender Oracle Team USA will be determined by the Golden Gate Yacht Club. The winner of the playoffs and Oracle Team USA will meet in the 35th America's Cup 2017 clash off Bermuda.
Final result Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series 2015, 1st regatta in Portsmouth
1st Land Rover BAR (Great Britain), skipper: Sir Ben Ainslie, 19 points
2nd Emirates Team New Zealand (New Zealand), skipper: Peter Burling, 18 points
3rd Oracle Team USA (America), skipper: Jimmy Spithill, 16 points
4th Groupama Team France (France), skipper: Franck Cammas, 13 points
5th SoftBank Team Japan (Japan), skipper: Dean Barker, 13 points
6th Artemis Racing (Sweden), skipper: Ian Percy, 11 points
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
