Following a dominant performance on Saturday, INEOS Britannia were determined to maintain a building tide of momentum that is feeling somewhat unstoppable at the moment. Two races, and two outstanding performances from the British sees them at 4-0, but they survived what can only be described as a 'near miss' in the pre-start of the first race of the day against Alinghi Red Bull Racing.
After some initial circling attempts in the pre-start area, the Swiss fell off their foils, only to recover but lose control whilst on the give-way port gybe as Britannia hunted them down, at speed, on the right-of-way starboard gybe. Smart sailing from Sir Ben Ainslie avoided a collision and allowed the British to sail off unopposed to a two minute and 20 second victory.
A slightly closer tussle ensued initially in the second race of the day, but ultimately the result was the same. INEOS Britannia showed her power to extend on every leg of the course and record a 48 second win. The British now stand just one race away from making the Louis Vuitton Cup Final.
Racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final resumes today at 14:00 CET with up to two races per pairing. For the sailors and their support teams sitting at 4-0 down, it is set to be a long night as they dissect and analyse every aspect of their performances. For the British and Italian teams at 4-0 up, it's now all about trusting in the process and delivering the knock-out blow.
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