Naples, ItalyNaples, ItalyNaples, ItalyNaples, ItalyIt has been coming for a while – and both American Magic and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli have got very, very close – but today the America’s Cup holders, Emirates Team New Zealand, gave a festive reminder as to why they are such a potent force in the Cup world that they dominate
The Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team closed out their 2022 sailing programme today with a solid three-hour session out by the marine-protected area of Villasimius in search of the promised Levante breeze that eventually arrived late in the afternoon.
There were no high fives just professional satisfaction today out in Palma as the INEOS Britannia Team took flight un-aided onboard the silver-liveried LEQ12 and very quickly, the multi gold-medallists Sir Ben Ainslie and Giles Scott, had her rocketing at 30 knots, offering up the very best Christmas present for all fans of the British team.
Emirates Team New Zealand kicked off the Christmas week of their re-vamped LEQ12 programme with a light-weather day out on the Hauraki Gulf as the north easterly breeze filled and faded all afternoon.
It’s official, the speed of 222.43km/h (138.21mph) achieved by Emirates Team New Zealand and Glenn Ashby in Horonuku on 11th of December at Lake Gairdner in South Australia has been officially ratified and confirmed as the new World Record Speed of a wind powered land yacht by the World Land Sailing Organisation, Federation International de Sand et Land Yachting (FISLY).
They had their Santa hats on at the crew briefing this morning before the New York Yacht Club American Magic Team docked-out early and took to the water for a Saturday blast around a blustery Pensacola Bay. And it was one heck of a sail with the team covering some 54 nautical miles and throwing in a total of 65 manoeuvres.
Short and sweet but utterly worthwhile was the tale of the tape today out La Sella del Diavolo, Cagliari, as Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli did their level best to squeeze more time-on-the-water as they run through their LEQ12 development programme. But mother nature was proving to be a tricky mistress all day with light winds dominating and the weather team doing their best to find a window.
Perception and reality – the two imposters of any America’s Cup campaign were on display out in Pensacola yesterday. Headlines could scream ‘capsize’ – and with Patriot we’ve been there spectacularly before – but the reality is that the team had an almost perfect day in terms of manoeuvres before hitting debris in Pensacola Bay, stalling and plopping over
Emirates Team New Zealand made a return to Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf today on their newly repaired and rebranded AC40 for its first sail since the nosedive causing bow structure damage just over three weeks ago.
INEOS Britannia went to the Rules Committee to enquire about the use of a “tow mast” to use during their tow testing on their LEQ12. The rules in question are: TR 4.1, TR 4.4, TR 4.16, and 75 1.4. Here is a breakdown of the decision, which is still open and includes responses from other America’s Cup teams.
The America’s Cup documentary team were down filming at the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli base today and out in the Bay of Angels and as far as footage was concerned, they couldn’t have wished for more action. With what Sailing Team Coach, Hamish Wilcox described as “a long river of wind blowing in from Gibralta,” the Italian LEQ12 headed out for a very blustery but short blast in the early afternoon –
“The boat is going better day by day,” was how Francesco Bruni described the progress being made by the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team out at the team’s winter training base in Cagliari and he’s certainly not wrong.
Making the difficult look easy is a rare skill in sport. It’s what defines the great from the rest and on Friday in Pensacola – the ‘City of Five Flags’ – it was a deeply impressive offshore session outside of the Bay that saw American Magic really put down its marker in this America’s Cup cycle.
Hopes were high for an opportunity at a world record run on Saturday for the Land Speed team out on Lake Gairdner in South Australia.
Hamish Wilcox, the ace Kiwi sailor who has been involved in no less than four Cups, a Round the World Race and won three 470 dinghy world titles before going on to coach Peter Burling and Blair Tuke to six world titles and an Olympic gold medal in the 49er class, was spotted taking notes out on a busy, but short, session for the team.
It was a welcome sight to see Sir Ben Ainslie leading from the front today out in a very placid and peaceful, if somewhat chilly Palma, Mallorca and bringing to this America’s Cup cycle a new acronym that is straight out of Formula 1 (we presume).
When Vittorio Bissaro, the Flight Controller onboard the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli LEQ12 spoke about the auto-pilot being: “a lot better than humans,” he wasn’t joking albeit said with an Italian smile.
After what has seemed like endless weather delays over the past couple of months, finally Horonuku got to stretch its legs on a dry Lake Gairdner with breeze that is edging closer into the required zone for world record attempts.
Glassy seas, but an ominous sky greeted the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team out today deep in the Gulf of Cagliari – the Golfu de Casteddu in local Sardinian- and with a forecast for the wind to increase significantly but some debate and conflict over quite how much and when, it was a tricky day for the team’s meteorologists.
AC37 Event Limited (ACE) today confirmed both the intended race area and the race dates for the America’s Cup Match 2024.
Lake Gairdner in South Australia is vast, a 160km long and 50 km wide salt lake where Emirates team New Zealand are aiming to break the Wind powered Land Speed World Record in their land yacht called ‘Horonuku’.
We expected to see Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli back out on the water mid-week but in a surprise boost to their schedule, and a fabulous reflection on the professionalism of their shore team, the Italian LEQ12 was back out for a beautiful Sunday afternoon session looking better than ever.
The INEOS Britannia shore team and technicians had a busy day dockside today in Palma with the crucial first-stepping of the ‘Silver Arrow’ T6 LEQ12 carbon mast and rigging.
It was all happening in Pensacola yesterday, the perfect winter training venue for the New York Yacht Club American Magic team who continued their relentless training programme aboard the modified Patriot with another long session in near-perfect conditions and dolphin sightings.
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