Auckland, New Zealand – 1/16/2021 – New York Yacht Club American Magic fell in both of its races on Day 2 of the Prada Cup, the Challenger Selection Series for the 36th America’s Cup.
In extremely light conditions, all three teams spent large portions of both races held on Saturday in “displacement mode,” fighting hard to find any and all pressure on the inner-harbor race course near Auckland’s North Head. American Magic’s AC75, PATRIOT, struggled in both pre-starts and while dramatic comebacks were engineered partway through both races, it was ultimately not enough. The U.S. Challenger now stands at 0-3 in the round robin stage of the event.
“It’s hard racing when it’s like that,” said Terry Hutchinson, Skipper and Executive Director of American Magic. “We had a little bit of discussion in the pre-start about almost racing as if the other team was not there, connecting the dots of the breeze and doing the best job that we could. But it was hard. And, you know, sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield.”
Round Robin 1, Race 3: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli defeated New York Yacht Club American Magic
Both American Magic and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli entered the day with 0-1 records, both having fallen to INEOS Team UK on Friday. Race 3 of the Prada Cup started on Saturday in a soft southerly breeze with both boats foiling into the starting box. A slight left shift put Luna Rossa at risk of incurring a penalty as the Italian boat tried to cross PATRIOT, but Francesco Bruni, the port-side helmsman for Luna Rossa, was just able to squeak past the American team.
American Magic, in attempting to score a penalty on Luna Rossa, took a sudden deep dive into the starting box after entry. This ended up as an expensive maneuver, as it caused PATRIOT to fall off her foils. After the close encounter, Luna Rossa favored the starboard side of the box while American Magic stuck close to the pin. The Italians soon fell off their foils as well, and entered displacement mode as the clock ticked down to the start.
However, Luna Rossa was the first team back in the air, foiling across the starting line shortly after the gun while American Magic took approximately 30 seconds to get back up on its foils and cross the line. Though Luna Rossa jumped out to a significant lead, the light and variable wind conditions quickly turned the race into a game of chutes and ladders.
Luna Rossa’s larger foils appeared to give it a slight edge in the marginal conditions and Challenger of Record built on its lead through the second half of the first beat. The black and red yacht rounded the windward mark while American Magic was stuck in displacement mode halfway up the first beat.
“Were we expecting this? You know, right now we’re sailing statistically in the windiest month of the year,” said Hutchinson. “I think when you design [the boat] and you make these decisions, you’re hedged. If this is the worst of it, then we’ll put it behind us and we’ll keep moving forward.”
At this point the race turned in favor of American Magic. Helmsman Dean Barker and the team were able to get the boat foiling and fly around the windward mark, while Luna Rossa struggled in a lull midway through the run. A 500-meter lead for the Italian team quickly disappeared as American Magic foiled past Luna Rossa and built a 500-meter lead of its own before falling again into displacement mode.
It was then the Italian’s turn to take control, and this time for good. Luna Rossa picked up a puff higher up the course and foiled past PATRIOT two-thirds of the way down the run. The Italians stayed up in the air around the leeward mark as American Magic finally received the same breeze, executed a speed-build and takeoff, and rounded exactly one minute later.
“The other guys were flying and we were stuck in the water a bit,” said Hutchinson. “So you have to keep [the team’s performance] in perspective. The racecourse was filled with minefields.”
Staying on the foils remained a touch-and-go proposition, but a slight increase in the average pressure shut down any hopes of a comeback for American Magic in the final two legs. With a course shortened by the Race Committee from six legs to four, Luna Rossa was able to mostly stay up on its foils on the second lap of the course and claim its first point of the Prada Cup.
Cover photo: PRADA Cup 2021 – Dockside Spectators at the American Cup Race Village following the race. Photo © COR 36 | Studio Borlenghi
