Conditions in Cagliari looked promising for Luna Rossa's latest outing, with flat water and a thermal breeze of 11-13 knots that eased to around 8-10 knots offshore. It proved to be an eventful day, marked by control issues and one moment that came close to ending in capsize.
The team had spent two weeks in the shed before rolling out the mast at 10:45. At dock-out, the starting crew included Ruggero Tita and Peter Burling sharing helming duties, supported by Umberto Molineri, Vittorio Bissaro, Maria Giubilei, and CFD engineer Martin Jacoby. Later in the day, Ruggero Tita swapped with Marco Gradoni, Umberto Molineri with Gigi Ugolini, and Martin Jacoby with Nitin Garg.
The first session got underway at 12:54 with a tow-to-fly from the chase boat. The yacht sailed long boards upwind before heading offshore into lighter air. On the first downwind leg the recon team noted that "the boat did not appear fully in control." A rudder stall forced the boat hull-borne, and a significant windward heel followed before the sailors and coaches gathered for a debrief.
The second session began at 13:58 and produced the day's most alarming moment. Peter Burling was walking aft to inspect the mainsail traveller control when the boat suddenly heeled hard to windward, the bow went down, and a slow capsize was very narrowly averted. Burling was fine throughout the incident.
A minor issue brought a ten-minute break before the third session. The team practised back-to-back tacks and gybes, though another rudder stall occurred while attempting a full circle, a manoeuvre that matters in America's Cup boat-on-boat match-racing. The yacht gradually showed more consistency as the session progressed.
Technicians were back aboard at the start of the fourth session to address another small issue, but the team kept pushing. By the end of the day Luna Rossa had logged 126 minutes of foiling, completing 39 tacks and 36 gybes.
The recon team noted several changes to the boat's configuration, including a new GoPro camera on the port side at mid height, a sanded deck that may indicate anti-slip paint has been removed, and a new camera mount on the centreline below the jib foot. Smaller updates were also observed on the spray rails on the arm stock and torpedo, though these were yet to be confirmed.
Speaking afterwards, Luna Rossa Computational Fluid Dynamicist Martin Jacobi reflected on the day. "After a stop, we did a lot of upgrades in our systems, and it's typical the first day of commissioning of the boat that we find out some issues. So luckily, the team reacted super-fast, the guys on board also, and it all went pretty well and was solved, and they continued as nothing. So really impressive from the team, their reactions."
Luna Rossa intend to sail again in Cagliari on Friday 31st July.
