FILE PHOTO: Sailing - America's Cup - Louis Vuitton Cup - Final - Britain v Italy - Barcelona, Spain - September 26, 2024 Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team in action during the race against INEOS Britannia REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo
BARCELONA (Reuters) -Britain piled the pressure on Italy in their fight to be challenger for the America's Cup, clinching two tight races on Wednesday in "knife edge" sea conditions to go within one point of winning the first-to-seven Louis Vuitton Cup series.
Both AC75 'foiling' boats were bounced around by choppy seas, at times hitting speeds of more than 50 knots in a stiff Mediterranean breeze which lifted the huge Italian and British flags flying proudly over the team bases in Barcelona.
"It's bloody hard to sail these boats in these waves," British co-helm Ben Ainslie said immediately after the second win, which took Britain to a 6-4 lead in the series, the winners of which get to challenge America's Cup defenders New Zealand.
"Still a long way to go ... still got to get to seven," said the 47-year-old, who has made it his mission to "bring the Cup home" to Britain, who have never won the coveted trophy since it began as an event off the south coast of England in 1851.
A British team has not made the "match" to challenge for the 'Auld Mug' since 1964 and Ainslie, with the backing of INEOS' billionaire boss Jim Ratcliffe has built a boat with the help of Formula One team Mercedes that he hopes can go all the way.
Italy's combative co-helm Jimmy Spithill has other plans for when racing resumes on Friday, after a rest day.
"We'll come out the next day swinging," said Spithill, who acknowledged a stronger performance by his British opponents, adding: "We just couldn't get enough to get an overtake".
Britain built on an early lead in the day's first race after a scrap with Italy in the "pre-start", which is critical to getting a clean start and potentially crucial advantage, and then capitalised on one bad tack by the Italians.
"I think what made the difference today was the pre-starts. The team did an awesome job there and then we sailed the boat well," Ainslie's co-helm Dylan Fletcher said, adding that he was "getting more experienced" in what is his first America's Cup.
In the second race, the teams were neck-and-neck off the start, with Britain taking an early advantage as Ainslie and Fletcher watched for waves that could bring them to a halt.
The crew survived one scare when their boat touched down into the water before recovering its flight, giving the Italians a chance to get back into the race. But the British sped downwind to defend their lead and clinch a key victory.
"Today we just didn't perform well as a team, two different mistakes in the two different races and we didn't deserve the two points, as simple as that," said Italian co-helm Francesco Bruni, adding that the team could do better.
"I'm very confident for Friday," he added.
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Toby Davis)
