- Sir Ben Ainslie and Ineos Britannia won twice in a positive race on Wednesday
- However, Emirates Team New Zealand still leads the America’s Cup showdown 4-2
The idea is that Kiwis can’t fly and after five days of racing, that message has finally reached the waters of Barcelona. Sir Ben Ainslie and his team have a lifeline in this America’s Cup match.
By taking two wins from two on Wednesday, the prospect of a 7-0 defeat to Emirates Team New Zealand has disappeared, replaced by the possibility of another famous Ainslie comeback.
With a 4-2 deficit, the odds are still stacked against Ineos Britannia, but for the first time in the final the momentum is on their side and their opponents suddenly seem vulnerable.
This was most clearly demonstrated in the pre-start of the day’s opening race, when the New Zealanders fell from their foil onto their hulls and sat motionless for a while before having to hide for 78 seconds – it was the first real mistake from skipper Pete Burling. the match and the largest margin of defeat for both sides.
In the second race, Ainslie outwitted Burling at the start and then held on through the toughest battles for a seven-second victory. “We’re back in it,” he declared to his team, and what a difference it was from Sunday when he called a commentator a “f****** w*****” when he was 3-0 down. ‘.
Sir Ben Ainslie and his team have a lifeline in this America’s Cup match after a brilliant Wednesday
By taking two wins from two on Wednesday, the prospect of a 7-0 defeat against Emirates Team New Zealand has disappeared
Capturing the improved mood, he went on to say, “That was a solid team effort. That applied to everyone, here and in the country. There is still a long way to go, but the comeback has begun. Every day we get better at sailing this boat.”
The lessons learned during Tuesday’s rest day seem to be paying off. Unlike the defending champions, who spent the day on shore, Ainslie and his team took to the water and, according to Leigh McMillan, their sail trimmer, “threw the boat around.”
It shook loose an improved performance and renewed hope that Ainslie can pull off another heist, as he did for the Americans from 8-1 to the New Zealanders in the 2013 final.
They were aided on Wednesday by conditions that remained light in terms of wind strength, but saw much bumpier sea states. Britannia had theorized over the past week that their foil shape would give them an edge in choppier waters compared to the flat sailing we’ve seen so far, and that was confirmed in race five.
Burling attempted a gybe during the pre-start dance when his yacht came off the foil and essentially belly flopped. Ainslie rubbed salt water into the wound by sailing over their bow twice in the final moments before the horn, covering the New Zealanders in gusts of wind and preventing them from gaining the speed needed to become airborne. Looking back at their deadlocked rivals, the British built a lead of over 1,400 meters as they cruised to a huge victory.
The second session was considerably tighter, which will be more satisfying for Ainslie and his co-driver Dylan Fletcher. They took victory in the cat-and-mouse game of pre-start, having been second best to the younger Burling so often from Saturday to Monday, and the yacht also answered some key questions about its speed.
Ineos was aided by conditions that remained light in terms of wind strength, but saw much bumpier sea states
Most prominent among them was the question of whether they could sail away from the New Zealand boat if they had a lead. Over the first three days of racing, the British had repeatedly seen their deficit widen after falling behind, so victory in race six showed they are capable of doing the same.
Racing resumes on Friday with much brighter prospects for the challengers.