2023-09-16 11:00:32
BarcelonaThe countdown to the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona 2024 has already begun with the first preliminary regatta, these days in Vilanova i la Geltrú, where the six participating teams face off for the first time in their uniquely designed AC40 monotypes. That is, all six monotypes are the same.
The test, which can be seen on Esport 3, was supposed to start on Friday, but will finally start on Saturday because of the rain. The Cup brings the main competition in the world of sailing to the Catalan coast. The opening ceremony took place on Thursday, with a hundred people also protesting against the Cup, considered “unsustainable”. And they experienced the first training sessions of a competition with a great tradition but still little known in our country. We solve your doubts.
What is the America’s Cup?
It is one of the oldest sports competitions in the world, since it dates back to 1851, when the American ship America he prevailed over a British fleet in a race on the Isle of Wight on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of that year. The British tried to regain the Cup in a new race, without luck, which marked the beginning of a competition that has no fixed schedule. When a team is encouraged to challenge the champion, the defending champion of the tournament begins to prepare for the next edition. It sets the calendar, headquarters and rules. This year Team New Zealand has chosen Barcelona, with rules such as not being able to nationalize crew members just for the competition, as it did in the pastNever from Switzerland The crew must now be local or hold a passport from the ship’s country for at least two years.
What is this Vilanova i la Geltrú regatta all about?
It is one of the three preliminary regattas that serve the teams to get ready and do tests. It does not have any sort of qualifying effect for the 2024 Copa América, then. Whoever wins in Vilanova will receive a prize, but above all these will be regattas to draw conclusions and keep improving. The format is also different, as initially the six teams compete against each other, which will not be seen in 2024. This Friday, three windward-leeward heats, between buoys, were to be contested, in which points are awarded based on the order of arrival This format will be held on Saturday and Sunday with two more races. The same Sunday the competition will close with a final regatta in match-race (boat against boat) between the top two finishers after the first heats. The schedule for the three days of competition will be from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.
Who competes?
six ships One of them, theEmirates Team New Zealand, is the defending champion. The other five are theIneos Britannia, from the Regne Unit; he Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Italian; theAlinghi Red Bull Racing, from Switzerland; theAmerican Magic, of the United States, and theOrient Express France Team, from France, the last team to arrive. Most of the teams have already been preparing the appointment for a year. In the America’s Cup, the teams aspiring to beat the champion will face each other in a preliminary tournament in the summer of 2024. And the winner will be the one who will see the faces of the New Zealand team to win the America’s Cup l ‘October 2024. The best sailors in the world compete in the event these days, among which there are 14 Olympic golds, 60 world titles, 10 America’s Cups won and 36 participations.
Where and how do you compete?
The regatta field will be located about 500 meters from Ribes Roges beach, with dimensions of 3.5 km in length and 1.5 km in width, with an exclusion perimeter of about 5 km in length and 3.5 km wide for safety reasons. The wind limit for competition regattas will be between 6.5 knots (12 km/h) and 21 knots (39 km/h). The competition can be seen from the beach, where they have installed a giant screen.
What are the boats like?
The boats are AC40, monohulls with hydrofoils of 11.90 meters in total length, which are making their debut in competition. And they are different from those that will be seen in action at the America’s Cup, the AC75, 22.90 meters long. AC40s are considered jewels of naval engineering and design, and manage to soar above the water, as if flying. In this case the tactical positioning of the AC40 at the exits will be key, as will maintaining 100% of the time of vol. AC40s carry a crew of four, with co-pilots sitting in individual front seats on each side performing flight control functions. both of you trimmers they sit behind, the windward one controls the mainsail and the leeward takes care of the jib and flight control.
Where can you follow the competition?
On television, on Esport3. Some privileged few will be able to follow the race live from the sea, with boats located in the delimited areas outside the competition area. The rest of the people can do it from the shore. The America’s Cup regatta field in Vilanova i la Geltrú will be located right in front of Ribes Roges beach. The distance between the beach and the racing area will be 700 meters. There is also a giant screen in the fan area.
And who pays for the party?
This first regatta is paid for with money from the Generalitat, Barcelona City Council and private investors. The Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation has published some budgets, which have already been approved, according to which the city council contributes 363,000 euros and the Generalitat 2.42 million. The 2024 America’s Cup will in fact rise to 24.2 million with a large investment from the Spanish state, the Diputació de Barcelona and, to a lesser extent, private investors.
America’s Cup or America’s Cup?
Some readers point out, correctly, that the name of the Cup is that of the first champion ship, the America, in 1851. Its history is fascinating and you can find it here. Now, over time the tournament has evolved and the organizers call it the America’s Cup. Being a private tournament, you have to respect the name they use.
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