America's Cup: Luna Rossa's Ragazzi* continue to dominate - Day 2
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 23 May 09:16 PDT
Luna Rossa and Emirates Team NZ - Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup - Preliminary Regatta Sardinia Race Day 2 - May 23, 2026 © Ricardo Pinto
The Luna Rossa Women and Youth team tightened their grip at the top of the standings after two days of racing in the first Preliminary Regatta in the 38th America's Cup.
Of the six races sailed today, the young Italian crew, helmed by Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro have won three and finished second in another two. That is very consistent sailing in a fleet that includes multiple America's Cup winners, Olympic medalists, and top SailGP race crews.
Should we be surprised?
Maybe not - given that this crew is drawn from the winners of the Youth and Womens America's Cup in Barcelona, and have had more hard racing experience in AC40s, than the Top Guns in the fleet who have done most of their Cup racing in AC75s.
The day was notable for the first race win in open America's Cup competition by an all-women's co-helm combination. With a combined total of three Gold medals, co-helms Hannah Mills and Ellie Aldridge took the lead at Mark 3 in Race 5, and were convincing winners.
The point being that the AC40 has proved, in this regatta, to be a great leveller, and making racing anything but the procession we are used to seeing in the America's Cup proper. However, in 12 months, it will be a completely different contest, where design and technology come into play.
The day started with another disaster for the GB1 team - one of the pre-series favourites, after they lost control of their port wing flap, due to a hydraulic failure which came to light during the warm-up ahead of the first race of the day. The Brits lost another three races, on top of the two lost on Day 1, after a supplied one-design part failed. In the only race they have sailed, Dylan Fletcher and friends have just a second place on the scoreboard.
Yesterday's fresh breeze and steep seaway gave way to an easing SE seabreeze, with the crews sailing with a range of jibs from #1-#3 in response to the fluctuating pressure.
The young Italians had their work cut out at the start of the first race of the day when they came off their foils after they hit the congested fleet turbulence soon after the start in the 10-12kt breeze and dropped off their foils. They gave a 500metre start to the front runners, and lay in sixth place for the first leg, with the Luna Rossa and Emirates Team NZ AC75 teams controlling the race from the front of the fleet. By the end of Leg 2, Luna Rossa's Peter Burling had stretched out to a 6-second lead over his 2024 Emirates Team NZ co-skipper, Nathan Outteridge, but lost the lot after the two split tacks, and continued to swap the lead for the rest of the race. The Kiwis had a brief recurrence on Leg 4, of yesterday's speed wobbles, which cost them a vital race win. It was a day of variable pressure with the right-hand side of the course seeming to have more than the left.
The Luna Rossa AC75 team got into the right-hand side pressure, on the final leg, with ETNZ coming out of the left, only just making the cross ahead of the Italians, with the Kiwis making a final gybe right in front of the Italians to aim straight at the finish line and score a race win, by a narrow 2sec margin.
The "*teenagers" sailed well, pulling themselves up to fourth at the finish - a score most other teams are happy to count - but it is the Ragazzi's worst place to date.
There was another congested start in the second race of the day, when the seven-boat fleet hit the line as one, but on a mix of tacks. Emirates Team New Zealand's Women and Youth team had to swing away just metres from the Tudor Alinghi team on port tack and give way boat when it seemed that a massive collision was inevitable. The Swiss were sent to the back of the fleet after the Kiwis had regained their composure; however, their race was all but over.
At the front of the fleet, the young Italians captured the lead from La Roche-Posay (FRA) after the Italian crew grabbed the right-hand side pressure and got across the French bow, going out to a 150-metre lead in less than half a leg. But both came to grief in the middle of the course, hitting a soft spot coming off their foils, and letting the Kiwi AC75 team into the lead at Mark 2. But Athen Pathways grabbed the favoured right-hand side of the course and hit the front. With that many Gold medals on the handlebars, the Brits shut down the race tactically, ahead of the Luna Rossa AC75 team.
The Swiss hit the same soft patch in the middle of the course while gybing and became the only team to capsize on Day 2.
Around the top mark for the last time, the Ellie and Hannah Show had worked out an impressive 20-second lead, heading off the fast-finishing French by 400 metres, and 500 metres ahead of the Peter Burling skippered Luna Rossa AC75 team. A three-way finish between the Kiwis, the French, and the young Luna Rossa resulted in the Italians grabbing second and the French being penalised, lifting the Kiwis to third.
Gradoni and Porro hit the front soon after the start of Race 6, but dropped their lead to Emirates Team NZ's AC75 team, who led around Mark 1. The Kiwis led around all the remaining marks, hotly pursued by the two Italian boats. At Gate 4 the kiwis were out to a 21 second lead which was soon reduced by the Italians, with all contesting the pressure in the righthand side. At Mark 5 the Kiwi's margin was just 5secs over the young Italian crew, with Peter Burling in third.
On the final run, the Kiwis took the right, but muffed their gybe in the softer breeze about halfway across, and had to luff to stay on their foils. That was enough to get the Ragazzi in front by 150metres. The young Luna Rossa crew again got the pressure from the right, ripping along at 30kts, while the Kiwis on the left hand boundary, ran out of pressure at the wrong time - having to put their bow up to stay on their feet, and could but watch as the Luna Rossa Women and Youth team crossed the the finish line 11secs or 100 metres clear of the bow of the advancing Kiwis, with the Peter Burling skippered Luna Rossa crew finishing third, 230 metres or 23 secs back.
On points, after six races, Luna Rossa Women and Youth lead (55pts), with Emirates Team New Zealand second (47pts) and Luna Rossa AC75 crew in third (44pts). Emirates Team New Zealand Women & Youth are 4th on 39pts, a creditable performance - but are a long shot to make the two boat Final on Sunday.
Race Day 2 Live:
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