After a decade of preparation and a tense final 30 minutes waiting for the wind, Ineos Britannia's bid for the 37th America's Cup got off to the worst possible start. The team finds itself trailing 2-0 in the best-of-13 series after the opening day of racing. Great Britain's skipper, Ben Ainslie, and his crew must quickly find a way to catch up if they are to prevent the series from slipping away.
"It's not the start we were hoping for," Ainslie acknowledged. "We just couldn't quite match their pace around the course, but there are areas we need to improve." One thing was evident: Emirates New Zealand, led by skipper Pete Burling, is not about to make any mistakes that could hand them the victory. Their performance was nearly flawless. Conversely, Ineos Britannia faced a last-minute battery issue that delayed their entry into the start box, allowing Burling to seize control of the race from the outset. New Zealand dominated all six legs of the first race, winning by 54 seconds to take a 1-0 lead.
In the aftermath of the finish, Ainslie assured everyone that "there's still a long way to go, so don't worry, we'll keep pushing." And push they did. The second race of the day was tighter, with the British boat neck and neck through the first half. The lead changed hands four times during the second leg, but New Zealand pulled ahead in the second half to win by 27 seconds.
"I've always known it would be tough," Ainslie said. "But that's the nature of the competition, and we're committed to keep fighting."
