GBR challenge saved from defeat by light winds

THOUGH Prada scored an important win in the only match to be completed in flight 6 of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series for the America’s Cup, GBR Challenge was saved from defeat by the very light winds.

As the time limit for leg 5 of the 6 leg race expired for their race against the underfunded Italian Mascalzone Latino the winds dropped.

GBR Challenge had rallied to lead the Italians at what proved to be the penultimate mark of their course, but the Italian crew, lead by helm Paulo Cian and owner/skipper Vincenzo Onorato followed the line of Prada, on the match directly ahead of them and successfully gambled with a hitch to the right side of the beat to lead the British boat again.

As the Prada team rescued their fortunes to pass Sweden’s widely admired Victory Challenge, breaking the Scandinavian’s unbeaten record, the Italians came from behind to do to the British as Prada did to the Swedes. While the British result was nullified when the abandon signal was fired, the biggest question again was over the GBR team’s inability to make a solid start.

Once more they contrived to start slowly, seemingly prioritising position on the line ahead of keeping the delicate, heavy boat moving. Three times from five starts Wight Lightning has failed to come off the line with anything close to maximum speed.

Meanwhile, Prada announced that they plan to take ITA 80, their second boat, to a yard to modify it, in search of more speed. The boat will go back in the water in early November and will not be used in round robin 2 with the team continuing with Luna Rossa ITA 74.

This announcement has lead to further speculation repairs are needed to their second boat after a rumoured delamination problem sustained when the boat was flown across the equator.