Shirley Robertson - America's Cup Previews - Part 1 and Part 2

by Shirley Robertson 22 Jul 01:34 NZST 22 July 2024

This month on Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast we preview the 37th America's Cup, as the city of Barcelona readies for what promises to be one of the most exciting editions of the famous trophy.

Five Challengers are set to battle it out on the fastest foiling monohulls ever built, as they go head to head in the Louis Vuitton Cup, in a fight to take on the Defender, the current holder of the trophy, Emirates Team New Zealand.

Robertson talks to representatives from all six of the Cup teams, chatting to team members with a wide range of roles, to get a real insight from across the fleet into what to expect come race day.

In this edition, Part 1, Robertson kicks off with Emirates Team New Zealand naval architect, Dan Bernasconi, the brains behind the AC75, the foiling mono-hull that all six teams have built for this edition. With all six AC75s now blasting around the waters off Barcelona at speeds of up to fifty knots, Bernasconi discusses some of the differences between the race boats, as well as discussing changes to the rules for this edition, and the issues that the lumpier sea state off Barcelona may bring.

Robertson also then talks to Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's port-side helm, Francesco Bruni, helming partner to Jimmy Spithill in the last Cup, the pair that pioneered the dual-helm setup now favoured by all of the America's Cup teams. While at Luna Rossa, Robertson also caught up with match racing guru Philippe Presti, to take a look at how the increased maneuverability of the version two AC75s may lead to more engagement and closer racing as the Challenger Series kicks off.

Robertson then heads to AC37 HQ, to catch up with Abby Ehler, the offshore sailing legend and sailing logistics supremo now tasked with delivering the Youth and Women's editions of the America's Cup. Twelve teams will compete in the AC40 race boats for both the UniCredit Youth America's Cup and the Puig Women's America's Cup, the youth event making a return to the regatta after a break in AC36 due to covid travel restrictions. This is however the very first time a women's regatta will take place at the America's Cup, a first that is heralded as a landmark event in sailing's long road to gender equality.

This edition of the podcast is in two parts - in Part 2 Robertson catches up with representatives of the remaining four teams.

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