Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sails into Louis Vuitton Finals against Ineos Britannia with 5-3 victory over New York Yacht Club’s American Magic.
With an early exit from the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Semi-Final selection series, the dream of bringing the America’s Cup back to the New York Yacht Club is over for this year. What the future holds for the 167-person strong American team on site in Barcelona is uncertain.
Director of Sailing Operations and skipper, Annapolis native Terry Hutchinson, put it this way moments after witnessing his team go down to defeat at the hands of a superior Italian team: ”We’ll just have to wait and see if we have the opportunity to throw our hat back into the ring.”
Hutchinson continued, “We have come so far in such a short period of time. I am proud of our team and how we came together to overcome adversity. It would be hard to stop now. We have such a great nucleus of a team. Great supporters. It will be up to Hap (Fauth)and Doug (DeVos) to balance the thought of winning with the spend.”
American Magic helmsman Tommy Slingsby was decidedly dejected after the loss. “Coming back to the base was brutal. We had to face our fans and family. They have been incredible. All you can do is hold your head high, salute the winners, and keep that winning spirit alive. This sport is incredibly tough. Highs and lows one after another. You’ve eventually got to put it all behind you and carry on.”
Speaking from the deck of the US boat Patriot, Slingsby took exception to some of the calls he made while driving the boat. “We had some dicey decisions to make and may not have made all of the right ones. But we had to press on. The Italians were a tough opponent. Being aggressive was the only way I thought we could win.”
At the same time, Slingsby was effusive in his praise of reserve helmsman Lucas Calabrese who filled in at the last minute for the injured Paul Goodison who fractured five ribs in an onboard accident while falling through an open hatch.
Did the substitution of Calabrese for Goodison contribute to the team’s defeat?
“Definitely not,” said Hutchinson. “We’ll never know what the change did, but I was really proud of how well Lucas fit in and how well he and Tommy managed the boat.”
Leaving Barcelona will be difficult for the team members who have literally moved across the ocean for the past 12 months in preparation to challenge for the Cup. Slingsby and his new wife Helena welcomed a baby boy to the family while overseas. Others invested a good part of their lives in the effort. The NYYC effort was the culmination of hundreds of thousands of hours of design, build, testing and racing. Not to mention the multi-million dollar price tag that went with it all. The assembled American Magic family greeted the returning team with cheers and tears.
“It’s tough on all of us,” says Hutchinson.
In the immediate future, the American Magic legacy of innovation, hard work, perseverance and sailing prowess will be on full display as the Youth American Magic team take on a strong field of five other Youth teams representing the America’s Cup countries as the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup continues with live racing on a staggered basis through Sept. 21. In this competition, two sets of 6 teams will battle for the right to face off in a winer take all match race to be staged on September 26
The American Magic PUIG Women’s America’s Cup team springs into action starting October 5.
The goal of participation in both of these events to is to create a viable pathway for younger sailors to enter the ranks of international sailing at the highest level.
Meanwhile, the Louis Vuitton best of 7 Finals between Ineos Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli will begin September 26 with a final race slated for Oct. 10.
Be sure to check the America’s Cup website for updated information. Most races will continue to be carried on ESPN+. You Tube is also carrying a good portion of the action either live or delayed.
By Craig Ligibel
