America’s Cup: Time limits take potential win from Ineos Britannia as racing abandoned on day two of challenger series final

On a day of light conditions in Barcelona, Ineos Britannia could only watch as the clock ticked down on their potential series lead in the Louis Vuitton Cup final.

After opening the best-of-13 series against Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli with the teams taking a win each in top-end conditions, they were at the other end of the wind spectrum on day two.

The day shaped up with the potential for one team to take the upper hand in the series, and after a good start to race three, it looked like the British team was well-poised to do so.

Coming into the final, there were questions about whether or not Ineos Britannia’s boat was designed to cope in the lightest conditions after some issues in that area during the semifinals.

But they answered those questions as they navigated the tricky course well once racing began after a long delay due to the wind being under the 6.5-knot minimum, managing to connect the dots on shifts through the early stages of the race. They were able to hold off a second-leg charge from Luna Rossa and built a solid lead at the halfway point in the six-leg race.

It was on the penultimate leg when the situation became sticky as both teams came off their foils.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and Ineos Britannia were stuck in displacement mode before time limits expired. Photo / Ricardo Pinto, America's Cup

The British had a decent lead at that point and simply needed to stay foiling to get their second win of the series. However, they touched down on a manoeuvre late in the leg and could only hope to find a puff to get going again.

Soon after their hull hit the water, port helmsman Dylan Fletcher was heard telling his team they had 16 minutes to finish the race.

They managed to complete the fifth leg in displacement mode with about 10 minutes left on the clock, but that didn’t leave them anywhere near enough time to finish the downwind leg if they weren’t able to foil.

While they tried hard to find something to help them on their way, they could only watch as the final seconds ticked down before the race was ultimately abandoned; the disappointment clear among those aboard Ineos Britannia.

The teams didn’t hang around once the race was called off, with race management calling it quits for the day.

Racing will resume tomorrow, with races three and four in the series to be run in what is forecast to be a much more reliable breeze.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.