Louis Vuitton Cup, Luna Rossa stopped by boat damage
A day of major disappointments for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team that misses the opportunity to access the Louis Vuitton Cup Final today after two well-fought matches, and incurs in a breakage during the second race that ultimately affects the final result.
Max Sirena, Skipper and Team Director of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, commented: «It was definitely not the day we expected, but that's sport. The first race was really good and closely fought. We had a great start and led for most of the match. Then the wind dropped when we were ahead, and we fell off the foils. In the second race, it was neck-to-neck, with many close crosses and lead changes. Then, in the second downwind leg, when we were ahead, we incurred damage to part of the mainsail control system which prevented us from finishing the race. Now we’ll assess everything to be ready for tomorrow's race. That's sport, but nothing has changed, these boats are pushed to the limit, and unfortunately something like this can happen. Our morale is still high, we're sailing well, we're fast, and tomorrow we'll go out to bring the point home.»
MATCH #06 – ITA vs USA
A complex, exhausting match full of unexpected twists between took place between Luna Rossa and American Magic, in conditions of about 7 knots easterly breeze and wavy sea state. Luna Rossa tacked shortly after the start and stretched into the lead, rounding the first mark 47 seconds in front of the American boat. The downwind leg was one of the most fiercely contested so far, with constant lead changes. The challenging conditions required a huge precision effort from the Italian crew as they had to execute each maneuver delicately to avoid falling off the foils. The navigation in the unstable wind, that kept changing both in direction and intensity, was incredibly risky and at the third gate Luna Rossa was unable to execute a maneuver to round the mark, losing valuable distance from American Magic. Despite their efforts, the Italians were unable to get back on the foils or regain control of the race.
Winner: USA (+1)
MATCH #07 – ITA vs USA
In another race with marginal conditions for the AC75s, the two boats were neck-to-neck all the way, with minimal gaps at each mark. Luna Rossa, having sailed an excellent regatta, sailing the course and the opponent, was leading at the third gate and in front on the downwind leg. At that point, due to a sudden breakage in the mainsail control system, their charge came abruptly to a stop.
Winner: USA (+ 1)
Luna Rossa's crew today featured Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni at the helm, with Umberto Molineris and Andrea Tesei as trimmers. The cyclors on board were Enrico Voltolini and Bruno Rosetti in both races, while Cesare Gabbia and Emanuele Liuzzi alternated with Paolo Simion and Luca Kirwan.
