With many Southland sailors eagerly awaiting the AC45 America’s Cup World Series event in San Diego, a new and surprising announcement from the America’s Cup Organizing Committee adds another level to the excitement. The announcement that Italian Team Luna Rossa (formerly Prada) would enter the Cup competition and begin competing as soon as they acquire an AC 45 took many by surprise.
While the team will not be ready to compete in San Diego during the November 12 – 20th World Series, there is a strong possibility the team will have an AC 45 ready for the next races, which begin in late January, 2012.
Luna Rossa has been associated with the America’s Cup since 1997, and has competed successfully in each of the successive Cup events, including several successful Louis Vuitton Cup Challenges. The team, which had apparently pulled out of the competition for the 2013 Cup in mid-2010, has been competing in the Extreme 40’s during the past year. This should help ease any fears that Luna Rossa would be out of touch with the current competitors.
Reports out of London have indicated that Olympic Sailor Ben Ainslie would take the helm and that Max Sirena would skipper the Luna Rossa team. This gives Luna Rossa a strong set of leaders with great multi-hull experience as the core nucleus for the campaign. In addition, Luna Rossa announced that they were dedicating at least $40,000,000 for the Cup Challenge.
Part of the agreement which would allow Luna Rossa to successfully compete in the America’s Cup at this late stage of the game came due to a rules change from past Cup events. This change allows teams to combine skills and technology as they prepare for the 2013 Cup. As a result, Luna Rossa has signed an agreement with Emirates Team New Zealand to share technology over the next several months, giving Luna Rossa the expertise ETNZ has acquired as they prepared for the races.
While Luna Rossa will not have a boat in the San Diego World Series, local Southland sailors are sure to see the leaders of the Luna Rossa team organizing their activities as they watch the other competitors battle their AC 45’s on the water of San Diego Bay.
Have fun and be safe on the water!
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