That was the main takeaway from the opening day of the Louis Vuitton Cup final, with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and Ineos Britannia finishing the day with the scoreboard at 1-1 in the best-of-13 series.
A repeat of the challenger series final inAuckland which ended 7-1 in favour of Italy’s Luna Rossa, Ineos Britannia starboard helmsman Sir Ben Ainslie told the Herald in the lead-up to racing that it would be a more competitive affair in Barcelona.
That has proven to be the case in the early stages, with similar boat speeds seeing the sailing performance of the crews in top-end, bumpy conditions deciding the results.
“It was really challenging. It was a little bit like racing a Ferrari on ice; you’re just sort of skating around all over the place” Luna Rossa starboard helmsman Jimmy Spithill said.
“The guys did a good job, the boat was set up well, both teams had to deal with it, and this is going to be a fight ‘til the end. That’s what we want.”
The British had the right to choose what side of the course they wanted to enter from for the opening race of the series as they were the top-seeded team at the end of the round robins. They chose to enter from starboard, but it was the port-entry team who had success in both races.
Luna Rossa took out the first leg of the series by a 46-second margin, getting off the line superbly after setting themselves up in the prestart to attack the breezier lefthand side of the course and force the Brits to tack away immediately.
Ineos Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli ended the opening day of the Louis Vuitton Cup final level at 1-1. Photo / Ian Roman, America's Cup
That saw the Italians build an 11-second lead at mark one, but the wind being at the upper end of the limit and a sea state to match made for challenges the teams have not yet had to deal to this point in the regatta.
“We’ve got a good pace up and down, but the waves are very steep and it’s very easy to get in trouble. These boats are not 100% designed for these conditions,” Luna Rossa coach Philippe Presti said during the race.
“You pick your design average for Barcelona weather which is between eight and 12 [knots] but when there’s 20 you have to sail around the track with that. Hats off to these boys who are doing great with this amazing machine.”
Luna Rossa sailed a strong race, not giving the British the opportunity to cut into the lead on their way to a solid win.
The roles were reversed in the second race of the day, which was slightly delayed due to the wind being a touch too strong and edging above the 21-knot limit momentarily.
Ineos Britannia won the start – though both boats were late to the line - and set themselves up for a strong opening leg.
Luna Rossa did well to hang on their hip for a decent stretch before ultimately having to tack away to find some clean air, and the British were able to build a strong lead.
The Italians stayed in the fight and kept the pressure on Ineos Britannia, but the British sailed a clean, tactical race and picked the breeze well to close out an 18-second win.
The teams will now have a day off from racing, with the series resuming at midnight on Sunday (NZ time).
Louis Vuitton Cup final results
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italy) beat Ineos Britannia (UK) by 46s
