With five participations in the America’s Cup behind him, the sixth in Barcelona, Francesco Bruni (Palermo, 51 years old), helmsman of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italy), his face falls when he observes the weather forecasts for the Catalan coast. On the verge of playing against Ineos Britannia (United Kingdom) in the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup that begins this Thursday and will determine the rival of Team New Zealand (the Defending 2021 title) in the match Finally, he fears that the lack of wind will once again turn racing into hell for flying boats. “Barcelona is by far the most difficult regatta course I have faced in an America’s Cup,” he says.
Of the six days scheduled to celebrate the final, which will be won by the first team to achieve seven races (two are held each day), the forecasts indicate that there is a risk that the wind force will not reach the regulatory minimum (the races are held with a minimum force of 6.5 knots and a maximum of 21) in the middle: Sunday the 29th, Wednesday the 2nd and Friday the 4th. However, this Thursday exceptional conditions are expected on the opening day: between 12 and 17 knots. Barcelona is the nautical capital of contrasts. And sailors notice it.
“It’s being very complicated,” explains Bruni. “The conditions in the semi-finals ended up being difficult. The race course was difficult to read and you needed a little luck on your side,” he shares. The last two days of the semifinals, with forecasts similar to those of some upcoming days, ended with the majority of boats on the water, unable to fly and with the organization reducing the distance of the regatta field to facilitate the completion of the entire course .
The teams already knew what they were facing when they signed up for the Catalan edition of the best sailing competition in the world. The wind is more irregular in Barcelona and the waves are more aggressive in the Mediterranean than in Auckland (New Zealand), Bermuda or San Francisco (United States), the settings of previous editions. The merit of sailors is to anticipate wind changes to optimize their route, but it is not always easy. “Barcelona has waves and little wind; and this does not combine very well with flying boats,” says Bruni.
Given so much variability, the design of the boats is designed to perform in different weather conditions. Neither Luna Rossa nor Ineos, the contenders to face Tem New Zealand in the final challenge, built their AC75 thinking about reaching high speeds, but rather about finding the balance between maneuverability and acceleration capacity. In a regatta, the less wind, the more maneuvers on the water sailors must perform to find stability. And if the wind power is minimal, ships that lose flight can no longer get up. The AC75s need a minimum boost for the foils (the lower fins that are submerged in the water and that lift the boat with the same physical law that allows airplanes to fly) catapult the sailboat. When there is not enough wind, a support boat pulls the boat so that it flies before departure. Once at the top, the skill of the sailors is key to not falling definitively during the melee.
Although both teams deny that their AC75 has flight limitations in low wind, the British have so far been less consistent in changing conditions. “Ineos is fast in high winds, but it suffers if there is little force,” they explain from Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Switzerland), its rival in the semifinals.
During the official competition, the squads have found a different scenario than in September 2023, when they came to train for a few weeks. “Last year the wind blew super stable, with flat waters throughout the month of September; and the competition has offered us a year later cross waves and unpredictable winds,” laments Tom Slingsby, helmsman of American Magic (United States), a team that has already been eliminated. “Barcelona has been the most challenging place on the water. It was a real challenge for the sailors to sail here, and it was incredible to be a part of it,” he adds.
Luna Rossa and Ineos have never managed to lift the precious Hundred Guiene Jug, the trophy that accredits the winner of the America’s Cup. The winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup final will challenge Team New Zealand in two weeks to win a title that for many years has seemed impossible. “In Italy, the America’s Cup is a dream, and we have been trying to achieve it for many years,” Bruni summarized on Wednesday at the press conference to present the final round of the Louis Vuitton Cup. “We will only win if we manage to perform at our best.” , he insisted. Barcelona and its most unpredictable regatta course await.
