The 37th America's Cup officially opens in three days

On August 22, exactly 173 years after the victory of the schooner America around the Isle of Wight, the 37th edition of the trophy that carries her name will kick off in Barcelona. On that same day, the Final Preliminary Regatta begins. It will be the third and final race, leading up to the America's Cup in the wake of those held in Vilanova i La Geltrú (Sept. 14 - 17, 2023) and Jeddah (Nov. 29 - Dec. 2, 2023).

Although this event will not award useful points for the Louis Vuitton Cup, it is very important for the teams who, for the first time, will race onboard the AC75s and no longer on AC40s as they had in the previous Preliminary events. Also, unlike Vilanova i La Geltrú and Jeddah, the races will be exclusively with Match Race format and there will no longer be fleet races.

Participating in the Barcelona Preliminary Regatta are the five Challengers: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Ineos Britannia, NYYC American Magic, Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Orient Express Racing Team plus the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand. The event begins August 22 and features four days of match racing. The two top ranking teams will advance to the final regatta on the fourth and last day, which will determine the winner of the event. The races start each day no earlier than 2:00 pm CEST and will last from 2 to 3 hours, depending on the schedule and weather conditions.

Listed below are the schedule, information and main rules to best follow the event and Luna Rossa races.

AUGUST 21 
• Official Practice Race
• Opening Press Conference

 AUG. 22 - 25
• Match Races

AUGUST 25 
• Awards Ceremony in the Race Village

LUNA ROSSA REGATTA SCHEDULE AND ENTRY SIDE IN THE PRE-START BOX
(blue boat enters from the left, yellow boat from the right)

August 22: MATCH #2 - NZL (blue) vs ITA (yellow) - MATCH #4 - ITA (blue) vs FRA (yellow)

August 23: MATCH #7- USA (blue) vs ITA (yellow)

August 24: MATCH #11 - ITA (blue) vs GBR (yellow)

August 25: MATCH #14 - ITA (blue) vs SUI (yellow)

REGATTA INSTRUCTIONS

Start times: the start of the first race of the day will be no earlier than 2 pm local time
Warning signal: 3' to the start
Pre-start: the blue boat enters the box from the left no earlier than 2'10” to the start; the yellow boat enters from the right no earlier than 2' from the start
Start line: will be delimited by two geostationary buoys and will be approximately 300 m long
Wind limits: 6.5 / 21 knots
Course: windward-leeward course with downwind gate below the starting line. Three possible courses
- Course n. 4: start - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate - finish line
- Course n. 6: start - windward gate- leeward gate - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate -  finish line
- Course n. 8: start - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate -    leeward gate - windward gate - finish line
Validity: for the race to be valid, a boat must have completed at least 4 legs
Time limit
- The time limit to complete the first leg is 12'
- The time limit to complete the race is 45'
Penalties
- If the boat touches the buoys there is no penalty
- If the boat goes outside the virtual boundary it must slow down to lose 75 m
- If the Umpires assign a penalty for a regatta rule infraction, the penalized boat must slow down to loose 75 m
- The penalty must be paid within 60” of notification, but not before the starting signal
Early Start (OCS) 
- If the boat starts within 3” of the start, it has two options
1) Cross the start line again
2) Continue on the course and pay the penalty by losing a length of 75 m
 If the boat starts more than 3” early, it is obliged to cross the line again
Right of way at the buoy: within 60 m around the buoy, the inside boat has right of way, regardless of its tack
The Final Preliminary Regatta will be broadcast live on www.lunarossachallenge.com, while on TV it can be followed live on Sky (205) and Mediaset (20) channels.