The longest heartbreak in the history of sailing had a remedy: a little chemistry. Ineos Britannia (United Kingdom), owned by billionaire and chemical engineer Jim Ratcliffe, will be the challenger of Team New Zealand, the Defender of the America’s Cup, after beating Luna Rossa (Italy) this Friday on the seventh day of the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup. The team led by Ben Ainslie, helmsman on board and one of the best sailors in the world, has won the final round of candidates by 7 to 4. It will be the first time in 60 years that a British team aspires to win the America’s Cup, a trophy that has never returned to the United Kingdom since its first edition was held on British soil in 1851. 173 years of waiting that Ratcliffe’s money and Ainslie’s talent intend to bury in Barcelona.
It does not seem coincidental that the British helmsman was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire since 2009 for his sporting merits and resides on the Isle of Wight, the islet located south of the United Kingdom that was the scene of the premiere of the longest-running sporting competition in the story. On the occasion of the Great Exhibition in London, a regatta was organized in 1851 that consisted of a lap around the island. The American team, aboard the schooner America, surpassed the 14 English ships that participated and took ownership of the trophy (the Hundred Guineas Jug, known for the monetary value attributed at the time). Since then, the competition has been the America’s Cup and has never returned to the United Kingdom. The last time a British squad aspired to lift the title was in 1964, when the Sovereign lost 3-1 against Constellation in the era of the American iron fist (the US held the throne for 132 years, from the initial race on the Isle of Wight until 1983).
The day was held with more wind than estimated, close to 15 knots, above the between six and nine expected early in the morning (the regulations allow the race to be held with a force of between 6.5 and 21 knots) . And the atmospheric stimulus encouraged both teams, who left a last dance to remember. Ineos Britannia came out earlier and better, but the Italian rebellious spirit turned around at a distance that seemed definitive when reaching 250 meters. They paired again in the middle of the race, but the comeback was not definitive: Ben Ainsle and Dylan Fletcher (the boats are controlled by two helmsmen, who dominate the helm for half of the race depending on whether they steer to port or starboard ) confirmed their great moment (Fletcher unexpectedly joined the team at the beginning of the competition and the couple has responded wonderfully) and the British team shouted when crossing the finish line like those who want to make their voice heard all the way to London shout.
He match The final against Team New Zealand will be held starting next October 22 in the best of 13 races, the same format as this last round of the Louis Vuitton Cup. The team that achieves seven wins will lift the prized Hundred Guineas Jug. If Ineos Britannia aspires to its first trophy, the New Zealanders aspire to become the first team in history to win the title three consecutive times. The Kiwis have the experience. The British, chemistry.
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