ETNZ: dramatic weather cuts short high voltage racing

It was the start of the second-round robin in Barcelona on a volatile and varied weather day with rain, thunderstorms and an 8-16 knot breeze oscillating around the weather windows and making for a very shifty racecourse for the sailors to navigate.

In the end a lightning strike on the course cut short racing for the day just prior to the end of the Emirates Team New Zealand race against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. A race which was ultimately decided in a dramatic and hard-fought pre-start that saw the Kiwis lose traction at high speed and drop off their foils as they looked to tack away after crossing the start line.

AMERICA’S CUP RACE REPORT:

Emirates Team New Zealand (Port Entry) vs. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

All the portents are for fireworks here as the high-scoring heavyweights of the Louis Vuitton Cup go toe-to-toe. A super-aggressive start by the Italians, powering over the Kiwis in the final seconds on the lead back-in before heading up hard on the starting line leaving no place to go for Emirates Team New Zealand other than into an immediate tack. The execution was poor, with the Kiwis struggling to control a skid, and they fell off their foils to hand a massive advantage to the Italians. But the race was far from over – exacerbated by a big broach from Luna Rossa on an exit to a tack that allowed Emirates Team New Zealand to close the delta down to just 16 seconds at the first windward mark. Can the Kiwis catch up – this will be fascinating – especially with the wind shifting wildly in a very dynamic weather pattern over the racecourse.

At the first leeward mark, Luna Rossa was up to 17 seconds in the lead and immediately upon rounding the Kiwis tacked to get separation and then went into super-high mode to close the gauge on the covering Italians. This race has the feeling of going all the way to the wire. At the second windward mark, Luna Rossa is comfortable after a sterling beat where they played the shifts (almost 30 degrees at times) well in the final quarter, with a lead now up to 23 seconds. A loose gybe cover down the second run, whilst playing the pressure patches as the breeze drops to sub 10 knots, brings Luna Rossa into the final leeward gate with an unassailable 31 second lead and there are no mistakes up the final beat as Luna Rossa slaps a tight cover on the Kiwis to round the final windward mark with the delta out to 59 seconds in wind dropping to just eight knots as the weather front passes out into the Mediterranean Sea.

Demonstration sailing from Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, however, on the way downwind to the finishing line amidst a  rainstorm and rumbling thunder. When a significant lightning strike was seen just a few hundred metres down the racecourse ahead of the yachts Emirates Team New Zealand sailed outside the boundary immediately and was disqualified before the Race Committee awarded the race win to Luna Rossa and cancelled all further racing for the day. Dramatic stuff to conclude a great race.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli bt. Emirates Team New Zealand (DSQ)

Nathan Outteridge said: “It was certainly quite a dynamic day today, with a few thunderstorms around. Our race kept getting postponed with a continual right shift and they eventually got us going but the wind just kept building and going right which meant the pre start was quite intense.

It was really windy and both boats really wanted to start at the end because it was going to keep shifting right. We thought we'd actually box them out in the start, but they were very punchy the Italians, and they rolled it just before the line. And when we went to switch to turn up, we sort of lost control of the boat and ended up tacking and ended up off the foils.

So from there, it was a big effort from everyone on the crew to try and get back into the race. By lap two, we were just starting to get in a little bit closer, but then the wind kept shifting right and we never got into a place to get enough leverage to get back into it.

On the final leg when lightning struck the racecourse skipper Peter Burling headed straight off the racecourse to minimise the risk of a strike on the AC75 which resulted in a DSQ for Emirates Team New Zealand.

“I was more than keen to get close to one of these big yachts which is ducted down to the water properly because there is a lot of electronics on these boats when you see lightning strike on the racecourse it is never fun put it that way.”

And so, with a bang racing concluded for the day.