The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup: a May Recap

May was a critical month in the lead-up to the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, with teams passionately competing to bring their new technology to the forefront of their campaigns. Let’s dive into each team’s progress and see how they did.

Emirates Team New Zealand

As the Defender of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand concluded their impressive two-week work-up of their new AC75, ‘Taihoro’, right at the beginning of May. They immediately went into two-boat race practice with their LEQ12 and AC40 models, giving youth and women’s teams vital on-the-water experience. Although senior sailing team performance was excellent, the team ran legacy foils, and there would be more to come when they got to Europe.

INEOS Britannia

INEOS, Challenger of Record, unveiled their new AC75, ‘Britannia’, at the beginning of May. The design is a perfect fusion of the capabilities within the INEOS Sports Group, including the Mercedes Applied Science and the INEOS Grenadiers Cycling Team. After conducting sea-trials and adjustments, the team’s commitment to on-water training was evident. They ran a legacy rudder from AC36 to make modifications early on in May but swapped it out by the end of the month, demonstrating performance gains.

Alinghi Red Bull Racing

The angular and eye-catching design of ‘BoatOne’ is fast becoming a fan-favorite, with the team training hard on the water to push the boat to its limits. The team executed fast laps and superb pre-start time-on-distance runs with designated helms, Arnaud Psarofaghis and Maxime Bachelin, connecting well through a variety of transitions and maneuvers, making them stand out among the challengers as a relentless team.

NYYC American Magic

After the VP of the New York Yacht Club, Clare Harrington, officially named ‘Patriot’ in May, sailors Lucas Calabrese and Paul Goodison were out on the water conducting its maiden sail. The team has introduced recumbent cyclors and a side-by-side design for the helms and trimmers, producing a highly aero-efficient deck package. Although the team experienced some jib track and system issues at the beginning of May, they have largely been ironed out as the team ramps up training two months ahead of schedule.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team

In Cagliari, the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team’s new vessel, ‘Luna Rossa’, entered into a highly effective commissioning phase. With ‘legacy anhedral foils’ from AC36 initially, the team quickly upgraded to the long-span AC37 design. Within seven days of intensive commissioning in a variety of sea states and breeze, the team completed laps of laid courses and pre-starts with Jimmy Spithill, Francesco Bruni, and Marco Gradoni sharing helming duties. They shipped the boat to their base in Barcelona, where they appeared extremely comfortable.

Orient Express Racing Team

Orient Express Racing Team, the French Challenger, unveiled the visually stunning design of their new AC75, which is almost an exact sister-ship to Emirates Team New Zealand’s ‘Taihoro’, from whom the design and specifications were purchased. Shoreside preparations are underway ahead of a first sailing in early June. In the meantime, the sailing team, led by Quentin Delapierre and Kevin Peponnet, put in a lot of work on the team’s AC40 throughout May and have taken big preparation strides forward that will be invaluable in the coming months as the AC75 is commissioned and worked up to race pace.

Global Partner and Explora Journeys

Explora Journeys, the new luxury ocean travel brand of MSC Group, experienced pride in its global Partnership in sponsoring the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, the pinnacle of global yacht racing and the oldest competition in international sports. As the competition moves from June 25th to July 1st, 2024, along the Catalan coast, it will stop in L’Escala, Palamós, Vilassar de Mar, Sitges, Tarragona, and Cambrils before arriving in Barcelona, where it will be displayed with the Puig Women’s America’s Cup, UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, and Louis Vuitton Cup trophies.

Conclusion

The stakes are high, and the teams are tirelessly training to claim the oldest trophy in international sport. It’s early to make definitive conclusions, and nuanced answers are required to determine who has the fastest boat. Be that as it may, May’s training and progress show that everyone is a fierce competitor, training at pace and continuously adapting their technology to gain an advantage.

Originally Post From https://www.livesaildie.com/monthly-round-up-louis-vuitton-37th-americas-cup/

Monthly Round Up Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Live Sail Die