Luna Rossa unveiled today

32nd America's Cup unveiling day - Team Luna Rossa © Bruno Cocozza

Hundreds of spectators turned out to witness the “Unveiling Day” at the Valencia port, a moment which marks the removal and banishment of all “skirts” hiding hulls and appendages of the boats until the end of the America’s Cup. Luna Rossa’s base opened its doors to the press and members of the other teams around 9.30 a.m. From 11.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. the forecourt was flooded by the general public and sailing lovers.

Patrizio Bertelli, President of Gruppo Prada and Head of the Luna Rossa Syndicate and Andrea Imperiali, External Relations of Gruppo Telecom Italia welcomed the guests. With them was Vittorio Meloni, Head of External Relations of Gruppo Intesa Sanpaolo which is close to the two partners as sponsor of Luna Rossa 2007.

mondoBIOTECH was the sponsor of the “Unveiling Day” and was represented in Valencia by its co-founder, CEO & Chief Business Architect, Fabio Cavalli. mondoBIOTECH is an independent Swiss Drug Designer Biotech Company which specializes in the development of pharmacological and biotech products for neglected diseases.

Francesco de Angelis, Skipper and Head of the Team commented: “It’s interesting to see how although the rules are the same for everyone, each team has chosen a different road to reach this moment… Certainly water lines are not the only important thing, sailing well is paramount.”

Bruce Nelson, yacht designer Team Luna Rossa, explained some of the details that set Luna Rossa apart: “ Relative to the Luna Rossa boats the other teams have mainly opted for a bit rounder hull shapes, for less form stability and less wetted area; some of them are beamier. Based on our testing we feel that the narrow boxy shape is the way to go, and after what we saw today we know we are the boxiest. So we feel very confident that our hull form is the right one for Valencia. The appendages also varied quite a bit. On our Luna Rossa boats we have two different keel fins; we have covered the range of the fleet quite well and we have two good options to choose from. In the bulb department there was also quite a variety. Again our fleet has a selection of bulbs to choose from.”

Roberto Biscontini, yacht designer Team Luna Rossa, then added: “As we expected there we no great surprises or strange solutions. What really impressed me and the people I work with is that there is a greater variety of interpretation as far as the hulls an appendages are concerned than we thought. As Luna Rossa we have a boat that I would define extreme. We had already said this at the time of the launch and after today I can confirm we are one of the most extreme boats of the fleet. Our boat has very vertical sides and a very flat bottom. This is the result of all the work we have done in the past three years. We should all remember though that on the water the relative speeds have been very similar, more than in the past. This will mean that the races will be certainly more spectacular to watch, more interesting and more exciting.”

Tomorrow the 11 Challengers and the Defender Alinghi will declare with which boat they will race Act 13, the series of fleet races that will close the program of regattas leading up to the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup. The first race will be held next Tuesday April 3rd.