It can be done! Luna Rossa responds to Team New Zealand, America’s Cup at 1-1

Don’t wake us up, don’t talk, don’t say anything. Luna Rossa is alive, Team New Zealand is a mountain but the Italian boat has started to climb it. We are 1-1! A difficult first day, where certainly for the Italian crew there was some tension. Glacial Kiwis as always, but their granitic belief that they dominate the series now is certainly at least up for debate.

Luna Rossa holds its own on a day with about 14 knots of wind, which theoretically was almost more favorable to the New Zealanders. It may not have been the “cleanest” Luna Rossa we have seen in this Cup, but it is a beautiful Luna and it is the second time, after the Moro di Venezia in 1992, that an Italian boat has won an America’s Cup race. Back on the water on day 12 for the third and fourth rounds of the series.

RED MOON IS THERE! THE CHRONICLE OF THE FIRST TWO RACES

RACE 1

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A very close start, with Luna Rossa managing to control the Kiwis by placing first to leeward and then on the opponent’s bow. Luna Rossa, however, opens the door in the final seconds because it is slightly early, and New Zealand manages to start side-by-side on the right. Spithill immediately after the start tries to hemming in to give penalty to the opponent but the maneuver fails and it is green light for the umpires.

All to review the action to see how much Spithill overdid in aggressiveness and how much the racing rules protect the upwind boat. A pattern where until now we have seen virtually no umpires give red light but always green light. At that point Team New Zealand finds itself ahead and Peter Burling goes tight in marking. upwind speeds seem similar, where the Kiwis seem to have more is the stern.

At the aft gate Luna Rossa looks for the split but on the left Peter Burling seems to thread a slight right and crystallizes the lead. Good tacking by Red Moon at the second windward mark, which manages to shorten a little, and holds better than the first stern, going to run JK at the gate and coming back under.

Big right hander in the last upwind, with the boats taking to that side of the course and Luna rossa still appearing not far behind its opponent and quite inside the race.

New Zealand concedes a separation at the end of the first upwind, Luna Rossa bearing left with the Kiwis on the right seemingly on a good right with the lead appearing to grow.

Last stern which begins with the Kiwis in control and managing this time to stretch easily thanks to a fairly marked superiority in terms of speed in the carrying gaits, at least in this race 1. Burling stays cool, and goes for the first point of the series.

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BUOY 1: 14 SECONDS ETNZL

BUOY 2: 23 SECONDS

BUOY 3: 19 SECONDS

BUOY 4: 17 SECONDS

BUOY 5: 20 SECONDS

ARRIVAL: 31 SECONDS

RACE 2

Wind around 13-14 knots for the second match of the finals, with gray clouds gathering over the race course and portending wind shifts. Luna Rossa seems to be looking for the right, stretching into that area of the starting box and staying quite high. New Zealand seems unwilling to concede that side and decides to tack to keep upwind, except then to lean back and go on the attack. Luna Rossa controls and starts on the bow of the Kiwis, wins the start and immediately goes into coverage.

Upwind is on a knife-edge, Luna Rossa leads with just 60-70 meters to spare and responds to all the Kiwis’ turns and turns the windward gate in the lead. The stern begins with LR on the run and still the fastest Kiwis. Luna Rossa tries to close all doors and hang on to the lead, with the Kiwis gnawing away meter after meter, but Burni and Spithill try to seal the door and keep them behind.

The lead holds, at the aft gate Luna choosing the right and the Kiwis going left in separation and Luna Rossa anticipating the turn before the field boundary to remain in control, albeit soft, over the opponent. Second midfield tack in the face of Peter Burling, sent back to the left with the Italian cockpit holding the right. Burling always tries to tack against the Italian maneuver so that he always gains some lateral separation. The Italian cockpit, however, does not lose lucidity and seems not to make any blunders in this second upwind. The door remains closed despite Team New Zealand trying everything to force it open but even ending up falling a little further behind.

In the stern immediately the Kiwis on the attack, but the gap seems to hold, the speeds appearing slightly less in favor of the New Zealanders in the stern and much more similar in this second race. At the aft gate Luna Rossa concedes a huge split to the left to the Kiwis who seem to take advantage of this by rising with a good left upwind. Red Moon returns to tight marking, stitching up soon after the New Zealand recovery.

Burling continues to frantically seek separation, but Bruni, Spithill, and Sibello return blow after blow and still turn the windward mark even if losing half the lead. Immediate split in the stern for the Kiwis, Luna Rossa responds but New Zealand seems to have some leverage and still shortens a lot. Kiwis look like a shark thrown at a school of escaping sardines. But this time the catch wins, Luna Rossa goes for the first point in the series that is now at 1-1 and wide open.

BUOY 1: 13 SECONDS LR

BUOY 2: 12 SECONDS

BUOY 3: 25 SECONDS

BUOY 4: 24 SECONDS

BUOY 5: 12 SECONDS

ARRIVAL: 7 SECONDS

Everything that happened on the first day of America’s Cup racing between Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand we tell you in the March 10 episode of The Cup Newspaper at 1 p.m. Bacci Del Buono and Mauro Giuffrè’s guests will be Luca Bassani, Maelle Frascari, Fabio Pozzo, Federico Albano

THE CALENDAR OF THE CUP NEWSPAPER

The Sailing Newspaper’s live Facebook and YouTube program will accompany you to and during this exciting America’s Cup Final. We will air on March 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15 until the end of the series. What about the guests? There will be no shortage of them, any names? Luca Bassani, Fabio Pozzo, Flavia Tartaglini, Ganga Bruni, Maelle Frascari, Marta Magnano, Mino Taveri, Giovanni Ceccarelli, Paolo Semeraro, Giulio Desiderato, Andrea Casale and many others.

FOLLOW THE RED MOON REGATTAS LIVE!

HERE YOU WILL FIND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE AMERICA CUP AND RED MOON

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