Wednesday 10 June 2026 marked the moment Luna Rossa's bid for the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup moved from the dock to the water. The session stretched well into the Cagliari evening, the Sardinian summer sky still holding light as the team worked through a long and carefully managed first sail of the boat their camp has nicknamed the 'Silver Bullet.'
Luna Rossa had drawn favourable attention during the Preliminary Regatta in Sardinia just weeks before, yet there was no urgency to rush the Silver Bullet through her paces. The team worked methodically, shaking the boat down at their own pace, and it was not until around 7pm local time that the first take-off was recorded.
Peter Burling and Ruggero Tita shared helming duties throughout the session. Both steered with deliberate caution as they familiarised themselves with an AC75 that presents a very different challenge from the one-design AC40s. Two boards were kept down for additional stability, gybes were taken slowly, and the session was repeatedly interrupted by technicians coming aboard to check systems. The stop-start rhythm was no accident.
Even so, the raw capability of the Silver Bullet was difficult to conceal. Despite the conservative parameters of the session, the boat clocked an estimated 40 to 42 knots on its first genuine downwind run, figures that will have provided the camp with real encouragement about the development work completed under the new rules. The full crew of six aboard comprised Burling and Tita at the helms, Umberto Molineris and Vittorio Bissaro trimming, Maria Giubilei occupying the fifth-person pod to port, and Marco Gradoni in the starboard pod.
Luna Rossa CEO Max Sirena spoke afterwards with unmistakeable satisfaction. "It is always a pleasure, no? Every time when you put this lady in the water, there is quite a lot of emotion from the team, and it's probably part of the deal we have with this place. Every time when we splash this boat for the first time, it's blowing over 20 knots for day one, but it's good! I think we are quite happy of the day, and what we achieved, and we nailed everything that was on the book to tick off. So it's good."
Sirena was clear that what took to the water in Cagliari bears little resemblance to the boat that competed in Barcelona. "Obviously, we all know it's not the same boat of Barcelona, no? And I think every team, once they're going to splash the boat, like the Kiwi, I'm pretty sure they have a new stuff to check and to test. And it's always an important day, the day one, no? Because you got immediately feedback and answer. So, I think it's enough to see the faces of the people around the base tonight, and so it's good."
When asked where the campaign might find its biggest gains as the cycle unfolds, Sirena offered a measured response. "It's hard to tell. Obviously, it's going to be the third cycle of this type of boat, so like always in the past, after many campaigns with the same class, the gap between boats is getting closer and closer. Which is great because it means everyone is pushing pretty hard, both on the technical side and also on the sailing team and playbook. So, I think it's going to be an interesting Cup, the next one in Naples, and I think we're going to see really good match racing pre-start manoeuvres, and I'm pretty confident everyone is going to play on that field."
The team's next scheduled day on the water is Friday 12 June 2026.
A detailed recon report from 10 June gives a fuller picture of everything that preceded the sailing itself. The day included a succession of minor delays before any foilborne progress was made. The mast was rolled out at 15:55, with the boat following at 16:15 for further debugging and decommissioning work. Cameras were mounted on the foils in their familiar configuration, while antennas and a forward-facing recording device were fitted to the media post, with matching equipment on the spreaders. Anti-vibration hardware was installed on the shrouds, and a minor issue while stepping the mast added yet more time to the wait.
Once rigging was complete, the Silver Bullet was craned into the water at 17:00 and the crew moved briskly through the remaining preparation steps. No cant tests were observed at the dock, which points to the possibility that foil cant system testing had already been completed separately, perhaps connected to the modified 'dome' boat tender configuration.
Dock-out took place at 17:30. Ruggero Tita helmed on the port side alongside Umberto Molineris trimming and Maria Giubilei in the fifth position. Peter Burling took the helm to starboard, with Vittorio Bissaro trimming and Marco Gradoni occupying the sixth position.
As the Silver Bullet cleared the harbour, the sea breeze dropped away entirely. Cameras on the starboard wing were switched on, LiDar poles were installed, and the boat was taken under tow offshore towards Sella del Diavolo. Sail designers had joined the chase boats to observe the new mainsail, which was hoisted at 18:00.
Setting up the mainsheet system produced another hold-up when a component was found to be broken. Shore crew returned to base to retrieve a replacement, though the identity of the failed part was not confirmed. While the sheeting arrangement was being sorted, footage was taken from aft inside the mainsail skins.
By the time the offshore Maestrale had established itself from 330 degrees at 14 to 16 knots, the J4-5 was passed aboard and hoisted. Around 19:00 the team began building speed on two boards. On the first upwind starboard tack, the Silver Bullet displayed noticeable instability in pitch and ride height, with the windward board piercing heavily into the chop. A careful two-board bear-away followed before the crew completed their first one-board straight-line downwind run, registering that 40 to 42 knot speed.
The day's only gybe was taken deliberately and at reduced pace, with an extended two-board phase throughout. A two-board round-up concluded the sequence, bringing the boat to a halt after 14 minutes of foilborne sailing. The breeze had strengthened by this stage and the chop had built given the offshore position. An inspection of around 20 minutes followed, with personnel working below deck.
The second session began with another self-take-off on two boards from starboard tack. Over the following 12 minutes, the Silver Bullet completed a long straight upwind leg on two boards, alternating between high-and-slow and VMG modes. The pattern of mounted cameras indicated foil testing was in progress. Pitch and height stability through the chop remained a clear challenge throughout.
At 20:05 the team called a halt, the jib was dropped, and the mainsail came down shortly after. It was a productive opening day for the campaign, with sailing set to resume on Friday the 12th.
