American Magic lives to sail another day.
After a disappointing weekend of Louis Vuitton semi-finals racing, which saw American Magic losing four match races versus arch-rival Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, the American team came fighting back on Monday with a decisive 1000-plus meter victory over the Italian boat in light and fluky winds which precipitated cancellation of the remainder of Monday’s race card.
The weekend’s results were not what American Magic skipper and director of sailing operations Terry Hutchinson had envisioned. “We were substandard in several respects. There is just no room for error in the America’s Cup… especially sailing against the level of competition in the semi-finals.”
American Magic helmsman Tom Slingsby, generally an up-beat positive leader, took his team to task in a “woodshed” moment after the team’s disappointing start to the semis.
Slingsby’s dressing down was tough to take but perhaps was just the spark the team needed to tighten up its execution. Slingsby’s words echo the frustration of the helmsman as the team approaches the next set of “do or die” races. “I just had a meeting with the guys and said, 'Look guys, we're losing by a couple of seconds each race and we're making mistakes.' If we weren't making any mistakes, I'd say it's as good as done. But the fact is we've made mistakes every single race, and we've just got to tidy it up because there's no place for mistakes anymore; we’re match-point down, but I’ve personally seen how quickly these things can change, so I'm confident in our team.”
The Louis Vuitton Semi-Finals resume Wednesday, September 18 at 8 a.m. Eastern time. The Americans need to “win out” to escape elimination. In this format, the first team to score five victories advances to the Louis Vuitton Match Race Finals. Presently, Alinghi Red Bull is also facing elimination having gone 0-4 versus Ineos Britannia over the weekend. The Swiss managed a victory on Monday to keep their hopes alive.
In other America’s Cup action, the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup kicks off racing on Tuesday, September 17. The American team is headlined by Harry Melges IV, grandson of America’s Cup winner and sailing icon Buddy Melges, who said, “It’s an honor to represent the United States at this regatta. These AC40’s are incredible machines. The speeds are fantastic. Should be a good show. We are the foiling generation.”
The format sees the 12 teams split into two groups of six for an initial fleet race series. The sailors representing the official America’s Cup teams will race in one group while invited Teams from Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden will race in a second fleet.
The top three teams from each side after eight races will race together in four fleet races to decide the top two crews, and from there it’s a one-race, winner-takes-all, conducted in the glare of the world’s media spotlight on Thursday September 26. That final race will take place in-between races on the first day of the Louis Vuitton Cup Final, providing the perfect showcase for the world’s best up-and-coming sailors to shine.
You can catch all the live action on ESPN+. You Tube is also providing some live and/or slightly delayed feeds. Read more at americascup.com.
By Craig Ligibel
