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The approach to the 36th edition of the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy still in use in the history of the sport, has recently started in New Zealand waters. From now until January, after the first test races, the world’s three fastest and most advanced sailboats will compete off Auckland for the right to compete for the America’s Cup against the owners of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, who in charge They have had the traditional advantage of setting the rules of competition – rules that New Zealanders have pushed to the maximum of innovation to get the most benefit from their position.
Unlike the edition of four years ago, in which the crews with catamarans participated, for the America’s Cup 2021 we returned to monohulls. However, they are not simple monohulls: every four years, in fact, the competition raises the bar for innovations in the world of sailing, which then have an impact on the entire sector. The four teams involved designed flying monohulls twenty meters long and five meters wide, with two movable wings protruding from the sides of the hull. The wings (foils) regulate the stability of the monocoque and allow it to “get up in flight” to reach 100 kilometers per hour, offering the least possible resistance to water. The level of innovation provided by the America’s Cup 2021 has been defined as revolutionary: boats, for example, travel in balance on two asymmetric appendages and therefore have electronic data transmission needs classified as “unprecedented” in navigation. For the same reasons, crews had to “squeeze” the available time by training with simulators as is often done with airplanes and racing cars.
According to the regulations, some parts of the boats, such as the mast and the hydraulics that move the wings, will be the same for everyone, but in general a lot of room has been left for experimentation. Consequently, the four boats designed for the new edition look similar, but in reality they are all very different from each other. The competitions, already enriched by the spectacular nature of the boats, will therefore determine who got the design right and who did something wrong. The three challengers of Emirates Team New Zealand are the Italians from Luna Rossa, registered with the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, the Americans from American Magic, registered with the New York Yacht Club, and the British from Ineos Team UK, registered with the Royal Yacht Squadron. .
This is the sixth America’s Cup campaign for Luna Rossa led by owner Patrizio Bertelli, managing director of Prada, a group that has always been associated with the ship and this year joined Pirelli. Just for being the sixth participation, the expectations for Luna Rossa are very high and optimism circulates in the atmosphere. The new boat seems to have the characteristics to re-enter the history of Italian sport and design. The main Italian excellences in the sector have been involved in its development: the construction took place in the Persico shipyards in Bergamo, the plumbing was in charge of the Brianza-based Cariboni group, Pirelli made its technologies available, Prada created technical clothing .
The first of the two Luna Rossa boats built according to the regulations for 2021 was inaugurated by Miuccia Prada last October at the Ichnusa dock in Cagliari, where the team of 110 employees has been preparing for these two years. The second was launched on October 20 in Auckland. The crew includes some of the best sailors in the area. The skipper is Max Sirena, in his seventh participation in the America’s Cup: he was already part of the Luna Rossa in 2000 – winning the Louis Vuitton Cup – in 2003 and 2007, and he won the cup with Oracle and Emirates Team New Zealand. The two helmsmen are the Australian James Spithill, already a winner of two American Cups, and Francesco Bruni, Olympian in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
The approach to the America’s Cup began on the night of Wednesday to Thursday 17 December in Auckland with the Prada World Series races, which will serve to test the new boats in their first competitive context. From January 15 to 22, also in Auckland, the Prada Cup will take place, the competition formerly known as the Louis Vuitton Cup in which Luna Rossa, American Magic and Ineos will compete for the right to go and challenge the New Zealanders between the 6th and the 21. March in the real America’s Cup.
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