The prelude to the America’s Cup involved a wait for wind and proved a source of satisfaction for Luna Rossa

This is merely a preliminary event, a dress rehearsal for what will unfold next year between 22 May and 18 July, when the Gulf of Naples will host the most prestigious and peaceful naval competition in history: the America’s Cup. It used to be said, ‘Big Guys, Big Toys’, because behind every boat competing in the America’s Cup – which remains the oldest sporting trophy still up for grabs – there was a wealthy gentleman: amongst the Americans, who have held the Cup for 132 years, the Vanderbilt family and Ted Turner; amongst the challengers, Sir Thomas Lipton and Baron Bic, just to name a few. In more recent years, around the mid-1980s, sponsors began to appear, although – starting with Patrizio Bertelli and Prada – there is always a surge of passion when launching a challenge. This was certainly the case for Raul Gardini, who made the launch of the ‘Moro di Venezia’ a flagship project for Montedison.

Much has changed since 1851, when the schooner America won the Hundred Guineas Cup by circumnavigating White Island, soundly defeating the British fleet. Gone are the days when the winner of the ‘Old Jug’ organised regattas on home waters. Consequently, the New Zealanders chose Naples precisely because they found in Italy the financial resources that the Auckland government was no longer willing to provide. In 2024, they had opted for Barcelona, but in the end, Barcelona proved unwilling to host the event. Naples, on the other hand, has an exciting track record from 2012 and 2013, but above all, the New Zealanders encountered the generosity of the Italian government, which has staked its faith on the event’s success. In short, it would have been more gratifying to bring the Cup to Italy as winners, but in 1992 Moro di Venezia and in 2000 and 2021 Luna Rossa lost the final challenge against the Americans and the New Zealanders. Now, 27 years on from Luna Rossa’s first challenge, the dream is to keep it in the ‘mare nostrum’ by winning next year.

The first day of racing was affected by a light and changeable wind, made worse by the rain that had fallen during the night. There were two attempts to start a race, but both were abandoned at the end of the first leg, where the wind out at sea prevented the boats from making headway. Just before five o’clock in the afternoon, the wind shifted to the east and picked up. Even on the Amerigo Vespucci, which had cast off from the Beverello quay for the occasion, smiles finally returned.

At the end of a day that seemed to last an eternity, they came away with two races that demonstrated the calibre of the senior Luna Rossa team, captained by the New Zealand star Peter Burling, who had already won the preliminary rounds in Cagliari in May, but who has changed his crew here, bringing on board Marco Gradoni as second helmsman and Gigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei, promising young sailors invited to the big event. These are experiments for the future, when in 2027 the competition will feature a larger 75-foot (23-metre) boat, compared to the 40-foot (12-metre) boats used these days. With one second and one first place, they lead the provisional standings ahead of the senior New Zealanders and the Americans, who made their debut right here in Naples. Tomorrow there will be four races to make up for the one lost today, and on Sunday a further two fleet races, followed by the final match race between the top two in the standings.

The village on Via Caracciolo, closed to traffic, waits for the weekend to come to life; the floating pontoons with large screens set up by Sport e Salute can accommodate up to 150 people at a time on a rota basis and offer a prime vantage point, though the view of the regatta course is spectacular from anywhere along the seafront. In total, there are six large screens showing commentary alternating between English and Italian. Unsurprisingly, there was a banner protesting against major events and rearmament, carried by three activists and promptly seized by the police, who were out in force. Although Abodi and Manfredi are walking arm in arm through the village, there is a section of the city that views the America’s Cup as a smokescreen, particularly regarding the redevelopment of the Bagnoli area, where all the boat bases will be located next year. So far, however, the protests have been contained.