Marco Gradoni, the Youth America’s Cup champion, faced his first real test in the new configuration. He joined skipper Peter Burling and steered from the port side. Later in the session, Marco was replaced by double Olympic Nacra 17 World Champion, Ruggero Tita. Despite the change, the team put in a remarkable display, smoothly transitioning to flight and refining their tacks and gybes.

It’s intriguing to observe the scuff and skid marks on the usually immaculate hull of the AC75, particularly on the underside. The Italians are treating this boat as a workhorse undergoing development. They’re installing the systems within the hull that will support the immense rigging and control loads that these AC75s carry during race trim. Currently, the focus is on development, as Luna Rossa is allowed to sail for 46 out of the 47 days permitted under the Protocol rules this year.

Cameras and LiDar devices were ubiquitous. Umberto Molineris and Vittorio Bissaro, the two skilled trimmers and flight controllers, were engrossed in the data while Maria Giubilei occupied the port 5th person seat. This seating arrangement suggests that the Italians have adopted a different strategy compared to Emirates Team New Zealand, who have their 5th person seated on port. In Auckland, we’ve observed Jo Aleh seated in the aft starboard pod.

In total the team were on the water for some four hours with 70 minutes of flight time. Valuable moments on the Bay of Angels for sure, for Luna Rossa – the hometown favourites for the Louis Vuitton 38^th America’s Cup.

RECON REPORT: Targeting their first proper sailing session, Luna Rossa rolled out at 10:25 while the offshore Maestrale was still blowing. The hull appeared to have lost a significant amount of paint. Foil cameras were still in place, while white strips had been added to both flap elements. Another camera was noted on the hull just before the transom section pointing downwards on the rudder and elevator.

The boat splashed by 11:15, with dock-out scheduled for 12:15. Sailors check followed, including some minor cant movements combined with mast rotation.

Once docked out, the following crew was on board: on port, Marco Gradoni (helm), Umberto Molineris (trim), and Maria Giubilei (5th); and on starboard, Peter Burling (helm), Vittorio Bissaro (trim), and Gigi Ugolini (6th).

At 12:20 the sea breeze had started to fill in, reaching 9–10 knots from 195°. The MN1-8 mainsail was paired with the J2-9 jib. After swinging the boat onto starboard tack, self-take-off was achieved at approximately 16–17 knots boat speed. All five take-offs of the day were executed autonomously on starboard tack.

A recurring observation throughout the day was the occasional and excessive immersion of the rudder during both downwind and upwind sailing, as well as during manoeuvres such as bear-aways and round-ups.

The first session focused on straight-line sailing and a limited number of manoeuvres. In terms of bulb-to-bulb transitions, approximately 9 seconds were recorded for gybes and 7 seconds for tacks. During gybes, Luna Rossa occasionally appeared to struggle with the catch on board up command exiting the manoeuvre. Windward cant was used to balance the boat on certain modes in a straight line.

As the sea breeze increased to 13 knots from 165°, the J2-9 was lowered and replaced by the J3-9. Despite the strengthening breeze, the sea state did not build significantly throughout the day and remained relatively flat.

The second session appeared to focus on manoeuvre execution, with tacks generally cleaner than gybes. During the third and fourth sessions, LR seemed to perform more aggressive bear-aways and round-ups, once again immersing the rudder excessively.

At 15:30, Marco Gradoni was replaced by Ruggero Tita on port helm, and the fifth session unfolded with the largest number of manoeuvres of the day.

The team docked in at 1640 concluding their day with approximately 70 minutes of foiling time and around 40 manoeuvres, only a few of which resulted in touch-and-go’s