Auckland (AFP)
There must be only one left ... The "flying sailboats" of the America's Cup enter the heart of the matter in Auckland on Friday with the Prada Cup, which will designate the one who will have the honor of playing in Team New Zealand the most prestigious nautical trophy.
After years of theoretical work which gave birth to formidable monohulls hovering above the waves, after months of sometimes chaotic tests, the three American, Italian and British contenders begin six weeks of rounds in the water under the sun on Friday. New Zealand summer.
The winner of these regattas will win the right to challenge Emirates Team New Zealand from March 6 to 21, the defender of the America's Cup.
For its 170 years of existence, the venerable competition sees the great return of the illustrious New York Yacht Club (NYYC), at the origin of the legend of this event over which it reigned supreme from 1851 to 1983. Founded in 1844, the NYYC had not participated in the Cup or its playoffs since 2003.
Skipper of American Magic, the NYYC sailboat, Andrew Campbell explained that his crew were determined to live up to this prestigious heritage in the Prada Cup, in the face of the Italian challenges Luna Rossa and the British INEOS Team UK.
"I'm here to win these regattas and the America's Cup," said Campbell.
- The capsizing of the Kiwis -
Still, the 75-foot (23-meter) rockets imagined for this 36th edition are light years away from the elegant sailing ships of the New York era.
Like most Vendée Globe boats, the AC-75s are fitted with foils, side appendages that allow the boat to rise above the waves to reduce water resistance.
At full speed, they can in theory exceed 50 knots (nearly 93 km / h) in precariously balanced aerial piloting.
So much so that Campbell's official title on the American team is "flight controller".
He's the one to make sure American Magic stays in the air in all windy conditions.
“Navigating these 75 feet is very confusing,” he explains, pointing to the “inertia” of the machines.
"There are a lot of ways to go wrong."
A risk illustrated this week by a spectacular capsizing of "Te Rehutai", the Team New Zealand boat which crashed suddenly in the water during a jibe (change of tack by tail wind).
The sailboat was not damaged, which testifies according to the kiwi coxswain Peter Burling of the solidity of these monohulls, so far from the fragile foiling catamarans which had been used during the last edition, in 2017 in Bermuda.
“The same maneuver on the catamaran in Bermuda, you would have finished in 1,000 pieces,” he said.
- "170 years of itching" -
Despite this mishap, Team New Zealand remains the big favorite to keep the Silver Ewer in March, given its performance in the preparatory races in December.
American Magic seems his most dangerous challenger, a tone above Luna Rossa.
INEOS Team UK, on the other hand, had to solve major technical problems.
But the British led by the four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie still want to believe it.
"Great Britain is of course very proud of its maritime history and has won just about everything in this sport," Ainslie recalls.
"But the America's Cup is the only thing we haven't won."
"We've been itching for 170 years. That's what drives us."
The Prada Cup will be a total of 17 rounds in one against one until February 22, and first a mini three-way championship.
The first will qualify for the final, while the other two will contest the semi-final over seven regattas.
The final will be played in the best of thirteen rounds from February 13, and the winner will challenge Team New Zealand in March at the America's Cup.
© 2021 AFP