As expecting, the Luna Rossa Challenge today transferred the main assets of the former Prada Challenge to their rented base in Real Club Náutico de Valencia.

The two more recent IACC (ITA 74 & ITA 80), their appendages and their equipments were unloaded today from the cargo ship that left Livorno three days ago and arrived in Spain this week-end.

After an intense period assembling the newly delivered boats, Luna Rossa Challenge is now able to test their toys on the water.

All of the members are expected to be here by mid-April to sail for the two boats testing period. The first outing is scheduled for Thursday, April 20.

With a slight delay due to a strike on Livorno's port, ITA 74 and ITA 80 will be shipped tomorrow to Spain. Only 32 hours are necessary for the cargo ship to reach the venue of the 32nd America's Cup.

They will be very soon followed by Francisco de Angelis and good part of the new Luna Rossa Team (50 people, including 24 sailors), in order to begin the first step of training to prepare the AC 2007.

Luna Rossa operations in Spain began yesterday, as the Italian team set up their base on a 3000 sq m site rented from Real Club Náutico de Valencia.

The first six containers delivered yesterday include the composites lab, the weather team instruments, the sail loft, and spares and equipment for the two boats.

Antonio Marrai, head of logistics for the team, is scheduled to arrive in Valencia today, and the base should be operational next month.

In a e-mail I received today, Loïck Peyon says the rumors, reported by French newspaper Libération (which wrote that Bertrand Pacé "had deserted the Front"), are absolutely not true.

Qualified as "lie allegations" by the two co-leaders of the French syndicate, they should give a right of reply in the newspaper.

According to the French newspaper Libération, citing rumors circulating, Bertrand Pacé would be ready to jump off the Team France project and to sign with the new Bertelli's Luna Rossa Challenge.

In spite of the hopes raised by the Loïck Peyron's notoriety, the Team France has already pushed back the deadline three times and doesn’t have anything concrete to present yet.

According to the Spanish Website Masmar.com, the new Luna Rossa Challenge and the French Team Le Défi came to an agreement with the Club Náutico de Valencia to use (at Alinghi's side) the former Desafio's base for the Louis Vuitton Cup 2000.

The two teams will head to Valencia in the next two month as the new Defender is already beginning its installation there.