Women’s America’s Cup: Luna Rossa struggles and moves closer to second phase

Interlude day in Barcelona for the Puig Women America’s Cup, with the women’s crews facing a day of light wind and long wave with the AC 40s. Difficult conditions, with the wave not aligned with the wind direction, and the foiling of the AC 40s always hanging by a thread at every tack. The result was a day’s schedule that the Race Committee managed to stick to only partially, bringing home only one race for Group A, the one where Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s crew is also included .

Puig Women America’s Cup – race 5 group A

Not the easiest day for the Italian girls who, after a good start, try to race in the leading group and succeed throughout the first upwind, with a head to head with New Zealanders and British for the top 3. At the upwind gate, however, the cards are reshuffled, the wind drops again to the 6-knot mark and Luna Rossa falls off the foils, resulting in a confused phase with several AC 40s struggling to get back up. Eventually the Swiss of Alinghi stretch out on a little pressure and go on to take the win in a Russian roulette race, with the Italians finishing in fourth place after course reduction. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is joined at 36 points at the top of the Group A standings by the British, when there are 3 races left to the end of the round robin. The rules state that the top 3 boats in the standings, out of 6, advance to the next phase, from which then the top two crews will be selected for the final dry match race. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has won 3 of the 5 races held so far, the British are ahead in the standings by virtue of equal points with best finish in the last race held. It is back on the water tomorrow morning with 3 regattas scheduled for Group A, while in the afternoon the finals should already begin with the top three in Group B, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands, already qualified.