Sailing legend Ben Ainslie was reduced to poking fun at his multimillion-dollar British yacht as INEOS Team UK suffered another disastrous day at the America’s Cup warm-up event in Auckland yesterday.
Ainslie was penalized at the start of his race against American Magic and was reminded by the umpire that meant he had to drop back 50m.
“It’ll happen soon enough,” Ainslie replied, frustrated at his yacht’s lack of speed, particularly in light winds, and acknowledging that he would soon fall further than 50m off the pace.
When American Magic crossed the finish line, Ainslie’s crew were five minutes behind and did not finish.
INEOS was well off the pace on the first day of racing on Thursday, when they were unable to finish their second race because of ongoing problems with the high-tech foil arms, which lift the 23m yachts above the water.
They showed glimpses of potential on the second day, including edging Team New Zealand at the start, before their lack of pace proved costly and they again failed to win.
INEOS Team UK are believed to have the largest budget, reportedly bankrolled by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe to the tune of ￡110 million (US$150 million).
The warm-up series, and a one-day regatta today, are the only chance the challengers have to test their match-racing skills before challenger series next month.
The winner of the challenger series are to face Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup in March.
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