Sailing-Britain to test New Zealand dominance in America's Cup duel
Adds weather forecast for racing in paragraphs 4-6
By Alexander Smith
BARCELONA, Oct 12 (Reuters) -Britain and holders New Zealand go head-to-head on Saturday in the opening two races of a first-to-seven series to determine the winner of the America's Cup, with Ben Ainslie's British team in the final for the first time in 60 years.
In the battle for the "Auld Mug", which was first raced in 1851 and is billed as the oldest trophy in international sport, the adage is that "the fastest boat wins", with the two high-tech AC75 foiling monohulls set to be put to the test.
The 37th America's Cup is being contested in the Mediterranean off the Spanish city of Barcelona, where variable winds and unstable sea states in the qualifying events have made sailing conditions challenging.
"The good news is it looks as though we should have some breeze," Regatta Director Iain Murray said during a pre-race briefing on Saturday, adding: "I do have reasonable confidence that we are going to get some races in".
With low cloud hanging over Barcelona, Murray said that there would be some showers, which could affect the wind, which was forecast to "establish itself from about midday".
"Keep your fingers crossed and take a rain jacket," he said.
The duelpits British skipper Ainslie, the most successful Olympic sailor, and his younger co-helm Dylan Fletcher against the New Zealanders, who are skippered by double America's Cup winner Peter Burling and his co-helm Nathan Outteridge.
"The intrigue of the America's Cup is that you don't really know until you line up for the first start ... Two different looking boats, but probably going reasonably similar speeds and it will make for an awesome competition," Burling, 33, said during a pre-match press conference on Friday.
Ainslie's decade-long campaign to "bring the Cup home" has been backed by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and they have worked closely with the Mercedes Formula One team to come up with a race-winning package and end "173 years of hurt".
"We've got a very proud sporting and maritime heritage, and the America's Cup is the one thing that has always been missing from our trophy cabinet," the 47-year-old said as the silverware was presented in Barcelona, along with a traditional Maori haka.
Britain battled their way to challenge New Zealand by beating Italy 7-4 in the Louis Vuitton Cup, with Ainslie's team showing improved speed and handling through the qualifying races as they tweaked both their boat and sailing technique.
New Zealand have been practising alone and also making changes, with team boss Grant Dalton saying he expected the AC75s to be "pretty equal" in speed, meaning whichever gets off the start fastest has a greater chance of controlling the race.
This time the organisers have also included the first America's Cup for women, with Britain and Italy qualifying on Friday for the inaugural final, also scheduled for Saturday.
Murray said that the race committee were aiming to set races which would take around 27 minutes for the America's Cup and 17 to 18 minutes for the women's final.
Italy has already won the Youth America's Cup in the smaller AC40 boats that are being used for the women's event.
Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Toby Davis and Ken Ferris
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
