#ACWSNaples: Shoots and ladders

Naples, Italy (April 18, 2013) – A competitive fleet of nine AC45 catamarans skippered by some of the world’s best sailors combined with unsettled wind conditions to produce an exciting opening day at the America’s Cup World Series Naples.

Ben Ainslie’s J.P. Morgan BAR crew hold the early lead in the series after placing 3-1 in the two fleet races to lead Dean Barker’s Emirates Team New Zealand crew by 1 point. The Kiwis finished 1-4.

“It was one of those days when you want to survive because it would have been easy to pick up some bad results,” said Ainslie, the four-time Olympic Gold medalist. “The wind was so shifty today coming over the headland. That was the biggest challenge.”

Reports from the race course on the Bay of Naples indicated that the wind was shifting from south/southwest to nearly west, an arc of some 35 degrees, and ranged in strength from 8 to 12 knots. Barker echoed Ainslie in finding the conditions challenging.

“There was no real rhythm to it today,” said Barker, an America’s Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup champion. “At times there were big gains to be had on the right side, and other times you could sail yourself into no wind. There were big gains and losses, particularly at the top of the course. I think we managed the course as well as we could today.” – Full report