America's Cup: Luna Rossa comes out on top in a sensational day in Cagliari.
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 24 May 10:00 PDT
Luna Rossa win - Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup Preliminary Regatta - Day 3 - May 24, 2026 © David Maynard /
www.alleycatphotographer.com
None of the eight teams contesting the first Preliminary Event of the 38th America's Cup, will have come away happy from Cagliari.
Even the teams with two boats in the fleet had one good performance offset by an "if only" by the other.
The regatta was won by the Luna Rossa Principal team, skippered by three-time America's Cup winner, Peter Burling. The win will ensure he has an emotional place in the hearts of the Italian fans come the America's Cup proper in 12 months' time.
The Raggazi, Luna Rossa's Womens and Youth team, will be rueing missing the Final after being the what might have been. With an 8-point lead over the Kiwi AC75 team, and an 11-point lead over their "Principal" team, it should have been a simple question as to who they would meet in the Final.
Race 7 of the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta Sardinia started in sensational fashion with the disqualification of the Ragazzi, the overall series leader and home crowd favourite.
Luna Rossa Women and Youth were judged to be premature starters. Due to a communications breakdown and misunderstanding, they failed to return to the correct side of the start line before starting.
After repeated chidings, warnings, one-minute deadlines, and three penalties from the Chief Umpire, Richard Slater, the young Italians were disqualified and asked to leave the racing area.
They sounded perplexed on the radio when two-way communication was established, and then advised the Slater that they were having software problems, but it was not clear whether they didn't know they were early starters, didn't understand what they had to do by way of penalties, or why they were getting multiple penalties.
Slater was succinct - instructing the series leader, and crowd favourite, to "Luna Rossa Grey, you are disqualified, please leave the race area. We will sort out the software."
The Umpires' verdict was broadcast as the rest of the fleet rounded the first mark.
That decision set the scene for the final day of racing to become edge-of-the-seat for fans of all hues. Three points now separated the top three teams on the points table. The race for the Final was now wide open.
To make a tight situation even tighter, the two top teams each had a boat that could potentially be the kingmaker if team orders were given, or even if they could just stay between their top boat and its immediate competitor.
Great Britain led around the first mark with the French team La Roche-Posay, in hot pursuit, just 6 seconds back, with the Peter Burling skippered Luna Rossa, just ahead of Emirates Team NZ's AC75 team, with the Kiwis Women and Youth team in hot pursuit.
The French split tacks with the British team on the downwind leg, letting Luna Rossa through into second, with the two Kiwi teams back in fourth and fifth.
In the 10-12kts breeze and flat water, as with yesterday, the right-hand side of the course again seemed to have a little better pressure, and protecting the right was a feature of the racing for the rest of the day.
With those parameters in play the rest of the race became a procession, with the British who had only completed one race in the previous two days, took a confidence building race win, with the French and Italians scrapping for second, more than 200metres ahead of the two Kiwi boats, who raced down the final leg only 20 metres apart, and both being credited with the same finish time.
The outcome of Race 8, and the composition of the series Final was decided on the start line, with the Athena Pathway and Luna Rossa Womens and Youth team being called as early starters.
This time, there was no software error called, and the young Italian team, probably still shell-shocked by their disqualification in the previous race, duly returned without admonishment from the Umpires. However, it was a very steep climb for them to recover and make the Final, and really one of the other two had to make a serious error to let the young Italians in the back door.
Out front, the Peter Burling skippered Luna Rossa team had a good battle with Great Britain (Dylan Fletcher). But a snarl up with the French team just after Mark 2 gave Luna Rossa the break they needed, and they were never headed.
Rig turbulence came into play, more so than the two previous days, and once the teams got onto the third leg of the course, it was simply a matter of staying between your trailing opponent and the mark, while protecting the right-hand side of the course.
The Final between Luna Rossa and Emirates Team NZ had a vigorous prestart, with Nathan Outteridge being able to drive over the top of his former skipper, Peter Burling, who was forced to tack away. But Burling, driving on the starboard side, was able to regain control of the start after the Kiwis crossed over the line and crossed back 17 seconds before the start.
That enabled Burling to set up on their stern and chase the Kiwis to the start line. Too late, the Kiwis realised they were going to be short of runway and had to burn off time. Meanwhile, Burling flew down the start line at 35kts - twice the speed of the Kiwis, turning to cross the line sailing at 32kts.
Emirates Team New Zealand were just half a second early for the start, were called OCS and dropped their speed back to 25kts sitting the AC40 onto its bustle as they dropped back the required 75metres to atone for their starting transgression. That margin stretched to 115metres by the time the Kiwis got back onto race pace.
"When they stepped up to the right, we sort of had four or five seconds to kill for the pin," Outteridge explained after the finish. "I thought we were going to be able to kill it - we killed most of it, but didn't get it all at the end. We tried to slow up at the finish, but it was the one that got away".
In the conditions, it was going to be very hard for the New Zealanders to make up the ground. They got one sniff when Burling got the speed wobbles approaching Mark 4, but some frantic work pumping the mainsheet traveller kept the Italians on their foils.
From there, it was a matter of sailing out the one-sided course and staying on their foils as Luna Rossa progressively extended their lead to finish 30 secs ahead and win the first Preliminary Regatta for the 38th America's Cup.
"We were disappointed with that start," Outteridge continued. "We were in a really strong spot - we just charged for the pin a bit early, couldn't quite kill it at the end. So, it gave him [Burling] the start, and then after that, there weren't many opportunities. But the teams have sailed well all week, and we obviously wanted to win today.
"But the America's Cup is next year, so we'll take a lot of learnings out of this."
"This is the first event on a long road to the America's Cup for us. With the new group, we're going to have a lot to learn out of this event."
"I was really impressed with how the team has gelled, and the whole support team behind the scenes is doing a fantastic job."
"We did our job - we made the Final but came up a little bit short. This happened to us last campaign as well. We didn't win the first event that we sailed, and we came back much stronger."
"So, I'm sure we'll regroup. We'll be a lot better for the next event later on this year," he added.
For the Luna Rossa team, the regatta win on their home waters is a big achievement for their campaign - building confidence and showing that they have two teams who are the equal of any other in the America's Cup.
While the Luna Rossa Women and Youth crew may have stumbled a little on the Final day, they came out of the regatta knowing they are on course and at a start point, 12 months from the Cup, way beyond where Luna Rossa has been in their six past America's Cup challenges.
"Obviously, this was my first race in the grey uniform," skipper Peter Burling reflected after the finish.
"We gave ourselves a bit of work to do early in the week."
"We made it, definitely a few mistakes, but to come out like we did today and really show what we've got and win a first event for Luna Rossa is super pleasing."
"The way Marco [Gradoni] and the Womens and Youth team have been pushing us, and making our life super hard, in training has just managed to raise the level for everyone.
"We had an amazing day to wrap it up."
"It's amazing to be here," said co-helm. Ruggero Tita.
"It's amazing to win the first event here in Cagliari. And, it's amazing to have so many friends and fans here looking at us today.
"So, thank you. Thank you, everyone."
And then the party began.
Race Day 3 Replay:
The second Preliminary Regatta will be held in Naples in late September.