A busy schedule for the challengers
There's going to be some excitement in Auckland Bay in the coming weeks. The Kiwi capital is preparing to host 17 days of regattas, spread out between 15 January and 22 February 2021. A first phase of four Round Robin races will take place between 15 and 24 January. Two races will be launched each day to determine the challengers selected for the semi-final and then for the grand final, which will take place between 13 and 22 February. The Grand Final will consist of a series of 13 races, with the first challenger to win seven victories winning the Prada Cup, and then facing the defender during the America's Cup.
Who are the challengers?
Three years have passed since the defender announced that it would race the Prada Cup and the America's Cup on hydrofoil monohulls. Three challengers have managed to put together the budget and human resources necessary to compete against Team New Zealand.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
For its sixth attempt to win the America's Cup, Prada has chosen Max Sirena, already a two-time Cup winner, as its director. Skippered by James Spithill, the Italian foiler trained off Cagliari before heading to New Zealand waters. It should be noted that Luna Rossa will be run by two helmsmen, who will each remain on their own.
New York Yacht Club American
Magic Founded by the New York Yacht Club, American Magic is the sharpest challenger. The Americans were the first to launch an AC-75 and also the first challenger to sail in Auckland, under former TNZ helmsman Dean Barker.
Ineos Team UK
The boat of the English syndicate is helmed by Sir Ben Ainsley, multiple Olympic medallist. The hull of the English syndicate is the most marked by the bustle (mini hull), which is supposed to facilitate take-off.
A first confrontation gives the Americans an advantage
The challengers and the defender have already competed against each other at the Prada ACWS , which took place in December 2020 in Auckland. These first meetings demonstrated the superiority of the New York syndicate over the Italian and English challengers. These duels have also highlighted a number of minor technical shortcomings on certain boats.
In other words, the end-of-year holidays have not been easy for the staffs. Time has become a precious commodity and it is no longer possible to make major modifications to the boats.
There is a famous saying that one dollar invested two years before the cup is equivalent to 10 dollars invested 1 year before maturity, 100 dollars at 6 months and 1000 dollars at 1 month. Beyond that, you can invest all the money you have, but you will not be able to catch up.
How to follow the regattas?
For the privileged ones being on site, the regattas will take place between 15h and 18h, local time, except for the final which will take place between 16h and 18h. The race village is located in the Viaduct Marina in the heart of Auckland and giant screens will also be installed to allow locals to follow the duels.
For Europeans, you're gonna have to get up early. As the time difference is 12 hours, you will have to get up around 3am to watch the regattas, which will be broadcast on Canal+, Youtube, Facebook or on the americascup.com website. It is not necessary to download an app to access the images.
The location of the course will be decided the same day, depending on the weather conditions encountered. The wind force defined to launch a round is between 6.5 and 21 knots for the Round Robins and semi-finals and between 6.5 and 23 knots for the final.
So if the weather forecast calls for a calm or a 30 knot wind, there's no need to set your alarm clock.
