Sardinia provided the ideal opening act for the 38th America's Cup cycle. Three fleet races off the Cagliari coastline on AC40 one-design monohulls produced capsizes, protest drama, and some of the fastest racing seen at this level, with the crowd at Lazzaretto witnessing an afternoon that lived up to every expectation. For Luna Rossa's young Italian squad, it was precisely the statement they had come to make.
Conditions built steadily throughout the afternoon, a textbook offshore southerly climbing from 15 to 20 knots and pushing a sharp Mediterranean chop across the race course. In fully equalised equipment, that chop left no margin for error, and virtually every team would discover that the hard way before the day was done.
| 1. Luna Rossa – Women & Youth | 25 pts |
| 2. Emirates Team New Zealand (Senior) | 20 pts |
| 3. Emirates Team NZ – Women & Youth | 20 pts |
| 4. Tudor Team Alinghi | 20 pts |
| 5. Luna Rossa (Senior) | 20 pts |
Marco Gradoni set the tone in Race 1, putting the Luna Rossa Women and Youth boat on the line perfectly in the 15-knot breeze and never giving back the advantage. Emirates Team New Zealand's principal crew attempted an early tactical tack that brought them into contact with a rival, and the on-water jury penalised the Kiwis, sending them tumbling back through the pack. Gradoni needed no encouragement, extending smoothly until the finish margin stood at 35 seconds and 650 metres over the French. The result was made all the more striking by the contrast with the principal Luna Rossa boat, which came within a moment of capsizing at the final mark and crossed the line in seventh.
"We have the hook, squeeze them up. Nice start. Let's keep it smooth on the foils," Gradoni was heard saying on the Luna Rossa Youth on-board communications during the race.
The television commentary reflected the mood of the crowd: "The atmosphere here in Cagliari is electric! The kids have absolutely schooled the senior fleet in Race 1!"
New Zealand's response in Race 2 was emphatic. Nathan Outteridge, evidently unwilling to repeat the opening race's misfortune, committed to a bold port-tack start that cut across the fleet and secured the early lead. Luna Rossa's senior crew pushed hard through the middle stages, exchanging high-speed crosses at over 40 knots, but Outteridge held his ground at every turn and converted the lead into the team's first victory of the AC38 cycle.
The race produced its own moment of drama further back in the fleet. Hannah Mills, helming Athena Pathway, lost control on the final downwind run, the boat spinning into a violent capsize. Her crew escaped without injury but were left with no option other than retirement. Mills' own words from the on-board audio captured the sequence precisely: "Gybing here... wait, the rudder's out! We're going over, watch out!"
The commentary box reflected the chaos unfolding behind the leaders: "Look at the pace on New Zealand, they are defending the left perfectly. But look behind, the British boat has capsized! Athena Pathway has gone rubber-side up on the final sprint!"
Phil Robertson of Tudor Team Alinghi offered a candid assessment of his own team's afternoon: "Tricky race for sure. We caught three boundary penalties on that opening upwind leg which dropped us deep, but we settled into a cleaner rhythm as rivals made mistakes."
Race 3 proved the most volatile of the three. Four boats were called over the start line early in a chaotic pre-start, among them Athena Pathway and the French entry. Outteridge's ETNZ Senior crew got away cleanly and found themselves in a genuine battle with Great Britain's GB1 for the lead, the wind by now gusting to 20 knots and the Mediterranean chop growing shorter and more aggressive with every gust.
The day's most spectacular moment arrived on the final downwind leg. The ETNZ Senior AC40 lost stability at pace, the bow drove in, and the boat cartwheeled into a capsize. Outteridge's on-board audio told the story in real time: "Keep the bow up, it's really twitchy in this chop! Watch the rudder depth... whoa, losing it, losing it, hold on!"
With New Zealand dead in the water, Gradoni drove the Luna Rossa Youth crew through to claim their second win of the afternoon, the Luna Rossa Senior boat crossing close behind to complete an Italian one-two.
"The Kiwis are pushing hard on the boundary, oh, they've stuffed it! A massive nose-dive for Team New Zealand on the final leg! The boat is dead in the water, and the Italian youth crew are absolutely flying past!" came the call from the commentary box.
Erica Dawson, ETNZ Women and Youth Starboard Helm, was measured in her assessment of what the three races had demanded: "It ended up a pretty breezy, challenging day. In the last race, we were getting around 18 to 20 knots. Our goal was to just keep things super simple and minimise manoeuvres. The boats are awesome; it's just really, really cool sailing."
Luna Rossa's Women and Youth crew close Day 1 at the top of the standings, though the leaderboard reveals just how tight this competition already is. Four teams are locked together on 20 points, and with three further fleet races scheduled for Day 2, nothing has been decided yet.
