America’s Cup: Anecdotes and Curiosities about the Oldest International Sailing Regatta

In these weeks, sailing enthusiasts, as well as the team of Marina Porto Antico in Genoa, are glued to their screens to follow the exciting challenges of the America’s Cup, the oldest sports trophy still competed for today.

The teams began competing in Auckland, New Zealand during the Prada America’s Cup World Series Auckland (December 17-18-19, 2020). It was the first opportunity for all teams to compete against each other on their AC75s in preparation for the first phase of the Prada Cup, consisting of four Round Robins, the semi-finals, and the final (scheduled from February 13 to 22, barring any weather-related delays). The winning team will become the official Challenger and will be able to compete in the Match of the 36th America’s Cup against the New Zealanders.

While waiting for the upcoming matches, we have gathered some curiosities that you may not have known about the America’s Cup and the Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

The Ligurians of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team

Did you know that there are several Ligurians in the Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team?

The most well-known is Pietro Sibello of the sailing team, who is in his second America’s Cup with Luna Rossa. Born in Albenga, he is a highly experienced sailor who, after the Athens and Beijing Olympics, qualified Italy for the 2012 London Olympics.

Then we have Mario Caponnetto from Genoa, CFD leader, who was part of the Luna Rossa team from 2004 to 2007 before becoming a member of the Oracle team until 2013, with which he won two America’s Cups.

The hydraulics team includes Massimiliano Carbone, winner of the XXXV edition with Emirates Team New Zealand, and Davide Pescuma, born in 1993, who is responsible for the onboard hydraulic systems.

In the “sail loft” team, there’s Fabio Corsini from Chiavari, who, after starting work as a sailmaker, moved to Palma de Mallorca to provide assistance at the most important international regatta fields, while in the “mast & rigging” section there’s Raffaele Fredella, with extensive preparation in running rigging design, from rope production to their processing. But there aren’t only Ligurian men in the team; in the media section, Giulia Caponnetto, a photographer from Genoa, is working on her second America’s Cup with the Luna Rossa team.

How the America’s Cup Challenger Elimination Series Began

The start of the 2021 Prada Cup, which will determine who will face the defender in the America’s Cup, is near.

But how did the current system of Challenger Elimination Series come about?

It all started with an idea from Baron Marcel Bich, an entrepreneur best known for the “Bic” ballpoint pen and a lifelong sailing enthusiast. Upon learning about the America’s Cup, he met with the board of directors of the New York Yacht Club, sharing his intentions to challenge the America’s Cup for France with his boat that would be called “Pen Bic”.

The New York Yacht Club accepted the idea of a French challenge but rejected the boat’s name because no commercial brand could be associated with the Cup or the competitors. In those years, however, it wasn’t easy to challenge because the New York Yacht Club had a rule of accepting only one challenge at a time, and in 1970 there was already a registered challenge from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.

The NYYC therefore rejected the French challenge, postponing it, but the baron insisted to such an extent that he introduced the new concept of Challenger Elimination Series. The baron’s goal was to select the best challenger who, in the end, would face the defender – the holder of the America’s Cup – in a duel. The New York Yacht Club accepted this method, thus making the fight between challengers more intense.

The America’s Cup trophy on tour in New Zealand, even among the sheep

As is well known, in 2017 Emirates Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup by defeating the defender Oracle Team USA in the Bermuda Islands. But perhaps not everyone knows that, after the victory, the trophy (the famous silver jug) was taken on a tour of all regions of New Zealand to give all “kiwis” (the inhabitants of New Zealand) the opportunity to admire it in person.

The cup traversed the country from the Bay of Islands north of Auckland to Bluff in the far south, visiting yacht clubs, pubs, shops, shelters, and was even photographed among sheep.

American Magic, all teams helping to repair Patriot

After the capsize that occurred during the third race of the second Round Robin of the Prada Cup, Patriot, American Magic’s boat, suffered considerable damage: the hull was damaged along with, especially, the hydraulic and electronic parts.

Immediately after Patriot’s defeat, all the competing teams (Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, and Ineos Team UK) committed to helping the Americans, to the extent that they received public thanks from Hutchinson, American Magic’s skipper, who emphasized the high level of sportsmanship demonstrated by the competing teams.