Cup Spy- Day 13: Luna Rossa break traveller - lose two more races to American Magic
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 19 Sep 03:03 HKT
19 September 2024
The washed out wake shows the position of Luna Rossa at the time of the incident - Day 4 - Semi-Finals - Louis Vuitton Cup - Day 13 - September 18, 2024 - Barcelona © Ricardo Pinto / America's Cup
A dramatic day fourth day of Semi-Finals in the Louis Vuitton Cup has concluded, with a second Challenger being eliminated, and another suffering at best a major breakdown and at worst a serious structural failure.
INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli were on Match Point going into the day, needing just one more win to progress to the Challenger Final of the Louis Vuitton Cup which starts on September 26.
However both lost their opening race, of the Semi-Finals, Match 6 to their opponents Alinghi Red Bull Racing and American Magic. Luna Rossa was surprisingly disqualified on the final leg of their shortened first race against American Magic, for sailing outside a course boundary.
The British once again demonstrated their vulnerability in light winds at marginal foiling speed and were simply not able to sail deep enough on the downwind legs to match Alinghi Red Bull Racing. In the first race, Alinghi Red Bull Racing just sailed straight over the top of the British, sailing faster and deeper downwind.
In their second race, held in slightly stronger winds initially, but which faded towards the end, the British, having changed to a bigger mainsail between races, opened up a good lead in the first windward leg and were never seriously headed to take their fifth win in the Semi-Final.
The Swiss team were the second team to be knocked out of the competition following the exit of the French Orient Express Racing Team after the Round Robin Racing. A third team will be eliminated after the conclusion of racing on Thursday.
In the fourth and final race of the day, American Magic was putting up a valiant battle with the highly fancied Italian Challenger in Match 7, which had seen several lead changes.
On Leg 4 American Magic came across on an intersecting course on the starboard gybe at over 35kts and with right of way over Luna Rossa, coming in from the port side of the course.
The Italian was under some pressure to be able to make a critical cross ahead of the US Challenger - to secure right of way when they came back and headed for Mark 4, with two legs of the race to sail. Luna Rossa was sailing at 39kts at the time of the incident.
There was an audible crack as Luna Rossa crossed the bow of American Magic and the Italians lost the pressure out of their rig, as the mainsheet hydraulic control broke.
The mast, which is held upright in the AC75 by tension on the mainsheet, remarkably stayed in the boat, which suddenly heeled to windward under the sudden loss of rig pressure, throwing up an impressive spray from the raised foil arm of the port (windward) side.
The rigging package - which is a standard one supplied to all competitors by Future Fibres, did its job with the forward load on the Southern Spars mast being taken by the sidestays, averting a rig collapse.
From comments immediately after the incident, by skipper Jimmy Spithill the traveller appeared to be intact and had not torn away from the hull of the boat. The most likely cause is a failure/breakage of a part of the hydraulic mainsheet system which controls the tension on the double skinned mainsail.
Ironically it was Luna Rossa in the 2021 America's Cup who pioneered the removal of the two running backstays, normally used to tension, and provide support for the rig. The Italian move went back and forth on several questions as to whether their removal (which saved windage), or pinning against the back of the mast was legal. The upshot was that the two running backstays had to be carried as shown on the rigging diagram for the class. However like a few other features in the Italian Challenger in Auckland, the removal of running backstays was incorporated as standard in the Version 2 of the AC75 class used in the 2024 America's Cup.
The simple point is that Luna Rossa had the most experience of any of the America's Cup teams with this style of rig, and should have had a good idea of the operating loads in that area of the AC75 - which points to an individual component failure rather than a system weakness. Unsurprisingly there was damage to hydraulic cables in the incident.
In a written media statement, Max Siena, Skipper and Team Director of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, commented: "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."
Since the 2021 America's Cup all teams have experimented with different designs of mainsheet hydraulics with the goal being to minimise windage, while providing the required force to tension the rig via the carbon mainsail leech.
While they are usually hidden within the sail, the hydraulic mechanisms are complex designs, and it is likely that a component failure is the cause of the breakdown. That being the case, The Italian design team will need to understand the forces that were involved, and will need to replace the component with another part which is stronger.
While the AC75 was not travelling particularly fast (30kts or about four times windspeed), the rig looked loaded up as the crew needed to be at maximum possible speed and a high angle to cross American Magic.
A factor in the breakage could have been the confused sea state, kicked up by a mistral further out in the Mediterranean, which may have produced some earlier shock loading on the system. However the AC75 appeared to be stable at the time of the incident.
Two more races are scheduled for tomorrow, with Luna Rossa needing to secure one more win to join INEOS Britannia in the Challenger Final. American Magic needs to win both in the best of nine series. Either way one of the two teams will be knocked out of the competition on Thursday.
Race Summaries:
Semi Final 1 - Match 7: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) vs American Magic (USA)
American Magic starts just 12 metres short of line with Luna Rossa on their hip who tacked immediately. American Magic sailed into the port corner at the top of the course. Boats crossed tacks as they went for opposite gates at Mark 1. ITA (starboard) protested USA. Not given.
Mark 1: 3m 21sec USA led ITA - margin 7secs. ITA sailed into more pressure on the starboard boundary, and the lead changed. USA came back from starboard boundary and led by 70metres.
Mark 2: 6m 46sec USA led ITA margin 4secs. ITA sailed into more pressure on the starboard side and there was another lead change. USA and ITA came together at the Mark 3. USA came in on port but was first to enter the Mark Zone and had right of way. Both AC75s struggled to stay foiling at times occasonally making less than 5kts VMG while sailing at over 25kts.
Mark 3: 11m 17sec ITA led USA - margin 8secs. Luna Rossa breaks traveller on Leg 4 - major equipment issue - out of race.
Finish: American Magic sails out the course and wins Match 7 to go onto 3 - 4 with Luna Rossa.
Semi Final 2 - Match 7: INEO Britannia (GBR) vs Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
Start: British changed mainsail between races. GBR penalised for early entry. Split tack start. Wind claimed to be 11kts. GBR to starboard boundary. Got an advantage from the breeze. GBR took lead on return cross. SUI and GBR continued to work opposite sides of the course, several lead changes as boats crossed tacks. GBR led by 130metres approaching Mark 1.
Mark 1: 4m 27sec: GBR led SUI by a margin of 25secs. GBR eased out to a lead of over 400metres. Midway down Leg 2 the Brits rudder washed out in a gybe conceded 200metres of lead to Swiss.
Mark 2: 07m 59sec: GBR led SUI - margin of 31sec. Margin now out to 400metres going into Mark 3:
Mark 3: 12m 44sec: GBR led SUI - margin of 50secs. VMG similar 26kts (GBR) 27kts (SUI). Margin reduced to 300metres. Wind down to 7kts
Mark 4: 17m 11secs: GBR led SUI - margin 39secs.
Mark 5: 21m 13secs: GBR led SUI margin 70secs. Alinghi Red Bull Racing comes off its foils on the final approach to Mark 5 and rounded in displacement mode.
Finish: 23min 47sec: GBR beat SUI
Semi Final 1 - Match 6 : Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) vs American Magic (USA)
Start: USA won start but as soon as they tacked ITA got the advantage to leeward and ahead. Advantage 160m to ITA. Both went to the starboard boundary and ITA led back to leeward and ahead by 170metres. ITA into the port corner and came out laying the starboard gate mark.
Mark 1: 4m 03secs: ITA led USA - margin 47 secs. ITA continued into starboard layline, and could only come out at near zero VMG. USA went into port corner and found more pressure and effected a lead change. USA was the first to come off their foils. ITA opted to granny around rather than risk a gybe, and sailed over the boundary incurring a double penalty. They got a puff which was sufficient to get them downwind and effected a lead change.
Mark 2: 15m 11sec: 0.00secs margin.
Mark 3: 19m 31sec: USA led ITA - margin 170secs. Course shortened to four legs. ITA sailed outside the course boundary and was DSQ'd instead of being penalised.
Finish: 27m 18secs: USA scores second win.
Semi Final 2 - Match 6: INEOS Britannia (GBR) vs Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI) - 1210hrs UTC Scheduled Start
Looks like there is a nice breeze said to be 8kts - maybe more, but with a confused seastate.
SUI led off the start to leeward and advanced on GBR by 42metres. Sailed with Brits on their hip until the port boundary. Alinghi tacked with rights off the boundary, but came off their foils, and there was a lead swap. SUI closed up as both came up to Mark 1 off the Port layline.
Mark 1: 04m 31secs: GBR led SUI - margin 06secs. After the AC75s had gybed off the boundary Alinghi started on INEOS' hip and sailed over the top and deeper than GBR and was sufficiently fast to be able to sail across the Brits bow and kept doing a deep dive down Leg 2. Margin out to 500metres.
Mark 2: 08m 48secs: SUI led GBR - margin 61secs. Margin extended to over 1000metres. GBR appearing to have problem getting down as deep as SUI.
Mark 3: 12m 47secs: SUI led GBR - margin 61secs.
Mark 4: 15m 56secs: SUI led GBR - margin 85secs. GBR over 850metres astern of SUI.
Mark 5: 20m 22secs: SUI led GBR - margin 63secs. GBR rounded Mark 5 off its foils
Finish: 22m 32secs: SUI led GBR. - margin 83secs. SUI score second win.
Preview Commentary and Information - Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals and UniCredit Youth America's Cup - September 18, 2024
Racing has finished for the day in the UniCredit Youth America's Cup and is due to start at 1210hrs UTC in the Semi-Finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Light winds and an awkward sea state generated by a nearby Mistral are expected to ask plenty of questions of the AC40 and AC75 crews as racing continues in the Louis Vuitton Cup and UniCredit Youth America's Cup today, September 18, 2024.
For those outside Europe a "mistral" is a strong, cold, northwesterly wind that blows from southern France into the Gulf of Lion in the northern Mediterranean. The usual warmer summer breeze is a southerly or sou' westerly.
Weather Prognosis:
America's Cup Weather Partner PredictWind has provided a dedicated Race Weather Center offering fans access to detailed daily weather breakdowns, live webcams and historical weather data to daily weather breakdowns written by meteorologists.
Updated Forecast for Wednesday 18 Sept - Louis Vuitton Semi-final Day 4
In the morning, a North-East wind gradient will remain after blowing all night. By mid-day the wind should turn right to the East with speeds around 6 to 10 knots for the afternoon and gusts up to 12 knots. The wind direction is expected to turn right to the South-East during the afternoon with not much change in wind speed.
Waves of 1.1 meter from the East with a 6-second period could make challenging foiling conditions.
Sky will remain partly cloudy and the temperatures will go up to 22°C. The weather should remain dry with a small risk of rain. There is some instability in the atmosphere with strong rain expected further south of Barcelona during the day (100 kilometres away).
Race Schedules and Live Coverage information:
You can see today's racing Live here:
Louis Vuitton Cup - Semi Finals Racing Schedule - Day 4
Proposed Match Schedule - Louis Vuitton Cup - Day 13 - Semi Finals Day 4:
- Semi Final 2 - Match 6: INEOS Britannia vs Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI) - 1210hrs UTC Scheduled Start
- Semi Final 1 - Match 6 : Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) vs American Magic (USA) - Start time to be confirmed
- Semi Final 2 - Match 7: INEO Britannia (GBR) vs Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI) - Start time to be confirmed
- Semi Final 1 - Match 7: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA) vs American Magic (USA)- Start time to be confirmed
UniCredit Youth America's Cup - Day 2
Group A - changed schedule
- Race 3 Scheduled Start 0910hrs UTC
- Race 4 Scheduled Start 0954hrs UTC
While you're waiting for the coverage to start - check out the following:
Virtual Eye
After the racing you can replay the key points, or the whole race using Virtual Eye from ARL
You can go directly to the Virtual Eye America's Cup coverage by clicking here and click on "Watch Previous" then select the race you wish to view. Virtual Eye is a 3D viewer so you can zoom in, out, around and up and down just like you could in a helicopter.
Inside Tack
The latest two edition of the always excellent Inside Tack with "Freddie" Carr (Cyclor), Lucas Delcourt (Shoreside Performance Co-ordinator), Giles Scott (Sailing Squad), and Ian Williams (Rules and Racing Strategy Coach).