Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli crosses the sails of the Amerigo Vespucci

Exactly twenty-one years ago, in the Hauraki Gulf in New Zealand, Carlo Borlenghi took a photograph that has become an icon in the sailing world. It was 2002 and the bow of Luna Rossa met that of the Amerigo Vespucci for the first time. The racing boat was about to compete in its second America's Cup in Auckland, while the historic Italian training ship was in the New Zealand city for its first round-the-world trip. On the last weekend of May, this time in Cagliari waters, Carlo Borlenghi returned to witness a new bow encounter. Indeed, the two boats met off the Molo Ichnusa in Cagliari. Specifically, the "flying" prototype Luna Rossa Leq12– created as a development platform for the new AC75 that will take on the 37th edition of the America's Cup in Barcelona in 2024 – crossed paths with the Amerigo Vespucci, which was on its way to Cagliari to embark on its second round-the-world trip. In fact, the crew of the historic Italian boat and its students will make a 20-month journey and over 40,000 miles from 1 July 2023, touching 28 countries on 5 continents.

For the occasion, some sailors from the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team embarked on the Amerigo Vespucci, experiencing the beauty of traditional sailing: on the ship built in 1931, manoeuvres are in fact still conducted using the methods of 19th century liners. Among these was Romano Battisti, sailor and cyclor of the team: "It was really exciting to spend a day on a historic ship like the Vespucci. Captain Romagnoli gave us the opportunity to climb to the top of the mast and from there we admired Luna Rossa's manoeuvres from above. It was an adrenaline rush. I was struck by the military hierarchy, the sense of duty and the lifestyle of the sailors on the Vespucci".

"The types of sailing we do are different, and even from a technological point of view we are at the antipodes, but we are all sailors nonetheless. They do very long world tours, where you have to be a great sailor. Here in Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, as in all the crews of the America's Cup, of course you need to be a great sailor, but less specific. Our races last twenty minutes and the members of our sailing team must first and foremost be super athletes and super technicians», explains shore team manager Michele Cannoni. The meeting in Sardinian waters was an opportunity to witness once again the union between two excellences of Italian sailing, ambassadors of Italy around the world, tradition and technology coming together. Cannoni continues the story of the day: I believe that what unites us is the love for the sea, the passion of those who steer and sail these boats, the care to the environment and above all the task of representing Italy in the world. The Vespucci is considered the most beautiful training ship in existence and carries our country's traditions around the globe, while we are a bit like Ferrari in Formula 1, representing Italy in the world's top sailing competition, the America's Cup". At the end of the meeting of their bows, the two crews said goodbye, wishing each other good luck for the next challenges ahead. "We thanked the captain and all the guys on the Vespucci, and our "good luck" could only be, as always, a good wind and above all good fun. Even if I'm on a military ship, I think that sailing around the world on the Vespucci is indeed a privilege that few people can afford, an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives», says Romano Battisti, who then expresses a wish for the future: "I hope the Vespucci can be present during the regattas in Barcelona of the next America's Cup. In the last edition in Auckland, seeing the black Kiwi flags all the time did not particularly help us during the regattas. We missed the Italian flags and the cheering on the spot, which we hope to find in 2024 in Spain. We look forward to meeting the 'most beautiful ship in the world' again, hopefully we won't have to wait another 20 years.