Emirates Team New Zealand wins the Luis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta!

All eyes are now on the Louis Vuitton Cup, starting on Thursday August 29th where every race and every point matters. The Louis Vuitton 37^th America’s Cup is about to get serious. Here’s how the last three days of racing panned out for NYYC’s American Magic:

Day 2 “We are 2-1 after an intense day of racing In Race 1, we outpaced Alinghi Red Bull Racing by a solid 56 seconds, securing the win. However, a difficult start in the second race proved costly against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.  (NYYC AM Facebook page)

Day 3 Day three of the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta was a cruel disappointment for NYYC American Magic.

The crew was preparing for a jousting session with the French when, shortly after a tack back towards the line, a loud bang resonated through the boat that caused both helmsmen to turn their attention to the back of the boat.

After a few minutes assessing if the issue could be remedied quickly, the team made the agonizing decision to retire from the race, leaving the French team to cross the start line unchallenged and claim the single point. (AC Cup news release)

Day 4 While the day ended with mixed results, it was a positive and confidence-building experience for NYYC American Magic as they continued refining their strategies and performance. “We did some things really well today, and like every team, we have to learn how to dominate the start box.” (NYYC AM Facebook page). The great win here is that the Defender ETNZ seems to all of us to be unbeatable, and must have pondered being left in the wake of American Magic on Race Day 4 as AM took the win! A little magic in that going forward – maybe anything is possible!

Day 4 American Magic had wins racing New Zealand, Brittain and Switzerland.

In the end, Lunna Rosa and ETNZ were tied, had a match race and ETNZ prevailed. Emirates Team New Zealand wins the Luis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta!

Standings going into the  Louis Vuitton Cup:

Emirates New Zealand – 1 Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli – 2 NYYC American Magic -3  Inneos Brittania – 4 Alinghi Red Bull Racing – 5  Orient Express Racing Team – 6

August 29 – October 7, Louis Vuitton Cup. And then Oct 12 – 27, the Louis Vuitton 37^th America’s Cup.

Stay tuned!