After an early morning photo session at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, one of the most emblematic and prominent places in the impressive city of Barcelona, the four helmsmen who will compete in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match have faced the gaze of the media from around the world at the press conference.
Peter Burling and Nathan Outteridge represented the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, while on behalf of INEOS Britannia, the Challenger of Record, Sir Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher took the stage.
During the press conference a coin was tossed to decide the entry ends of the pre-start area and, with Emirates Team New Zealand winning, they will enter on the port side.
October 11, 2024. Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Press Conference. EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND, Nathan Outteridge & Peter Burling, INEOS BRITANNIA, Ben Ainslie, Dylan Fletcher.
Before the press conference officially began, the America’s Cup trophy was brought on stage by the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, who performed an impressive and traditional “Haka” to present the challenge to INEOS Britannia as the 173-year-old trophy was brought on stage and placed in its Louis Vuitton display case.
October 11, 2024. Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Press Conference. EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND, Peter Burling & Nathan Outteridge
Peter Burling, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand, has summed up the feeling of excitement and tension in the air:
“It’s an incredibly special and exciting time, we’re really looking forward to getting out there and getting the racing started tomorrow.”
“I think the mystery of the America’s Cup is that you don’t know anything until you line up and make the first start, but we’re very happy with the team we have and I’m sure the Brits will be very happy with the team they have, different boats, but probably reasonably similar speeds, which will make for some incredible racing.”
October 11, 2024. Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Press Conference. INEOS BRITANNIA, Ben Ainslie & Dylan Fletcher.
Sir Ben Ainslie, skipper of INEOS Britannia, has explained what it means to the team and to British sport to have reached the final:
“It’s a proud moment for us as Britons, we have a very valuable sporting and maritime heritage, and the America’s Cup is the one thing that has always been missing from our trophy cabinet.”
“It’s an incredible opportunity for our team, but at the same time we’re up against incredible defenders who are going for their third win in a row, and we know that’s the ultimate challenge. In a way, we have nothing to lose and a lot to gain, so we’re fully prepared and excited about what lies ahead.”
And Ainslie added: “I’m very fortunate to have won the Cup before, but not with Great Britain; but it’s not about me, it’s about the team, and we know that the America’s Cup is about teamwork par excellence: that’s what drives us as an organization. We’ve been on a mission to get to the final for ten years, and it’s a great opportunity; we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.
Looking ahead to the competition, Nathan Outteridge commented on the importance given to the pre-start and the start:
“As everyone saw, the Louis Vuitton Cup Final was a great event, with incredible battles in the pre-start and on the course.”
“We’ve been very attentive to what Ben, Dylan and the team have been doing, trying to study their moves and counter-moves, and I’m sure they’ll be trying to guess what we’re going to do tomorrow as well. I think what we’ve seen in racing is that these boats are incredibly evenly matched in terms of performance and the start is going to be really critical, so both teams are going to put a lot of effort into their start execution. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow.”
Heading into the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match, there are many unanswered questions and variants. In previous America’s Cup Matches, it was said that the moment the two boats lined up on the starting line, “we knew” the result.
In the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match, that will certainly not be the case. With both teams able to adapt to the conditions, it is highly unlikely that there will be an outright winner.
October 11, 2024. Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Press Conference. EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND, Nathan Outteridge & Peter Burling, INEOS BRITANNIA, Ben Ainslie & Dylan Fletcher.
Let’s look at the strengths and weaknesses of both teams:
Emirates Team New Zealand
The word “team” in Emirates Team New Zealand is powerful and emblematic of one of the best teams in world sport, where everyone in this horizontally structured team wears the crest with pride.
The question to be answered on Saturday is whether we have seen their boat Taihoro at full race pace yet. The answer is surely “no”, but they won the Preliminary Regatta and topped the standings at the end of the two Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robins before bowing out.
It is difficult to find weaknesses in the Defender’s armor, but the start has proven to be a weak point and this is where the British will try to capitalize and get an early advantage, in addition to the downwind VMG angles, which could also be exploited by Britannia.
On the positive side, Emirates Team New Zealand has demonstrated an unmatched ability to lead with speed and close races with few tactical or positional errors. Beating the Kiwis is an impressive challenge, but the Brits will be hoping that their close series with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli will make them fitter from the start. Emirates Team New Zealand remains the favourite to lift the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup.
INEOS Britannia
The team that has shown remarkable improvement throughout the Louis Vuitton Cup comes into the Match confident after winning the last three races in a row against a fast Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.
The manner in which they won is as important as the fact that they won, and the Brits will be looking to pick up speed throughout. After winning the Louis Vuitton Cup, Bleddyn Mon, trimmer and mechanical engineer aboard Britannia, said: “We still have a couple of aces up our sleeve. They will certainly need them to beat the Kiwis in the Match.
As a bet on technology, INEOS Britannia has the computing power and support of the Mercedes F1 team to take on anyone, and between Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher they share five Olympic gold medals (and one silver).
On the negative side, they have been prone to unforced errors, margin penalties and delayed starts, something Emirates Team New Zealand would punish harshly. While many of the sail decisions in the Louis Vuitton Cup final were sound, they have been prone to sail selection problems in previous rounds.
It is the first time in over 60 years that Britain has participated in an America’s Cup Match and, as the team says, trying to bring the trophy back to the Royal Yacht Squadron headquarters in Cowes is the “challenge of a lifetime”. However, anything is possible in this unpredictable tournament.
Racing starts on Saturday, October 12 with two races scheduled. The forecast is for light winds over the weekend, which will test the performance of the boats in these conditions, but is sure to provide a fascinating spectacle on the waters off Barcelona.
For sailing fans around the world, the most important event on the sport’s calendar has arrived. The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup will be a classic and the winner will lift the oldest trophy in international sport.
The Marquis of Anglesey, the great war hero of the Battle of Waterloo, who bought the trophy in 1848 before donating it to the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight in 1851, would surely be delighted to see what the then RYS Challenge Cup has become and what we are about to see on the waters off Barcelona 173 years later.
Game on.
