The second Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America’s Cup, which begins tomorrow, Friday the 25th, has a special atmosphere and energy that can be felt throughout the city: for the first time, the six teams competing in the 2027 edition – with nine AC40s – will race on the official America’s Cup racecourse. Naples has been preparing for this event for some time, and it has drawn thousands of fans to the city, ready to enjoy the action both from shore, at the Public Village along the Lungomare Caracciolo, and from the water, as evidenced by the many yachts and superyachts in attendance. The official Practice Race was won by the Luna Rossa Senior Team, which dominated the day by winning all three scheduled races.

The eve of the first day of racing features:

The official Practice Race
The skippers’ press conference
The team presentation to the public
Held on the panoramic terrace of Castel dell’Ovo, the press conference was attended by numerous journalists and media representatives, who had the opportunity to finally see the protagonists of the event in person and hear their impressions and expectations ahead of the upcoming races.

«The new crew configuration is a natural choice to give everyone the same opportunities» said Peter Burling, skipper and helmsman of the Senior Team. «We have several talented people, and all of them have contributed to getting us where we are today. Having a woman on board the Senior boat is not about meeting a gender quota; she simply earned that spot. We have come a long way, but now we need to focus on this weekend. The racecourse is complex, especially at the end of the summer. That said, Naples is wonderful, both as a city and as a race venue».

«Ours is a partly new crew, and we are hungry to win», said Margherita Porro, skipper and helmswoman of the Y&W Team. «Peter ‘stole’ Maria from me, but we have Maria Vittoria, who is an equally talented trimmer. She won the Women’s America’s Cup in 2024 and will do a great job. It is great to have a woman on every boat. I think it sends a very positive message from Luna Rossa».

Luna Rossa is competing with two AC40s under the burgee of the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia; under the rules, one of the two must have a mixed Youth & Women crew: Luna Rossa 1 – Senior Team – has a black mainsail head and a light-blue stripe on the flag; Luna Rossa 2 – Y&W Team – has a white mainsail head and a gray stripe on the flag.

The official lineup for the Preliminary Regatta Naples is as follows:

Luna Rossa 1 – Senior Team
Peter Burling (helmsman)
Marco Gradoni (helmsman)
Maria Giubilei (trimmer)
Gianluigi Ugolini (trimmer)

Luna Rossa 2 – Y&W Team
Margherita Porro (helmswoman)
Massimiliano Antoniazzi (helmsman)
Giovanni Santi (trimmer)
Maria Vittoria Marchesini (trimmer)

Also named to the crew are:
Ruggero Tita (helmsman)
Umberto Molineris (trimmer)
Lorenzo Sirena (helmsman)
Alice Linussi (trimmer)

As for the rules in effect, here are the key points to help understand what happens on the water:

The Race Committee will select the most suitable racecourse area based on the weather and sea conditions.

The course
will be a windward–leeward course, with gates at both the windward and leeward ends. The overall course will consist of either 4 or 6 legs, with each race expected to last approximately 20 minutes. Each leg will be between 1 and 1.6 nautical miles long. The Race Committee may shorten the course; however, since at least 2 legs must be completed, the race cannot be shortened before the leeward gate.

Start
• The starting line will be marked by two geostationary buoys.
• On race days, the first race will start at 2:10 p.m., while the final race will start at 3:27 p.m.
• In fleet racing, boats must cross the starting line within 3 minutes of the starting signal.
• In match racing, if neither boat starts within 5 minutes of the starting signal, both will be scored as losers (0 points).

Time limits
• For a race to be valid, two time limits must be met: one for reaching the first gate (7 minutes) and one for completing the course (25 minutes).
• Once the first boat completes the course, the Race Committee will declare the race finished 5 minutes later.
• If at least one boat crosses the finish line within the time limit, the race is valid. Each boat will be scored according to its finishing position or, alternatively, according to the last gate it passed, provided it has passed at least the first windward gate.

Wind limits and sea state
The warning signal will not be given if the Race Director determines that:
(a) the true wind speed is below 7.5 knots or above 21 knots; or
(b) the sea state is unsuitable.

Scoring
The winner of each race receives 10 points, second place receives 9 points, third place receives 8 points, and so on down to the last-place finisher.

Penalties
• A penalized boat must “lose” 75 meters relative to the boat identified by the Umpires. If the penalty is imposed before the start, it must still be served after the starting signal and within the course boundaries.
• The penalty must be served within 60 seconds, but not before the starting signal.
• In fleet racing, if a boat receives a penalty at the finish line, it still crosses the line, but 10 seconds are added to its elapsed time.