Yesterday, the challengers from New Zealand and Italy provided a very small foretaste of the upcoming Cup. They have already entered into a co-operation in the construction of their AC-72 catamarans and have now trained together for the first time. However, in winds of only twelve knots, the Cup boats were hardly visually impressive.
The gain in knowledge is also likely to have been quite small, as photos and a video of the New Zealanders make it look as if they were significantly faster.
However, the opposite would also be very surprising, as Team New Zealand has been training on the very learning-intensive cat since 21 July and was the first of all four syndicates on the water. With 20 of the maximum permitted 30 training days until the end of January, the New Zealanders also made the most intensive use of the time available. Luna Rossa only entered the water on 26 October.
The defenders, Oracle Team USA, will watch the competition with envy. They had also planned a co-operation with the third challenger Artemis, but this was cancelled due to the Rollover of the Americans where they dismantled their first Kat, has so far fallen into the water.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
