INEOS Rebels UK ended the day third, but tied on points with their arch-rivals from the 2018 GC32 Racing Tour, Franck Cammas’ NORAUTO after GC32 Worlds’ opening day in Lagos, Portugal.
Thursday’s grandes cajones prize went to Ben Ainslie who courageously steered the INEOS Rebels UK GC32 across the bows of the entire starting fleet, without rights on port tack, in the final race.
The move, described by Ainslie as “a Boris Johnson ‘do or die’ move” gave them the final race win and they sit in fourth place with all four teams within one point.
The Swiss team Alinghi of Arnaud Psarofaghis won the first two races in the more stable conditions, and then race four.
While Adam Minoprio on Oman Air won race three, the first in the northwesterly breeze, which Minoprio attributed to playing some shifts better up the second beat.
GC32 2019 World Championship – Day 1 after 5 races
1st Oman Air 3 3 1 6 5 – – 18 pts
2nd Alinghi 1 1 8 1 7 – – 18 pts
3rd INEOS Rebels UK 4 6 6 2 1 – – 19 pts
4th NORAUTO 2 2 3 9 3 – – 19 pts
5th Argo 7 7 2 3 4 – – 23 pts
6th Red Bull Sailing Team 5 10 5 5 2 – – 27 pts
7th Team Tilt 6 4 4 8 6 – – 28 pts
8th Zoulou 8 8 7 4 9 – – 36 pts
9th CHINAone NINGBO 9 5 10 10 8 – – 42 pts
10th Black Star Sailing Team 10 9 9 7 10 – – 45 pts
