Now that we have all managed to catch our breath after the frenetic action of last weekend’s first Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America’s Cup cycle in Cagliari it’s time to take a look back over the Italian three-day event to see what we have learned.
No practice day on Friday, three boats racing on Saturday, a three-boat pile-up on Sunday – SailGP’s Big Apple weekend did not go according to plan. Despite all the chaos, season-leaders the Bonds Flying Roos took their third consecutive win after a superb battle with Emirates Team GBR in the final.
Elvstrøm Sails has discovered that Technora fibres and thermoset resins are a winning combination in the quest to improve its sailcloth materials.
They might have been involved in major grand prix offshore racers before, but getting Gitana 18 up onto her foils for the first time was a very big deal for the team.
The painstaking process of working up the new Gitana 18 Ultim trimaran to full functionality reached a major milestone this week with the 32-metre multihull completing taking flight for the first time – albeit only fitted with one foil.
Now that we have all managed to catch our breath after the frenetic action of last weekend’s first Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America’s Cup cycle in Cagliari it’s time to take a look back over the Italian three-day event to see what we have learned.
While the first event of the 38th America's Cup cycle was eagerly awaited, no one dared hope that it would be this good. But over five days the Sardinian town of Cagliari delivered a superb event culminating in a final day that few, if anyone, had anticipated.
A consummate final day performance by the Luna Rossa senior team sees them see off his old team – the America's Cup holders Emirates Team New Zealand. Meanwhile, the Italian Youth and Women crew's fairytale regatta ends in a nightmare.
The second day of racing at the opening Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America's Cup saw another dominant performance by Luna Rossa's Youth and Women crew.
Expectations for the second day of racing at the first Preliminary Regatta of the AC38 were for more crash and burn conditions on the Mediterranean waters of Cagliari. The weather gods had a different plan – but the racing amongst the eight boat fleet was still hugely entertaining nevertheless.