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SVN Solovelanet Global
Ineos' problem was the shape of the foils, which is
not too dissimilar to Luna Rossa's, or rather their an-
gle of attack, i.e. the point at which the arm is inser-
ted into the hull, thus determining the angle at which
the appendage enters the water. Whatever it is, the
British need to solve it before the Prada Cup races,
so as to be able to fly on foils consistently and hope
for a rapid increase in the boat's performance thanks
to their stellar crew. It is worth noting that the £110
million budget that the Queen's men are rumoured to
have above that of any of the other teams competing
in this Cup, with the defender at the bottom of the list.
In the light to above, the most serious threat to Luna
Rossa's supremacy should be American Mag-ic, al
-
though the possibility remains of a British comeback.
The defender
The Kiwis looked like their usual mix of talent, ima-
gination, competitive nastiness and coolness in the
water. Peter Burling at the helm is now a world sai-
ling star and his experience in the 49er, an Olympic
acrobatic class, seems decisive considering the
ease with which the young New Zealand-er handles
this 75-foot monster. Emirates Team New Zealand
has pulled the least conventional boat out of their hat,
with design choices that look like a synthesis of many
Here above INEOS first version
with a completely bare hull. When the
English came to Cagliari for the
regattas that were later cancelled, and
were able to study Luna Rossa in the
water, they modified the hull of the
boat and now they too have a
stabilizing keel
The British INEOS have been the
disappointment of this Cup so far, but
they may have a few tricks up their
sleeve left
