Sailing-Italy survives nosedive to square America’s Cup challenger series with Britain

BARCELONA, Spain :Italy recovered from a high-speed nosedive in their first race against Britain on Tuesday, bouncing back in strong winds in the second to level the series in what both teams are framing as a “fight” to become the America’s Cup challenger.
The Italians have suffered several setbacks with their AC75 boat during the long campaign to become the challenger for the ‘Auld Mug’, which dates back to 1851.
In conditions which tested both crews to the limits, with the winds at times exceeding the top of the range at which a race can start, the boats hit speeds of more than 50 knots.
The teams are now level on four wins each in the first-to-seven Louis Vuitton Cup, with the victors getting to challenge defenders New Zealand for the America’s Cup.
“The thing that I’m happy about is that every time we’ve had to face an issue we’ve actually got stronger and stronger,” co-helm Jimmy Spithill said of Italy’s recovery.
“You are always going to face some sort of adversity at the top end and the key thing for us is we know we can deal with it,” the America’s Cup veteran added.
“We’re going to carry that momentum into tomorrow and we’ll get ready for the fight,” Spithill said.
The Italians’ sleek silver foiling monohull had crashed bow-first into the Mediterranean waters off Barcelona. The dramatic splash down came as it picked up speed after bearing away from the top mark of the first leg of eight in the head-to-head race.
The Italians forfeited the race with their support team using tape to patch up their ‘silver bullet’, finishing it just in time for the crew to make the start of the second.
This started with an error in the ‘pre-start’ by the British who incurred a distance penalty which they could not shake until they crossed the line, gifting Italy an early lead.
“We had a few issues of our own at the start of the second, which put us on the back foot,” British co-helm Ben Ainslie said when back in port in Barcelona.
“The balance is right on a knife edge … and of course the more races we go through it’s getting more and more critical … so tomorrow is a big day,” he said.
“I love a good fight. If you’re into sport and you want to compete at the highest level, you’ve got to be ready for a fight, and this is it,” Ainslie added.
Asked if he was nervous about the battle ahead, the 47-year-old replied smiling: “Nerves? I don’t know what nerves are.”
Racing is set to continue on Wednesday.