Luna Rossa Dominates Naples Waters in Opening Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Practice Races
The Gulf of Naples delivered pristine racing conditions as the official practice series got underway. While sailing folklore often warns crews against winning practice races due to superstition, the home-waters favorites threw caution to the wind and delivered an opening masterclass.
At 14:00 local time, the bay delivered a steady 10-to-12-knot sea breeze blowing from 210 degrees. The conditions thrust the AC40 foiling yachts to speeds well in excess of 30 knots on both upwind and downwind legs, setting a blistering pace for the fleet.
A Masterclass in Speed and Strategy from Luna Rossa
The primary team of Luna Rossa completely ignored traditional racing superstitions. Guided by Peter Burling on the right pod, co-timoniere Marco Gradoni, and trimmers Maria Giubilei and Gigi Ugolini, the squad dominated the day’s events by winning all three practice races with enormous margins reaching up to 500 meters.
Across every start, the crew favored a conservative approach relative to their usual playbook. Yet, they systematically picked their way through the fleet, seized the lead, and flew away from their competitors. Capitalizing on the south-to-southwest breeze, the team read the shifts on the upper course to perfection and leaned heavily on the right-hand side of the track.
Simone Salva, coach for Luna Rossa, expressed clear satisfaction with the collective performance of both squads. “Senza dubbio, entrambi i team hanno gestito molto bene la giornata,” Salva noted, highlighting the standout display in the second race where the setup secured a stellar one-two finish. He praised how Margherita and Max handled tricky traffic both at the starting line and along the course.
ARC Team USA Finds Its Footing as New Zealand Battles Obstacles
While the rest of the AC40 fleet offered limited resistance against the Italian powerhouse, flashes of brilliant speed emerged down the line. ARC Team USA put together the standout performance of the afternoon, translating recent training blocks in Pensacola, Florida, and Naples into a polished runner-up finish in the overall daily standings.
Co-skippered by Harry Melges IV and Lucas Calabrese, the American outfit exhibited fluid maneuvers, highlighted by a clean double-tack at the downwind gate during the second race. Calabrese kept ambitions grounded while acknowledging the positive momentum, stating that while the team is happy with the progress, the long road to next year’s Cup means staying focused on teamwork and continuous improvement.
For Emirates Team New Zealand, the afternoon proved far more complicated. Helmed by Nathan Outteridge and Seb Menzies, the Kiwi squad fought through traffic following turbulent starts. A late-race recovery in the second half of the afternoon offered a glimmer of hope ahead of an exhaustive team debrief.
Iain Jensen, trimmer for Emirates Team New Zealand, reflected on the challenging starts. “Un paio di volte abbiamo fatto delle partenze scadenti, e quando questo accade sei un po’ in balia degli eventi,” Jensen explained. He added that digging out of a bad start feels like striking gold when opportunities finally open up on the course.
Looking Ahead to the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Match
Although these initial match-ups do not count toward the official regatta leaderboard, the raw pace displayed by Luna Rossa sets an imposing benchmark.
Share your thoughts on the early frontrunners in the comments below.
