WAC: 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd: an upward trend on day one of the Women’s America’s Cup
Saturday morning heralded the historic opening day of the first ever Women’s America’s Cup and the five Orient Express - L’Oréal Racing Team women sailors were cheered off the dock by their families, the team and partners. Fully aware of the significance of the moment, Manon Audinet, Pauline Courtois, Audrey Ogereau, Aloise Retornaz, and Amélie Riou savoured every instant before heading to Port Olympic, the technical base for the AC40s, to get into the zone!
With four fleet races scheduled for Group A on day one of the Puig Women’s America’s Cup, the Orient Express - L’Oréal Racing Team squad was eager to get underway: "The wait over the past few weeks has been long. It's our turn at last and we are so proud and very honoured to be part of this first Women's America’s Cup," said skipper and trimmer Manon Audinet before leaving the dock.
Tricky conditions on the opening day
The first two races of the day were less than ideal for the French team with a difficult start in race 1 and tricky conditions in race 2 that resulted in two bottom of the leaderboard finishes. But the girls fought back, posting a 4th and a 3rd in the final two races of the day.
Pilot Pauline Courtois commented: "The weather on the course was tricky; the forecasts didn't predict this wind transition and windless zone, which caught us out a bit! We got back into the game though in the last two races with a great gybe in the final one. We made good progress throughout the day; that’s our takeaway, and that’s what we aim to achieve in the next four races. We are within reach of the other competitors to make the cut in two days time."
Tonight, the focus is on debriefing and making adjustments, with the goal of coming back stronger on Tuesday and trying to get through this first selection stage.
Orient Express - L’Oréal Racing Team Crew
- Pilots: Audrey Ogereau and Pauline Courtois
- Trimmers: Aloise Retornaz and Manon Audinet
- Coach and substitute: Amélie Riou
General Rankings as of Saturday, October 5:
- Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA): 33 points
- Athena Pathway (GBR): 29 points
- Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL): 18 points
- Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI): 15 points
- Orient Express - L’Oréal Racing Team (FRA): 11 points
- NYC American Magic (USA): 6 points