Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s young guns, generational talent, dominated the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup Final with a comprehensive victory over NYYC American Magic in a high-adrenaline, six-leg, race sailed in winds up to 18 knots and big waves.
Led by the mercurial Marco Gradoni, undoubtedly a name for the future of America’s Cup racing for Italy, and with the outstanding talents of co-helmsman Gianluigi Ugolini, and trimmers Rocco Falcone and Federico Colaninno, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli were simply a class apart, leading from start to finish, showing consistent and conservative front-running, after capitalizing on an early entry penalty for NYYC American Magic.
After coming in seconds early at the port end of the line, the umpires penalized the Americans with a 75-meter get-behind penalty and despite starting well, after the first tack, the team were forced to give away the leverage to the Italians. Seventy-five meters quickly became 100 as Luna Rossa covered the American team tenaciously over by the right boundary and then offered no passing lanes over the next six legs.
Sailing smartly, Luna Rossa made no mistakes, rounding the leeward gates with two-boards down in the 18-knot breeze and bearing away steadily at the top gates—albeit at speeds in excess of 46 knots. It was a masterclass of front-running and the clipped, concise communications onboard the Italian boat were worthy of the very best in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup.
For the NYYC America’s Cup youth team led by Harry Melges, with co-helmsman Kyle Navin, and trimmers Severin Gramm and Finn Rowe, their dream was extinguished, and the sailors were left ruing the starting error as well as some minor splashdown errors that eventually resulted in a 36-second deficit to the Italian crew. These talented young sailors will bounce-back for sure and they were magnanimous in defeat, taking it as a lesson and moving on, but disappointment was nevertheless etched on their faces. So near, yet so far.
Winning the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, after surviving a small final jibe scare on the last leg into the finish line, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli have laid down a serious marker, a signpost for the future of this passionate country’s involvement at the elite apex of sailing.
The next generation of talent coming from Italy is at the very top level, and winning the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup at a canter after dominant and consistent performances all week, is confirmation of what looks like an unstoppable force in world sailing.
A delighted Marco Gradoni, the figurehead not only of the Youth team but of Italian youth sailing, spoke onboard saying: “This moment is important because we worked a lot for this and now we have achieved our goal. I really want to thank everyone, the coach, the shore team, the tech team, everyone really because it was super hard to get here at this level. But we did it and it’s an amazing feeling.”
American Magic’s starboard Harry Melges IV, in his post-race interview, acknowledged that the starting penalty was tough to come back from. It only a made a formidable challenge even tougher. “This one stings,” Melges said, while also accepting the opportunity the Youth America’s Cup presented to the young team. “We knew they would be tough to beat going into this. We have to step back and say how lucky we are to be able to do this.”
