The wind whistles on the shrouds, the foils cut through the waves in large showers of water. We can hear the teams coordinating to tack their monohull. Despite a weak wind in Auckland Bay, the images of the two sailboats “flying” shoulder to shoulder on the water are impressive.
The Italian team Luna Rossa thwarts the predictions by winning 2 rounds against Team New Zealand, the big favorite. “The Italians really set the bar very high and force us to work hard,” conceded New Zealand skipper Peter Burling. “We produced a perfect race,” said Luna Rossa’s co-helmsman Francesco Bruni. But the European team had to face a foil problem which did not unfold allowing the victory allowing the New Zealanders to equalize 2 to 2. The victory of the Italians would have a powerful symbolic significance. Indeed, in 170 years, only one European team has won the America’s Cup, the Swiss union Alinghi in 2003 and 2007. The 5th and 6th rounds of this 36th edition will take place on Saturday.
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