America’s Cup preliminary regatta: All you need to know ahead of the racing in Vilanova i la Geltru

The America’s Cup doesn’t start until August 2024, but to quench the thirst for sailing fans there are two preliminary regattas between now and then. Christopher Reive tells you all you need to know ahead of the first regatta in Barcelona.

For the first time this America’s Cup cycle, the competing syndicates are getting the opportunity to race against one another just down the road from Barcelona in Vilanova i la Geltru.

Yes, they’ve done some practice drills alongside one another, but this weekend’s preliminary regatta – beginning at 1am NZT on Saturday morning - is the first chance they have had to properly race against their rivals.

The teams will compete in their one-design AC40s – the scaled-down foiling monohull that will ultimately be used by their Youth and Womens’ America’s Cup teams for their regattas next year.

It won’t be until next August that we see the teams racing in AC75s when they sail the final preliminary regatta in Barcelona, which takes place just before the Challenger Series kicks off.

So, what can we take from this weekend’s racing in Vilanova i la Geltru?

“From a competitive standpoint, it’s just a really good moment, about a year out from when we start racing over here, to check our systems, our procedures, our communication out,” Team New Zealand helmsman Nathan Outteridge told the Herald.

“The America’s Cup is always a design race, so you’re always focused on designing and engineering the fastest boat. We as a team put together the AC40s which we’ve now handed to all the competitors and what’s interesting is we get to see how people sail the boat - how they do the setup of the boat, how they trim the sails, how they use the autopilot on the boat.

“There’s a lot to be learned observing the other teams and how they use the equipment. If we see things that are an improvement on how we do it, we can adapt our design and the way we sail the boat to make improvements. Whoever goes into this regatta with the mindset of ‘how do we learn the most?’ will come out of it with the most to be gained for next year.”

To ward off any further confusion, in the one-design AC40, an autopilot system controls the flight of the boat. The roles of the four sailors onboard are two helmsmen, and two trimmers – one of each on either side of the boat. For Team New Zealand, Outteridge shares helming duties with Peter Burling, while Blair Tuke and Andy Maloney are in the trimming seats. In the AC75, Tuke and Maloney will also share the flight controlling duties.

What else is different?

Unlike the Challenger Series and the America’s Cup match, this weekend’s preliminary regatta will feature fleet racing rather than match racing. That means all six teams will be in the starting gate and racing against each other like you see in SailGP, opposed to the usual one-on-one match racing style you’ll see in the main regattas next year.

Fleet racing is a more spectator-friendly offering, as there are more opportunities for boats to pass each other and more action with a larger number of boats on the course. The event in Vilanova I la Geltru will run over three race days. The first two days feature three fleet races each, with the final day including two fleet races then a final match race between the top two teams to decide an event winner.

For what it’s worth, Team New Zealand won all three races in yesterday’s practice session.

How can I watch it?

The regatta gets underway from 1am New Zealand time on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings, and is being streamed on the America’s Cup website as well as YouTube.

Who’s sailing?

Team New Zealand (NZ) - Helmsmen: Peter Burling and Nathan Outteridge. Trimmers: Blair Tuke and Andy Maloney.

Ineos Britannia (UK) – Helmsmen: Sir Ben Ainslie and Giles Scott. Trimmers: Bleddyn Mon and Leigh McMillan.

Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Switzerland) - Helmsmen: Arnaud Psarofaghis and Maxime Bachelin. Trimmers: Yves Detrey and Bryan Mettraux.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italy) – Helmsmen: Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni. Trimmers: Umberto Molineris and Andrea Tesei.

Orient Express Racing Team (France) - Helmsmen: Quentin Delapierre and Kevin Peponnet. Trimmers: Jason Saunders and Matthieu Vandamme.

American Magic* (USA) – Helmsmen: Tom Slingsby and Paul Goodison. Trimmers: Michael Menninger and Riley Gibbs.

* Not released a confirmed four-person lineup for the regatta, but this seems the likely setup.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.