By Alexander Smith
BARCELONA (Reuters) – Britain reached their first America’s Cup final for 60 years on Friday, defeating Italy to set up a head-to-head against holders New Zealand this month off Barcelona.
There were screams and shouts of celebration among the eight sailors on board the British AC75 foiling boat after they crossed the finish line to claim the Louis Vuitton Cup series over Italy and with it the right to challenge New Zealand.
The British have never won the coveted “Auld Mug” since it began off the south coast of England in 1851 and have not qualified for the “match” to challenge for it since 1964.
But skipper Ben Ainslie, with the backing of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has built a boat with the help of Formula One team Mercedes that he hopes can go all the way.
“It’s a massive day for our team,” Ainslie said on the America’s Cup live broadcast, thanking them all for their commitment and the work of the technical and support crew.
“”Ten years of hard work to get to this point .. It’s a big moment for British sailing that’s for sure.”
Ainslie and his crew were joined by Ratcliffe after they were presented with the silverware for beating the Italian team in a tightly-contested race.
The 47-year-old, who is the most successful ever Olympic sailor, has made it his mission to bring the Cup home, spearheading a campaign that has cost more than 100 million pounds ($131 million) to develop a state-of-the art boat.
“There’s a huge investment of time and money and you just want to make it count,” Ainslie said.
The British crew, who on Wednesday broke a stalemate in the first-to-seven series with back-to-back wins, led from the start of Friday’s crucial high-speed contest, holding off repeated challenges from the Italians in perfect sailing conditions.
“It’s tough, but that’s sport and it’s going to be a tough few days for the team, but the better team won and I just want to say ‘well done’ to Ben and Dylan (Fletcher) and the whole (British) team,” said Italian co-helm Jimmy Spithill.
Britain’s Fletcher, who got a late call-up from Ainslie to join him as a helm after years of pestering for a place on board, said the feeling of making the final was “a lifelong dream”.
“The way we have been developing as a team has been fantastic … It’s pretty unbelievable to be sat here,” he said, adding that he was “looking forward to showing what we can do in the America’s Cup next weekend”.
Ainslie’s winning boat was towed back to their port base to the sound of blaring horns, flanked by a flotilla of yachts and launches, with the crew gathered on its deck as they savoured the moment.
The first-to-seven America’s Cup match between New Zealand and Britain will begin on Oct. 12.
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(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Alex Richardson, Christian Radnedge and Ed Osmond)
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