There’s a new burgee on board Luna Rossa, and it’s a familiar one—at least in Naples. For its seventh America’s Cup campaign, the Italian challenger will race under the colours of the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia (CRVI), the city’s oldest sailing club and one of the most storied in the Mediterranean.
As the Cup returns to Italy—remarkably, for the first time in its 176-year history—this changing of the guard feels more like a homecoming than a reset. It also marks the end of a successful run with Circolo della Vela Sicilia (CVS), under whose flag Luna Rossa campaigned through three Cup cycles, including the team’s memorable win in the 2021 Prada Cup.
“For the first time in 176 years of history, the America’s Cup is being held in Italy, in Naples,” said Patrizio Bertelli, President of Luna Rossa. “For this reason, after three consecutive editions in collaboration with the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, it felt natural to be represented by a yacht club that, in addition to enjoying an extraordinary international reputation, also has a profound connection with the city.
“On behalf of the team, I would like to thank the CVS, its members, and its President Agostino Randazzo for the support and affection with which they have accompanied us over these years. Together we have experienced extraordinary moments, crowned by the unforgettable victories in the 2021 PRADA Cup in Auckland and the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona. We are certain that CVS will be a protagonist of other important challenges, and we wish them every success in their future endeavours.”
CRVI—founded in 1889—is well known as the organiser of the Regata dei Tre Golfi and as a steady contributor to youth development in Italian sailing. For team director Max Sirena, the new partnership is as much about community as it is about competition.
“We are pleased to have the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia at our side for the 38th America’s Cup,” Sirena said. “A long-standing cradle of young talent and the organiser of the famous Regata dei Tre Golfi, we are honoured to have its burgee flying aboard Luna Rossa. The sporting heritage of the ‘Italia’, combined with a profound culture of the sea and sailing, represents an added value for our team as we prepare to race in the waters of the Gulf of Naples.”
While CRVI prepares to take on its new Cup responsibilities, there was heartfelt appreciation from CVS, whose flag has flown proudly aboard Luna Rossa since the AC35 campaign.
“I would like to thank Patrizio Bertelli, Max Sirena and the entire team for these intense fourteen years of shared challenges and emotions,” said Agostino Randazzo, President of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia. “Seeing the burgee of the Circolo della Vela Sicilia flying on Luna Rossa has been a source of great pride and emotion for me and for all our members.
“It has truly been a privilege to stand alongside such an extraordinary team as Luna Rossa, capable of bringing Italy to the highest international levels in sailing. We will continue to support the Italian yacht with the same passion as always, and we wish our friends at the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia all the best in accompanying her toward ever greater successes.”
For Roberto Mottola di Amato, President of CRVI, the opportunity to partner with Luna Rossa during the first-ever Cup to be hosted in Naples brings both prestige and responsibility.
“We are deeply honoured and excited to stand alongside Luna Rossa in this new adventure that will bring the 38th America’s Cup to our Gulf,” he said. “The bond between the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia and the city of Naples is long-standing and unbreakable, dating back to 1889—just like our mission to promote Italian sailing excellence around the world.
“Seeing our burgee aboard such an iconic boat fills us with great pride and responsibility. We are extremely honoured to represent, alongside the Luna Rossa team, our Club ‘Italia’ and our Country in the first-ever America’s Cup held in Italy and Naples. This collaboration is also a unique opportunity to inspire our young Cadets and Athletes, who will be able to experience up close the thrill and commitment of a challenge at the highest level, through their own Club, fuelling their passion and their dreams.
“We thank Luna Rossa for their trust, which acknowledges the dedication of our many Members who, over the years, have worked hard to achieve prestigious results—and we will continue to commit ourselves with the same passion to support this extraordinary sporting challenge. A heartfelt thanks also goes to the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, twinned with our Club, and to its President Agostino Randazzo, a long-time friend. We are proud to take your place and will do our utmost to work as well as you have done, with dedication and success, over these past years and during so many America’s Cup campaigns alongside Luna Rossa.”
With the 38th America’s Cup now just under two years away, Luna Rossa’s home campaign is starting to take shape—new colours, familiar faces, and a city ready to embrace the Cup like never before.
