The first Preliminary Regatta on the road to the 37th America’s Cup begins in the beautiful Catalan port of Vilanova i La Geltrú from the 14-17th September 2023 and promises to be one of the most hotly contested regattas anywhere in sailing this year. No team wants a poor result. Everyone is seeking the morale-boost that a good result offers and all are desperate to make the Match Race Final on Sunday 17th September 2023.
The America’s Cup teams will face three intense days of fleet and match racing in the world’s most exciting foiling monohull class, the AC40, with three races per day to decide the top two teams who will contest the winner-takes-all match race final. All the teams will be sailing in strict one-design mode so the winners will be decided on pure sailing skill and technique with consistency being the mantra. There has been some electric racing in the pre-regatta warm-up events and it’s very clear that all the teams are operating at a very high level and pushing hard in racing mode.
The America’s Cup teams will face three intense days of fleet and match racing in the world’s most exciting foiling monohull class, the AC40, with three races per day to decide the top two teams who will contest the winner-takes-all match race final. All the teams will be sailing in strict one-design mode so the winners will be decided on pure sailing skill and technique with consistency being the mantra.There has been some electric racing in the pre-regatta warm-up events and it’s very clear that all the teams are operating at a very high level and pushing hard in racing mode. Vilanova i La Geltrú is an amazing venue for yacht racing, the spectators and the global audience on the livestream are in for a real treat at this first Preliminary Regatta.
For spectators shoreside and on the water, Vilanova i La Geltrú is gearing up to welcome the world. The official race village opens on Thursday 14th September at middayand the opening ceremony will be held at 7pm after the practice racing that afternoon. The village will be the centre point for the regatta with jumbo screens showing the racing with plenty of seating, food and drink outlets plus Official Merchandise stalls for all to enjoy. Sailor presentations and interviews will be conducted on the main stage and live music acts will entertain late into the evening on each race day. Not to mention the viewing opportunities with screens on the Platja Ribes Roges beach.
On the water, spectators will be treated to some of the fastest and most compelling racing with the six AC40s lining up against each other on a tight stadium course restricted by clearly marked boundaries to keep the racing compact. Registrations are open on the official 37th America’s Cup website for boats wishing to watch the racing from the water and, on a daily basis, will receive course information, designations and race director communications.
