Luna Rossa: Preliminary Regatta Daples, day 02

At the end of today’s four races, Luna Rossa Senior remains at the top of the provisional standings and Luna Rossa Y&W holds on to first place in the dedicated standings and fourth place overall.

It was a challenging day, characterized by a northeasterly wind that, contrary to forecasts, held at around 18 knots until the end, with gusts that made the crews’ job very difficult. During the day, top speeds of 33 knots were recorded, in conditions that made handling the AC40s particularly challenging. For this reason, the performances of both Italian boats can be considered excellent, despite a few mistakes. With the sunny weather and the holiday atmosphere, the Public Village was packed with fans who followed the races on the large screens set up along the Lungomare Caracciolo, while the boats raced just a few hundred meters offshore. There is great anticipation for tomorrow’s grand finale, when two fleet races will be followed by the final match race between the top two teams in the standings.

RACE #03
A flawless race for Luna Rossa Senior Team, which completely dominates the third race. The crew led by Peter Burling and Marco Gradoni reads today’s challenging racecourse perfectly and consistently positions itself on the favored side, making the most of the gusts also in terms of boat setup. After rounding the first mark in the lead, Luna Rossa 1 maintains its position unchallenged, steadily increasing the gap over its rivals all the way to the finish. Luna Rossa 2, the Youth & Women’s boat, also performs extremely well, sailing at over 30 knots throughout the race while maintaining full control of the boat. Another strong performance by Margherita Porro and Massimiliano Antoniazzi, who finish the race in fourth place, once again ahead of the other Y&W teams.
Luna Rossa 1: 1st place (+10 points)
Luna Rossa 2: 4th place (+7 points) 

RACE #04
After serving a penalty following a protest at the start, the crew led by Burling and Gradoni keeps its composure and makes up ground, rounding the third mark in third place. However, a less-than-perfect choice at the gate on the second downwind leg and a patch of light wind on the penultimate leg cause Luna Rossa 1 to lose positions and settle for sixth place at the finish. Luna Rossa Y&W, meanwhile, does an excellent job of reading the shifts and sudden patches of light wind across the racecourse and handling the pressure of a very challenging race. The result is a fifth-place finish.
Luna Rossa 1: 6th place (+5 points)
Luna Rossa 2: 5th place (+6 points)

RACE #05
A thrilling race, decided on the final leg. After a strong start on the left side of the course, Luna Rossa Senior reaches the windward mark at the front of the fleet alongside the French team, but is forced to luff sharply to avoid them and falls off the foils. Dropping to last place, the Italian boat remains focused, demonstrating all the experience and professionalism of its crew. Working the opposition and the wind perfectly, Gradoni and Burling fight their way back through the fleet and reach the finish line in second place. It is a tougher outcome for Luna Rossa Y&W, which, after holding a position in the middle of the fleet throughout the race, falls off the foils on the final upwind leg and crosses the finish line in eighth place.
Luna Rossa 1: 2nd place (+9 points)
Luna Rossa 2: 8th place (+4 points)

RACE #06
A hard-fought final race of the day, with several position changes and aggressive maneuvers. Starting on the left side of the course does not pay off for the Italian boats, which reach the first mark in fourth (Y&W) and fifth (Senior Team) place, respectively. The tightly packed fleet, which leaves little room to make up ground on such a gusty day, does not make things easy for the crews. Luna Rossa Senior does an excellent job of climbing through the fleet, eventually overtaking the British team shortly before the fifth mark to move into third place, a position it holds all the way to the finish. Luna Rossa 2 finishes the race in fifth place, with the satisfaction of confirming itself as a highly competitive crew capable of challenging even the more experienced teams.
Luna Rossa 1: 3rd place (+8 points)
Luna Rossa 2: 5th place (+6 points)

«Today was a difficult day, with beautiful conditions out there and 18 knots of wind», said Giovanni Santi. «We definitely made some mistakes, but we’re confident we can do better tomorrow. We’re expecting a big crowd and, as always, we’ll give it everything we’ve got».

«The second day of the Preliminary Regatta Naples was spectacular, with beautiful conditions and winds exceeding 20 knots», said Gianluigi Ugolini. «We completed four races in which we saw a bit of everything. We’re satisfied and now we’re focusing on tomorrow».

The Luna Rossa crews racing today were 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)