For the second preliminary regatta of the 38th America’s Cup, Luna Rossa imposed its will at home ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand. Long in contention for the final, Tudor Team Alinghi leaves Naples with a frustrating result, but above all with confirmation that the Swiss challenge now has the speed to mix it with the best.
The final ranking matters, but on its own it doesn’t explain the complex reality of racing at Cup level. On Sunday morning, before the last two fleet races sailed in the Bay of Naples, Tudor Team Alinghi was still in third place, in contention for a spot in the final. A few hours later, the Swiss challenge finished a frustrating 6th, level on points (44) with American Racing Challenger Team USA and the Women & Youth crews of Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand. Out in front, Luna Rossa’s senior team ran away with it on 71 points, against 56 for Emirates Team New Zealand and 48 for La Roche-Posay Racing Team…
Even so, Naples marked significant progress for Alinghi since the first preliminary regatta in Cagliari. Paul Goodison and Phil Robertson on the helm, supported by Swiss sailor Nicolas Rolaz and Italian Pietro Sibello on trim, showed they can now operate at the front of the fleet. On Friday, their second place behind Luna Rossa was telling: the Swiss AC40 averaged 32.29 knots, against 32.33 for the Italian boat. In other words, virtually no difference in pure speed. Saturday confirmed the trend. Despite a hydraulic problem and a chain caught around a foil before launching, Alinghi came back from last place to finish second in the day’s first race, then followed up with a third. In a bay swept by a breeze rising to nearly 21 knots, the AC40s topped 47 knots at peak speed. The Swiss ended the day third overall, just five points behind Emirates Team New Zealand.
Sunday was crueler. A penalty in the first race all but closed the door on the final. In the last race, Alinghi was still second at the first windward mark when a poor gybe caused a touchdown. “We were one gybe away from a good result,” a particularly frustrated Paul Goodison summed up afterwards…
Italians versus Kiwis
Up front, Luna Rossa put on a masterclass. Peter Burling, Marco Gradoni, Maria Giubilei and Gianluigi Ugolini won the last two fleet races before beating Emirates Team New Zealand in the match race. The Italians, who had already won all three practice races, thus take their second consecutive preliminary regatta. Behind them, the French crew of La Roche-Posay alternated flashes of speed with two capsizes, yet still snatched third place. The Americans won the regatta’s first race, while the New Zealand and Italian Women & Youth crews regularly battled with the senior teams. GB1 and Cobham-Ultra GB2 had a tougher weekend, notably marked by technical problems for the former.
The next announced event will again take place in Naples, but this time in AC75s, just before the Louis Vuitton Cup. The Match of the 38th America’s Cup will begin on July 10, 2027.
Learn more: americascup.com
