DAY 1 OF THE 36TH AMERICA'S CUP
When it comes to the significance of the opening day of the America’s Cup, the world’s oldest trophy in international sport has plenty of background to draw upon. Whatever the year, whatever the class of boat, whatever the conditions the opening seconds are crucial.
After four years of planning and development along with three months of racing, 170 years of Cup history tells us that the first leg of the first race always reveals a great deal about how the 36th America’s Cup may unfold. It is hard to overstate the weight of this moment.
And despite the intensity of the new Cup cycle in which a brand new design and concept of boat has been created, the irony is that little is known about what will happen when the challenger lines up against the defender.
As they go into the first day of racing, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has completed 18 live races while Emirates Team New Zealand’s tally stands at just six. The Italians know little about the true performance of their opponents. Conversely, having analysed the race data of all the challengers throughout the PRADA Cup, the Kiwis head out to the race course with the fullest picture of the Italian performance. In between lies a knowledge vacuum as neither team will truly know which will win out in the heat of battle.
But aside from the technical intelligence that both teams possess, the weather will also be a big factor.
Luna Rossa have long been considered to be more slippery in the light, while Team New Zealand are believed to be more potent in the breeze. So as if to add more spice to the opening day, the weather forecast suggests conditions that lie on the cusp of the performance crossover for each team.
The racing will take place in Course Area E, to the east of the city where the breeze is expected to be 10-13knots at 16:00 from the N or NW. But then come some potentially big variations. An hour later the breeze could have increased to 16 knots before then dropping back slightly to 11-12knots.
“The weather models don’t align that well today which is not unusual for this wind direction, but it is an indication of the instability that could be in store,” said regatta director Iain Murray. “With the cloud development there could also possibly be some rain at times which may produce more wind on the front and less behind.”
Given the range of wind speeds and the variation in what different weather models say, today will be as important for crews to keep their eyes out of the boat to anticipate a change in the conditions, as it will be in assessing the early performance of their opponents. The first leg of the first race of the 36th America’s Cup will be crucial.
