First pre-regatta of the America’s Cup: Alinghi Red Bull now gets to work in the baby boat

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So far, preparations for the 2024 America’s Cup have been a game of hide and seek. The six teams have been training and practicing at different locations for months.

This game of hide and seek is now over. From Thursday, the six rivals will meet for the first time off the coast of Vilanova, near Barcelona (Spain). It is the first pre-regatta of the America’s Cup. The newly established Swiss syndicate Alinghi Red Bull Racing is also making its first real appearance in the competition.

For the first time with only Swiss sailors

And for the first time as a truly Swiss formation: since the two legendary Alinghi victories in 2003 and 2007, a ban on mercenaries has been imposed in the America’s Cup. All sailors must now come from the candidate country. Alinghi Red Bull is counting on Arnaud Psarofaghis from Geneva as helmsman for the first pre-regatta, who turns 35 on Thursday.

Psarofaghis and Co. already know the water in Catalonia very well. Alinghi Red Bull has been training in Barcelona for a year, where they will compete for the world’s oldest sporting trophy in October 2024. Initially the team was temporarily housed, now the new, official base is in the middle of the port of Barcelona.

But the America’s Cup would not be the Formula 1 of the water if the cards were fully revealed in the first preliminary regatta. Because the 100 km/h sailing monsters are not sailing this week, these super yachts called AC75 are still at the yards and are not yet ready to race.

Pre-regatta with slimmed down boat versions

In the first showdown, the teams use baby boats: the AC40s are a scaled-down version of the flying AC75 monsters; instead of eight sailors there is only room for four. But the pre-regatta boats are only cute compared to the main class: the baby version also races across the Mediterranean at 80 km/h. In recent months, the Genevans have trained a lot on both types of boats.

Will Alinghi Red Bull shock his rivals from New Zealand, Great Britain, Italy, USA and France in his first ever match? Psarofaghis weighs in, saying: “As always when we participate in a race, the goal is victory. But the first regatta of this America’s Cup cycle is also about gaining experience.”

Source : Blick