No wind for Christmas Race, but much to analyze for Cup Teams

Auckland, New Zealand - New York Yacht Club American Magic, the U.S. Challenger for the 36th America’s Cup, was unable to complete a planned Prada Christmas Race semifinal match against the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team of Italy on Sunday due to a lack a breeze. No other races were completed, although Emirates Team New Zealand came within a few meters of winning their only attempted race against INEOS Team UK before the 45-minute race time limit expired. 

The Prada Christmas Race was a one-day event with no reserve days, and no winner was declared. Prior to the official Race 1 start time of 15:12 Auckland local time, PATRIOT and the other AC75s had enough wind to sail, and the warmup sessions for each team looked promising. Nevertheless, the breeze faded steadily as Race 1 progressed, eventually rendering the AC75s TE REHUTAI (ETNZ) and BRITANNIA (INEOS Team UK) unable to foil and unable to finish the race. 

The post-race focus for all four teams centered on a deeper evaluation of the racing held during the previous event, the Prada America’s Cup World Series Auckland (December 17-19). For American Magic, the ACWS represented a learning opportunity that will have a profound impact on how the U.S. Challenger chooses to use its remaining development time. 

“Each opportunity you get to sail against another team presents challenges and problems that you see in your shop,” said Terry Hutchinson, Skipper and Executive Director of American Magic. “We'll go out [sailing] and try to answer some of those tomorrow.”