Playing with the big boys

GBR Challenge beaten by Prada in today's finals at the America's Cup Jubilee Regatta

Prada opted for a symmetrical spinnaker while GBR 52 went for their asymmetrical gennaker. After several converging gybes the two teams separated, with Luna Rossa holding the inside line, and GBR Challenge the starboard side. However, just as the fight was getting interesting, Prada's symmetrical spinnaker split. GBR 52 rounded nearly four boat lengths ahead: "We have never had that happen to us before," said De Angelis.

From behind there is little you can do on the upwind leg other than attempt to draw the leading boat in to a tacking duel, which is exactly what De Angelis went for. Walker responded with a loose cover, enough to defend the lead, while also maintaining boat speed and focus on staying in front with reasonable separation.

On rounding the windward mark for the second and final time GBR 52 had extended her lead to 29 seconds. It was a slick hoist, one of the best in the event so far, yet 11 seconds in to the run their brand new asymmetric spinnaker exploded: "Our team did a good job of recovering. It just wasn't quite enough," responded Walker. The event appeared to catch the whole team off guard, with no replacement immediately available.