• The journey to the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Barcelona begins with the Preliminary Regattas that will serve as warm-up races ahead of the Louis Vuitton Cup (Challenger Selection Series).

  • The first preliminary regatta was held in Vilanova i La Geltrú from 14th to 17th September 2023. The teams then headed to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta Jeddah, presented by NEOM between 29th November to 2nd December 2023. The third and last preliminary regatta was held in August 2024 in Barcelona.

    The first two regattas were raced in the strict one-design AC40s – the world’s newest and most exciting foiling class with top speeds touching 50 knots and perhaps beyond.

    In August 2024, we saw the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta in Barcelona where all the America’s Cup teams raced in their new AC75s for the very first time.
     

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    VILANOVA i LA GELTRÚ:
    14–17 SEPTEMBER 2023

    Vilanova i La Geltrú welcomed the America’s Cup world with the announcement of the first preliminary regatta to be held in the beautiful seaside city some 45 kilometres to the west of Barcelona.

    In the 19th century, Vilanova i La Geltrú was fondly known as ‘Havana Xica’ or ‘Little Havana’, and today it is one of the country's leading capitals of popular and traditional culture. Els Tres Tombs and the town's carnival, declared a Heritage Festival of National Interest, are just some of the events that have made the capital of El Garraf a must-see destination on the Spanish coastline. The splendid seafront promenade, where colonial-style buildings live in harmony with fishermen's houses, its Rambla, the city's social and retail hub, its wide range of fish and seafood culinary offerings and the famous xató dish mark Vilanova i La Geltrú as one of the jewels of not only the region of Catalonia but all of Spain.

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    JEDDAH:
    29 NOVEMBER – 2 DECEMBER 2023

    Jeddah, set on the Red Sea and with a bustling port and busy city centre is regarded as one of the most lavish ports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The city, often referred to as the gateway to Mecca, has a rich heritage fusing the old and the new with its UNESCO-listed historic centre Al Balad, combining soaring modern architecture and five star luxury around the Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina. The picturesque Jeddah Waterfront offers the perfect vista onto the Red Sea where visitors can relax, enjoy the breath-taking views and discover the famous Al Rahma mosque, otherwise known as the ‘Floating Mosque’.

    Often referred to as the ‘Mermaid of the Red Sea,’ the city’s motto is: ‘Jeddah is Different’ reflecting the truly diverse and cosmopolitan nature of the city, which features spectacular international events like the Red Sea International Film Festival and sporting events encompassing Formula 1™, football, golf, athletics, cricket, basketball, boxing and equestrian.

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    BARCELONA:
    22–25 AUGUST 2024

    The Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta was held in Barcelona on 22–25 August 2024. The America’s Cup teams will race on their new AC75s for the first time, and the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, lined up against the Challenger syndicates offering the first indication of who to watch for in the Louis Vuitton Cup (Challenger Selection Series). With four days of match races, the top two teams progressed to the winner-takes-all final match race on the fourth and last day to decide the ultimate winner of the event. 

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    WHO’S RACING: Emirates Team New Zealand, INEOS Britannia, Alinghi Red Bull Racing, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, NYYC American Magic and Orient Express Racing Team

    All of the teams entered in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona 2024 are fielding teams with representation from the Defenders, Emirates Team New Zealand, the Challenger of Record INEOS Britannia and the Challengers: Alinghi Red Bull Racing, NYYC American Magic, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and Orient Express Racing Team.

    If the first Preliminary Regatta in Vilanova i La Geltrú is anything to go by, then NYYC American Magic and Emirates Team New Zealand, the Defender of the America’s Cup, will be the teams that everyone will be benchmarking themselves against. 

    The America's Cup Preliminary Regatta Jeddah, presented by NEOM in Saudi Arabia, saw the top sailors from the America’s Cup teams compete against each other in equally matched AC40 monohull foilers again. The impressive sailing conditions on the Red Sea provided a world-class sailing event with Emirates Team New Zealand leading the scoreboard and taking away the win at the final match race against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

    At the final event in Barcelona, it was once again Emirates Team New Zealand who topped the leaderboard. This time, all teams raced in their brand new AC75s, giving an early indication of what was about to unfold in the journey to the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup Barcelona. 

     

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    WHAT BOATS:
    AC40 & AC75

    For the first two Preliminary Regattas in 2023, racing was conducted in the team’s AC40 in a strict one-design set-up. The boat, its controls, sails, foils and mechanisms will all be standardised, so the emphasis is firmly on race-craft, positioning and foiling technique.

    Each team will consist of four sailors with two helms steering from the forward ‘pod’ and two crew members responsible for sail and foil trim sitting in the aft pods. All control systems are battery-operated. The racing itself will start with fleet racing flights to determine the top two teams who will then proceed on to a final match race (one-on-one) to decide the spoils of victory.

    The third and last preliminary regatta in August 2024 was raced on the new AC75s: A step on from what we saw during the 36th America's Cup in Auckland in 2021. The foils are larger, the boats lighter and, onboard, the electronics and software systems are vastly upgraded. The number of crew has been reduced to 8 sailors, which means that the cyclors, introduced by Emirates Team New Zealand in 2017, return to the game.

     

  • HOW TO FOLLOW

    All racing will be broadcast free-to-air through a dedicated America’s Cup television production. The regattas will offer the world a first glimpse of what can be expected when the UniCredit Youth & Puig Women’s America’s Cup begin in earnest in September and October 2024 in Barcelona as well as the start to the Louis Vuitton Cup (Challenger Selection Series). The Preliminary Regattas will be the first time the AC40 fleet will race each other over fleet and match racing courses, and the AC75s will have their first official racing in the Preliminary Regatta Barcelona. 

     

    RE-WATCH ALL RACING HERE