At the sailing competitions of the 2024 Olympic Games currently taking place off Marseille, the Nacra 17 catamarans are undoubtedly one of the most spectacular boat classes. Germany’s foiling aces Paul Kohlhoff and crew Alica Stuhlemmer are in eighth place ahead of the medal race, which has been postponed until tomorrow. Shortly before their second joint Olympic participation, the Kiel crew set a new personal speed record: 33.5 knots. Similar speeds are only achieved by surfers on their IQ foil boards, and only kiters are even faster.
At least when it comes to Olympic sailing. A video recently made the current ranking clear. On their Instagram channel, the Italian Nacra17 crew Gigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei can be seen training in foil mode. Spectacular enough, you might think. But then a shiny silvery projectile comes rushing from behind. After blinking once, it’s clear: The new AC75 of the Italian America’s Cup syndicate Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is passing the suddenly tiny-looking catamaran at a much higher angle to the wind and a few knots more boat speed to leeward.
Featured editorial contentInstagram
At this point you will find external content that supplements the article. You can display it and hide it again with one click.
External content
I agree to allow external content to be displayed to me. This means that personal data may be transmitted to third-party platforms. Read our privacy policy for more information.
37th America’s Cup: Lightning fast and extremely exciting?
In the video description, the team aptly writes: “When you think you’re the fastest in the bay… you’re in Barcelona.” The countdown to the 37th edition of what is probably the most prestigious sailing competition is currently underway there. In 15 days, the first starting gun will be fired for the last preliminary regatta, where the foiling monohulls will meet for the first time. Just a little later, things will get serious in the challenger series as part of the Louis Vuitton Cup, when it comes to determining the opponent of the New Zealand defenders in the final cup match.
Even experienced cup experts are still having a hard time determining who is currently in the lead. Rarely have there been such diverse designs that are nevertheless at a similar level of performance. From the voluminous “Britannia” to the extremely minimalist and flat “Patriot 2.0” to the perfected defender yacht of the Kiwis, the entire design spectrum is represented. The different orientations could, however, lead to strengths in different conditions. The decisive factors in the battle for the silver cup will therefore be the best area analysis and undoubtedly the best sailing team.
“There are simply too many competing factors to have the optimal boat in all conditions. Our sailors and design team are confident that we can squeeze every potential second out of our boat across the entire wind range, but some boats will have their sweet spots and it’s about having more of them than the opposition,” confirms Ray Davies, two-time America’s Cup winner and coach at Emirates Team New Zealand.
Nacra 17: Luna Rossa helmsman wants Olympic gold again
If his team defends the upcoming America’s Cup, it would go down in history. The New Zealanders would then be the first team to win the oldest trophy in sailing three times in a row.
However, Luna Rossa’s Silver Arrow, among others, could put a stop to this. Not only has the design been convincing so far in Barcelona, but the crew also seems to be competitive. Not least because of helmsman Ruggero Tita, who is currently on course for gold at the Olympic Games – in the Nacra 17!
