Everything is new in Jeddah. Emirates Team New Zealand, defender of the America's Cup, and the five teams that aspire to take it from them have exchanged the Mediterranean for the Red Sea. For the first time in 172 years, the Cup has moved to Saudi Arabia where the second preliminary regattas begin tomorrow. The teams once again measure their strength after the games in Vilanova i la Geltrú in September, when American Magic and New Team New Zealand made the difference.
In Jeddah, everyone competes with the same boat, the AC40, so the difference is made by the teams and does not weigh as much in the technology and design of the AC75 with which they will compete in Barcelona. “The level is very high and represents a very important challenge, we are testing the weather and sea conditions, which are very different from those of Vilanova,” explained Peter Burling, skipper of the defending team, this morning during the press conference of presentation of the event, in Jeddah. “We have been training for a week to make the most of the weather conditions,” said Arnaud Psarofaghis, skipper of Alinghi Red Bull Racing, the first team to arrive in Saudi Arabia. The conditions are proving to be tougher than expected, to the point that only two teams came out to train yesterday, ETNZ and Ineos Britannia.
The pressure on the British is greater. Sir Ben Ainslie, the team's skipper, acknowledged today that “our results in Vilanova were not what we expected and after analyzing what happened, we are here to improve.” The Italians, who have once again opted for young people in this Jeddah event, have shown themselves, to begin with, less tense: “We are here without many expectations, but we are going to give everything to learn and continue improving,” said Ruggero Tita , skipper of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.
After the undisputed role of the New York Yacht Club American Magic in Vilanova, Paul Goodison explained that the team is very focused on Barcelona in the development of its AC75 with which they aspire to recover the America's Cup. “But this Jeddah regatta is another great challenge and is very important for the functioning of the team,” he said. The French team, led by Quentin Delapierre, sixth in the running, has reiterated that the cohesion and preparation of the athletes will be decisive.
In the presentation of the regattas, the representative of the Sailing Federation of Saudi Arabia, Salima Bagdady, insisted on the importance that the event has for her country, “to be able to see these boats that incorporate the latest technology and because it is a great step for the development of our sports program.” The regatta officially starts tomorrow and the final will be held on Saturday at noon.
