Luna
Rossa ITA 74 Is Sailing
(05/22/02) (Source
: Prada)
Only 48 hours after her launch, the
new Luna Rossa ITA 74 sailed today for the first time
in the home waters off Punta Ala.
During the 3 hours of sailing, Francesco de Angelis
and his crew carried out a series of technical tests
to gauge the response of hull, appendices and gear at
various sailing angles.
Prada
unveils the new Luna Rossa
(05/20/02) (Source
: Prada)
A bright Mediterranean sun was shining
this morning at the launching of Luna Rossa ITA 74,
the newborn at Prada Challenge for America's Cup. The
event took place at the Team Prada base in Punta Ala.
Miuccia Prada christened the boat breaking the traditional
champagne across the bow while Patrizio Bertelli and
the whole Team Prada looked on during this private ceremony.
Don Sandro Spinelli, parish priest of Punta Ala, was
at hand for the ritual blessing of the boat.
Bruno Calandriello, president of the Yacht Club Punta
Ala, was also present as were the boat yard personnel
and the families of the Prada Team members with lots
of cheering children who provided a gay and festive
backdrop to the event.
Luna Rossa, in full dress, touched the water shortly
after eleven o'clock and, in a surprise move, the protective
skirts were removed to show the topsides, allowing also
glimpses of the underwater appendices through the clear
water. The logo remained unchanged, while the hull is
painted a darker, matt grey.
After the toasts, Patrizio Bertelli with Miuccia Prada,
Francesco de Angelis and a group of team representatives
boarded a plane for Milano where the official press
conference for the presentation of the boat took place.
A great hall was set up by the Milanese offices of Team
Prada with four large scale test-tank models hanging
from the walls and journalists, official suppliers,
technology partners and guests were shown the images
of the launch. The microphones were then opened for
Patrizio Bertelli and Francesco de Angelis to comment
on the event.
"This new challenge starts again from zero. It is a
different challenge with a new team and new boats. We
will try to be as detached as possible from the last
Cup and we intend to tackle this challenge with renewed
energy and enthusiasm", said Patrizio Bertelli.
Francesco de Angelis confirmed by saying: "I cannot
think of any element of the boat that we launched today
that is not totally new, a result of the intense research
and development as well as intensive training program
followed during the past two years. Every time you participate
in a sporting event you must rewrite the page from zero
with the intent to better yourself from your previous
effort."
After the press conference, Patrizio Bertelli and the
rest of the team flew back to Punta Ala to celebrate,
together with families and friends, the first day of
the new Luna Rossa ITA 74 with a barbecue on the beach.
Tomorrow crew, shore-team and technicians will be already
at work for the delicate tuning of hull, underwater
appendices, sails and gear of the new boat that, after
the technical tests are completed, will sail in the
waters of Punta Ala.
Luna
Rossa ITA 74 leaves the boatyard
(05/10/02) (Source
: Prada)
Today at 2.30 pm Luna Rossa ITA 74
left the boatyard in Grosseto and was transported
to Punta Ala where she arrived safely at 4.15 pm.
All the team was there to welcome the new boat, including
Francesco de Angelis who had recommenced training
at sea, with Young America USA 53, this morning.
(Cheryl has posted a transcript on
the 2003AC website from an interview between TVNZ's
Martin Tasker and Prada skipper Francesco de Angelis.
Here's an excerpt from that posting.)
Martin Tasker : The key difference on the water has
been the willingness of the challengers to race against
each other and even race against the defender.
Francesco de Angelis : We had the opportunity to race
each other compared to the traditional America's Cup
where you would never face other challengers or even
mention the defender. I think this time we do both.
It was a good opportunity for all the teams to do
some racing. I think everybody was comfortable doing
it. Everybody took what they could take out and like
every good business the two parties have to make a
good deal. Otherwise it doesn't work.
MT : In the challenger regatta, to which Team New
Zealand was pointedly not invited, there was another
difference from the last Cup with Gavin Brady joining
the Prada afterguard alongside tactician Torben Grael
and navigator Matteo Plazzi. The Kiwi Italian helming
some of the starts before handing the wheel back to
de Angelis.
FdA : Gavin did two starts; I did the other two races.
I did a start in a race by myself and Rod was racing
the other boat. So I think you have to try to use
the best talent you have in your team.
MT : Has any decision been made on that yet ?
FdA : (laughing) Well, if there are, I wouldn't tell
you right away.
Gavin Brady and Rod Davis are not necessarily
expecting to race on the "A" boat come competition
time, but that does not seem to bother their.
On Madforsailing, Gavin Brady said "I would expect
Francesco to be the skipper/helmsman, and Torben [Grael]
will be on the boat too, as he has a very good relationship
with Francesco which dates back way beyond the America's
Cup association. Then I think either Rod or myself
will be on board, but really. It's better to do a
job that you enjoy, and Rod and I both really like
steering the B boat."
"We've experimented with Gavin starting and Francesco
steering after that, but at the end of the day Francesco
will be steering the boat - my prediction." so say's
Prada's Rod Davis in an interview with Rich Roberts.
So the afterguard is likely to remain unchanged from
two years ago come competition time. But are they
up to it ?
"People forget that Prada put in some really good
match racing against Paul Cayard and AmericaOne,"
Brady points out. To criticise de Angelis and Grael's
performance in the Cup finals is not fair, he believes.
"One had a knife and the other had a gun," is how
he sees the relative merits of Luna Rossa and the
now legendary NZL-60 - the benchmark for all current
America's Cup campaigns.
Prada's
Training in the Hauraki Gulf is over
(04/16/02) (Source
: Prada)
Team Prada ended today the “extra” training session
in New Zealand with Luna Rossa ITA 45 and will head
back to Italy within a few days. In a few days Luna
Rossa – the last America’s Cup Class yacht of team
Prada still in Auckland – will be loaded on a ship
and will reach Italy in five and a half weeks.
From the beginning of May, when the other two yachts
USA 53 and USA 58 (shipped from Auckland a month ago)
are scheduled to reach the Italian coast, team Prada
will be back at work in its home base in Punta Ala.
The construction of the new Luna Rossa ITA 74 is well
under way in the team’s boatyard in Grosseto and the
launch will take place in late May.
Last
training week in Auckland for Prada
(04/12/02) (Source
: Prada)
Whilst their colleagues Rod Davis
and Gavin Brady are competiting in Long Beach, Team
Prada members are scheduled to end the "extra" training
session in New Zealand around the 18 of April.
Luna Rossa ITA 45, the only America's Cup Class boat
that the team is using at this stage, will be shipped
back to Italy around 20 April.
Prada
training for an extra session in Auckland (03/26/02) (Source
: 2003ac.com
& Prada)
Change of plans for team Prada who had completed
its training session in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand,
last 9 March 2002.
Recently the team decided to continue the operations
in Auckland with Luna Rossa ITA 45 in order to optimize
the five and a half weeks of inactivity due to the
shipping of the boats and equipment back to Italy
(the other two America's Cup class yachts of the team,
Young America USA 53 and USA 58, are now on their
way back).
The hull of ITA-45 is now fully skirted from deck
to ground level. Formerly only the keel was concealed.
The rig is a conventional 2000 generation rig (not
a millenium rig).
Part of the Prada sailing team helped out by part
of the shore team was back sailing in Auckland,
yesterday, after two weeks of rest.
This "extra" training session in New Zealand
waters should keep team Prada busy until the end of
April approximately. The rest of the sailing team
and shore team is already back in Italy, as originally
planned, to follow the construction of the new Luna
Rossa ITA 74 in the boatyard in Grosseto.
The whole team Prada will be back together in Italy
from the beginning of May in order to start training
at sea with Luna Rossa ITA 74, whose launch is scheduled
in late spring.
Prada
completes session in Auckland (03/11/02) (Source
: Prada)
The activity in New Zealand waters for team Prada
is over and by the end of next week the boats and
equipment will be ready to be shipped back to Italy
via cargo.
Since last October Francesco de Angelis, with his
crew and the rest of the team, has been working in
Auckland carrying out a long series of tests, technical
evaluations, local weather conditions analysis and
practicing match racing.
During the first phase of this southern hemisphere
period, the team has been focusing on the assessment
of a number of technical and experimental modifications
on the yachts, while the objective of phase two has
been specific crew training and practice.
Rod Davis and Gavin Brady, with their respective Prada
crews, will stay over in Auckland to compete in the
Steinlager/Line 7 Regatta, international match racing
event organized by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
from 19 to 24 March.
In the meantime work is in progress in the Prada boatyard
in Grosseto, Italy, where the first of the two new
America’s Cup Class yachts of the team - Luna Rossa
ITA 74 - is currently being built. The construction
of the second boat, on which the designers are still
working, will commence later in the year, in time
for the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Team Prada will be sailing again in Italy from around
mid May.
Time
to pack up for Prada (02/23/02) (Source
: NZ
Herald)
Prada are temporarily packing up and heading
back to Italy.
They will take part in the Challenger of Record Committee
observation trial early next month before loading
up their three cup boats (Luna Rossa ITA45, Young
America USA53 and USA58) and shipping them home.
Prada, will start training in Italy at the beginning
of May. Soon afterwards they will launch Luna Rossa
ITA74, the first of their two new cup yachts, which
are being built in the Prada boatyard in Grosseto,
Italy.
The schedule for the second Luna Rossa (which has
not been assigned a sail number yet) has yet to be
decided.
Prada expect to return to Auckland in early September.
Prada
Challenge joins the fleet (01/10/02) (Source
: Prada)
The holidays are over for team Prada,
who is back at work on her three International America's
Cup (IACC) Class yachts (two Young America and one
Luna Rossa). Prada will be in Auckland approximately
until the beginning of March.
From April-May, with the summer season approaching
in the northern hemisphere, the team's activities
will relocate to Italy in preparation for the launch
of the two brand new Luna Rossa yachts.
Ten months before the beginning of the XXXIe America's
Cup, besides Team NZ, the Defender of the XXXI America's
Cup, five teams are training on the Hauraki Gulf :
GBR Challenge (GBR), Oracle Racing (USA), OneWorld
(USA), Victory Challenge (SWE) and Prada.
Prada Challenge definitely
leaves their home waters of Punta Ala and moves to
the marina of Capoliveri on the Elba Island where
Mascalzone Latino opened its operational base this
week-end.
Prada Challenge will be located in the East of the
Island, whereas the second Italian Challenge is located
in the north (Portoferraio).
Team
NZ and Prada together ? (12/15/01) (Source
:
Found in la Nazione by Greg
According to a mail received
from Auckland, Wednesday and Friday on the Hauraki
Gulf, the Defender and the challenger of Record are
training together. Information wich must to be confirmed.
During the last Cup, when Nippon Challenge worked
up against TNZ, Prada Challenge was in the first ones
to condemn Peter Gilmour. Ironic the flip-flop if
true ...
