Andy Rice, talks to six-time match racing world champion and the most successful skipper on the World Match Racing Tour, Ian Williams about America’s Cup match racingThere\u2019s no question: the final Prada Cup Round Robin race between INEOS Team UK and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli was any absolute humdinger. With nine lead changes, this scorcher of a three-lap battle demonstrated many of the critical features of match racing in the foiling AC75s.
\nWho better than British match racing supremo Ian Williams to explain the tactics behind the manoeuvres? \u201cThis was a very interesting race due to the fact that Luna Rossa had an apparent boat speed superiority, but INEOS Team UK appeared more confident in their manoeuvres,\u201d explains Williams.
\n\u201cNormally in match racing you\u2019d always take the boat speed advantage, but the boundaries [on an America\u2019s Cup course] mean it is easy to get forced out of phase with the wind shifts. \u201cWhen that happens, you have to do an extra manoeuvre to get back in phase \u2013 but it is very tricky to know when to do that, particularly if there is the risk of a big loss in that manoeuvre.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here, Ian analyses some of the key manoeuvres that the AC75 crews have had to master on the 50-knot foiling machines\u2026
\nStart to leeward
\nAt the start, the key goal for the leeward boat is to be nice and tight to leeward of the boat to windward.
\nIn this race I think the start was a clear win for Luna Rossa. They came back very early for the line and you could hear both Ben [Ainslie] and Giles [Scott] confirm that they thought Luna Rossa were too early.
\nINEOS tacked in a nice spot to windward, but then had a choice to make. One option was to push hard with a view to either \u2018hooking\u2019 the other boat (and forcing them either head to wind or into a tack), or push them to be early for the line. The other was a \u2018soft push\u2019 where you feign the hook but actually your goal is to maintain separation. INEOS pushed hard but neither got the hook nor forced Luna Rossa early for the line, and thus gave up all their separation.
\nThe luff
\nThe next critical incident was when the two boats were lined up after they\u2019d both tacked twice. They were close together on starboard tack with Luna Rossa to leeward. Ben Ainslie was steering from the leeward side so he could get a good view.<\/p>\n
But with the projecting windward foil it must be very difficult for the windward boat to be confident they are keeping clear when the leeward boat luffs. James Spithill did a great job of luffing INEOS from a pretty weak, bow-back position with INEOS well advanced. You could say that Ben overreacted but with the Exclusion Zones [a 3m virtual no-go zone either side], it\u2019s a nervous place to be. When INEOS was forced into a downspeed tack and came off the foils, that was a big gain to Luna Rossa.
\nStaying confident
\nAfter being forced away onto port tack, the British boat picked up a nice right-hand shift and was right back in the game at the top mark. But Luna Rossa were still in control until they made a terrible tack at the top of the course. It looks like the timing was out for lowering the new foil.
\nThis affected the whole race because it looked like, from this moment on, Luna Rossa never trusted their manoeuvres again. And I think that impacted the Italian tactics a lot. There appeared to be a number of tactical errors by Luna Rossa later on, which might well have been down to the fact they didn\u2019t have confidence in their manoeuvres, especially tacking.
\nOn the final beat Luna Rossa could have stuck a lee-bow tack on INEOS but chose to carry on past them. If the positions had been reversed, I\u2019m pretty sure Ben would have tacked and gone for the lee-bow on the Italians, and it would have all but closed out the race.
\nStay in phase
\nDue to hydraulics problems before the start, the Cunningham control couldn\u2019t be adjusted during the race on INEOS Team UK. It appeared their rig was reasonably set up for the upwind conditions but lacking power downwind, forcing the Brits to sail bigger angles. This meant the course boundaries came up even quicker than usual.
\nGenerally the America\u2019s Cup course boundaries make it very hard to stay in phase with the wind shifts, because you often get forced away from the lifted tack. The boundaries change the tactics a lot, and it\u2019s much harder to get control of the race on a narrow course, particularly if you\u2019re not confident to put in close cover tacks.
\nThe Hollywood move
\nOn the final cross before the finish, INEOS Team UK just got across the bow of Luna Rossa, who were calling starboard on the British.
\nIn the words of TV commentator Ken Read, Jimmy Spithill did a \u2018Hollywood\u2019 and tried to show the umpires that the close call is worthy of a penalty [by coming down lower].
\nIt was pretty clear INEOS were always crossing ahead on port, so I think this was a straightforward call for the umpires.
\nIf you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post Match racing tactics: Ian Williams on America\u2019s Cup moves appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Andy Rice, talks to six-time match racing world champion and the most successful skipper on the World Match Racing Tour, Ian Williams about America’s Cup match racingThere\u2019s no question: the final Prada Cup Round Robin race between INEOS Team UK … <\/p>\n