The key points
- In the Hauraki Gulf in Auckland Team New Zealand wins the seventh regatta against Luna Rossa and ends the series on 7 to 3.
- Luna Rossa, winner of the Prada Cup, the selection among the challengers, and Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli, remains the awareness of having provided excellent evidence and having obtained the first points in a final after having run out of steam in the 2000 one.
- The kiwis therefore raise the 100 Guineas Cup to the sky 170 years after its birth on the Isle of Wight where the next challenge could be staged (there is talk of a challenge with Ineos Uk already in 2022)
Team New Zealand wins America’s Cup of sailing number 36, repeating the success achieved in Bermuda in 2017 against the Americans of Oracle. The New Zealand embarkation (which is the fourth success after those of 1995 and 2000) proved once again to be a perfect device, capable of developing more knots of speed in any wind condition. For the Luna Rossa, led by the pair of helmsmen formed by Francesco Bruni and James Spithill, and winner of the Prada Cup or rather the selection among the challengers, beating American Magic and Ineos Uk, remains the awareness of having achieved a great sporting and image result for Italy and of having fought with great stubbornness, perhaps making mistakes, but all in all venial. In the end, the result seems the right one when it comes to sailing. The strongest boat won.
The tenth regatta
After several postponements, regatta number ten saw Luna Rossa start well, but the hosts took command of operations and with wind around 12 knots they increased their advantage mark by mark, anticipating Team Prada Pirelli at the finish line by 46 ”. And to think that once again the Prada-Pirelli boat had started in front, forcing the Defenders to make one more turn. But the kiwis went ahead at the first intersection by about fifty meters and forced the Italians back to the left, where there was less pressure, accumulating a 7 second delay at the first gate. Luna Rossa, however, managed to find the right pressure and reached a gap of about seventy meters. But once again Max Sirena’s men are unable to recover and are progressively chased back. The games end at the start of the next beat. Team New Zealand easily stretched and administered the advantage: 27 “in the middle, 37” at gate-4, 49 “at the end of the last windward, 46” at the finish.
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The celebrations of the winners
Naturally, a big party aboard Te Rehutai by the New Zealand crew, which keeps the America’s Cup of sailing, respecting the forecast of the eve. Luna Rossa, however, gave a hard time to the ”. The patron also got on the Defender boat Grant Dalton, who he celebrated with Peter Burling, the 30-year-old and talented helmsman from New Zealand: «It’s surreal, I want to thank the people involved, from the prime minister to the sponsors. It’s great to win another cup. I can’t describe what it feels like to win at home. We have grown, acquiring new knowledge of the boat. It is difficult to say which is the most important victory between this and that of 2017: beating Spithill is a great emotion. It’s great to be in a boat like this. Congratulations to Luna Rossa for the beautiful series of races. On behalf of the team I say to my rivals: “well done and thanks for everything” ». So the kiwis raise the 100 Guineas Cup to the sky 170 years after its birth and now it will have the task of defending it: it will probably do so already next year against Ineos Uk on the Isle of Wight, where it all began in the distant 1851. There are negotiations underway.
On board Luna Rossa
Disappointment, but awareness of having given everything on board the AC75 of Luna Rossa. “Luna Rossa has a truly incredible team,” he said
James Spithill
Previous regattas
– America’s Cup, Luna Rossa wins the second race and makes 1-1 with New Zealand