Luna Rossa's AC75 made its first outing in Cagliari ahead of the America's Cup in Naples.

In the Silver Bullet, helmsmen Peter Burling and Ruggero Tita cautiously approached a completely new sailing style aboard their new boat. Gybes were cautious, with both daggerboards lowered for greater stability, and the entire session was characterized by constant stop-and-go as technicians came aboard to check that everything was working properly.

Speed was certainly not lacking: an estimated speed of 40-42 knots was reached during the first real acceleration. The full crew was present: Burling and Tita were joined by trimmers Umberto Molineris and Vittorio Bissaro, with Maria Giubilei in the fifth crew member's pod (left) and Marco Gradoni in the starboard pod, for a total of six people on board during the entire session.

Once rigged, the boat was lowered into the water by davit at 5:00 PM, and the team expedited all remaining procedures. The boat was scheduled to leave the harbor at 5:30 PM. Portside: Ruggero Tita (helmsman), Umberto Molineris (trimmer), and Maria Giubilei (fifth crew member); Starboardside: Peter Burling (helmsman), Vittorio Bissaro (trimmer), and Marco Gradoni (sixth crew member). The boat was towed offshore toward Sella del Diavolo. A few technical issues were quickly resolved. Around 7:00 PM, the team began accelerating with both daggerboards lowered. At 8:05 PM, the team stopped and the jib was lowered, followed by the mainsail. Overall, Luna Rossa explains on its website, it was a productive day for the team: they will be back on the water tomorrow, Friday, June 12th. "Of course, we all know it's not the same boat as Barcelona, right?" said team manager Max Sirena, "and I think every team, like the New Zealanders, when they launch their new boat, certainly has a lot of new things to check and test. The first day is always an important day, right? Because you get immediate feedback and answers. I think you just have to look at the faces of the people around the base to know that things are going well."

(Unioneonline)

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