INVITED TEAMS TAKE CENTRE STAGE AT THE PUIG WOMEN’S AMERICA’S CUP

The teams representing yacht clubs from Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden are scheduled for four fleet races with the top three teams progressing through to the Semi-Final stage where they will meet the top three America’s Cup teams. If yesterday’s racing was anything to go by, expect fast and furious racing with hard tactical decisions to be taken on a shifting, difficult course where big-fleet tactics and consistency pay dividends.

The weather today is expected to be similar to yesterday with the ‘Migjorn’ southerly thermal building into the afternoon and delivering an expected 9-12 knots. Iain Murray, Race Director, thinks it unlikely that we will see the same shifts and transitions as yesterday but the exact direction of where the wind finally settles is of some debate across the weather models and forecasts. Sea state is expected to be 0.4 metres from the south.

For the Invited Teams this is a real moment in women’s elite sport. The fleet is filled with Olympic medallists, youth and senior world champions. There is talent everywhere you look and the result of all the hours in the simulator and on the water are about to come to fruition. Tune in and enjoy. This is unmissable, top-flight racing with the inaugural Puig Women’s America’s Cup on the line and a battle to the very end of the regatta.

CHECK BACK HERE AT 14:10 FOR LIVE UPDATES FROM THE RACECOURSE OF THE PUIG WOMEN’S AMERICA’S CUP  

1415 UPDATE:

Winds are too light for racing currently in Barcelona but more breeze is expected. The Race Committee aim to get the first race underway at 1435 CET.

Race 1

After a short delay as the afternoon breeze filled, racing got underway in bottom edge conditions with the fight to stay on the foils, a very real battle. At the start NED get away strongly with SWE, ESP and AUS in contention. A good tack on the left boundary by NED starts a drag race to the right boundary where ESP and AUS have tacked off. NED clear ahead.

AUS pick up a good right shift on the starboard tack to the left at the top of the course as the Race Committee shorten the legs to 1 nautical mile. ESP follow AUS to the left and these two are the big winners with AUS taking the lead and rounding at the first gate 5 seconds ahead. ESP overtake NED at the starboard gate. SWE take the port marker. All the fleet looking for the breeze lines down this run.

AUS gybe cover SWE who are out to the left with CAN. AUS clear ahead on the cross with ESP but this fleet is tight and ESP is pushing hard. Into the final quarter and it’s ESP who pick up breeze in the bottom right quadrant and round ahead of AUS by 4 seconds. Final beat and it’s split tactics. ESP out to the far right and AUS left but all teams having to sail wide angles to keep flying in the 6-7 knots of breeze off the bottom gate.

Three-way at the front with ESP, AUS and SWE fighting to stay on the foils and minimising manoeuvres. ESP keep flying through the tacks and hold a marginal lead, crossing AUS and SWE to head to the right of the course as the others go left. Boats almost pointing at one another on opposite tacks. ESP just ahead and force AUS to duck. At the final windward gate though, AUS seize the lead and bear away at the port marker with ESP ducking and taking the starboard gate, just crossing SWE. Anyone’s game.

AUS and SWE head right (looking down the course) on the final downwind, ESP to the left. At the first cross ESP come across on starboard gybe and force AUS to take their transom. On the next cross, ESP have lost out big time at the right of the course and AUS re-take the lead but are struggling to stay on the foils and forced to sail high angles allowing ESP to re-take the lead.

AUS fall off the foils on a gybe at the right boundary, allowing SWE to sail into second with the finish line in sight. ESP come in on from port, sailing wide angles to stay on the foils and then head far right, almost level with the line and at the gybe fall off the foils. Now can SWE do this? Coming in from the left on the port layline, SWE execute one last foiling gybe and skid across the line in displacement to win the race and take 10 points.

ESP in second, come across the line in displacement to score 7 points and the battle for the podium sees a battle between AUS and CAN in displacement.

The race is stopped and AUS is awarded third place and 5 points, CAN in fourth, NED in fifth and GER in sixth