Daring to make major changes to one of French sailing’s most iconic annual solo offshore regattas is a brave move. But that’s exactly what OC Sport Pen Duick – the organisers of the 50-year-old La Solitaire du Figaro – have chosen to do.
France’s La Roche-Possay America’s Cup challenger capsized their AC75 during training today in Lorient, France. The capsize, put down to a systems failure by the team, saw the boat on its side for a prolonged period and resulted in an internal fire.
One year out from the 38th America’s Cup in Naples, Italy the two frontrunning teams – Emirates Team New Zealand and the Italian syndicate Luna Rossa – have both this taken the opportunity to put in some valuable training time on the expected AC38 racecourse.
The French challengers have become the third team to put their modified AC75 back in the water during the 38th America’s Cup cycle. The launch took place in Lorient, France yesterday, when the newly rebranded azure-and-white-liveried boat underwent a successful tow testing session.
Now that we have all managed to catch our breath after the frenetic action of last weekend’s first Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America’s Cup cycle in Cagliari it’s time to take a look back over the Italian three-day event to see what we have learned.
While the first event of the 38th America's Cup cycle was eagerly awaited, no one dared hope that it would be this good. But over five days the Sardinian town of Cagliari delivered a superb event culminating in a final day that few, if anyone, had anticipated.
A consummate final day performance by the Luna Rossa senior team sees them see off his old team – the America's Cup holders Emirates Team New Zealand. Meanwhile, the Italian Youth and Women crew's fairytale regatta ends in a nightmare.
The second day of racing at the opening Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America's Cup saw another dominant performance by Luna Rossa's Youth and Women crew.
Expectations for the second day of racing at the first Preliminary Regatta of the AC38 were for more crash and burn conditions on the Mediterranean waters of Cagliari. The weather gods had a different plan – but the racing amongst the eight boat fleet was still hugely entertaining nevertheless.
What a spectacular day we saw for the opening three races of the first Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America's Cup cycle. 15-20 knots of breeze with a sea state that challenged everyone and provided drama right to the end.
Italians Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro stole the show on Day 1 of the AC38 Preliminary Regatta in Cagliari. Two race wins, a Kiwi nosedive, and a GB1 breakdown nightmare. It's been all-on on the Gulf of Angels today.
SailGP has announced a five-year plan which it says will transform the global high-performance sailing circuit with more teams, more events, and a bigger global audience.
France’s Paul Meilhat and Portugal’s Mariana Lobato have announced that they are teaming up for an IMOCA campaign for the upcoming inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Atlantic and next year’s around-the-world edition of The Ocean Race.
They might have been involved in major grand prix offshore racers before, but getting Gitana 18 up onto her foils for the first time was a very big deal for the team.
Last week I made a ‘trains, planes, and automobiles’ round trip to attend an update presentation on Giovanni Soldini’s Ferrari Hypersail project at the spectacular all-new North Sails loft in Genoa, Italy.
Akta gives offshore sailors precise nutrition with a big boost of morale.
This north German boatbuilder has carved a remarkably successful niche by sticking resolutely to its founding principle of keeping things simple.
Henri-Lloyd’s head of design Matteo Alfieri explains how fabric innovations are driving performance gains in clothing technology for sailors.
Allen’s blocks are moving on up from Moths to Cape 31s and even IMOCAs, with a two-tonne max working load.
Two years ago Bella Mente won the Maxi Europeans with a Structured Luff Asymmetric. This innovation from Doyle Sails has now become the norm.
Balance Catamarans is replacing its most successful model with a new one, re-designed throughout. The Balance 540 has a tough act to follow.
