Alinghi scores for the first time against Britannia

Until almost halfway through the original distance, which was shortened at short notice due to weak winds, Alinghi Red Bull’s elimination seemed certain without a win in the best-of-9 semi-final of the preliminary round, which will determine Team New Zealand’s challenger for the America’s Cup. The Swiss boat fell off the foils once again and was more than 40 seconds behind.

But then the crew with skipper Ben Ainslie made one of their rare mistakes, or rather the wind, which had become a light breeze, caused the British yacht to also slip off the foils and practically come to a standstill.

The Britannia did get going again, but the wind strength dropped again, so that both boats chugged towards the finish at speeds of five to ten knots – and Alinghi Red Bull still stayed within the permitted time limit. The sixth duel of the Red Bull Alinghi – Britannia semi-final will also take place on Monday.