America’s Cup 2021

For the New Zealanders, the Cup is a cause of national importance: since their first participation in San Diego in 1988 the nation has been cheering along. At this time, the Kiwis challenged the USA with a futuristic monohull giant and lost the final race at the end. With the first victory in 1995 under the participation of national heroes like Sir Peter Blake, Russell Coutts or Brad Butterworth, the New Zealanders also feel a bit like the true owners of the "auld mug", as the cup is affectionately called in sailing circles.

The Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has reached the final of the America’s Cup for the third time. The Italians already tried to win the trophy in 1992 and 2000, but had to accept the defeat of their rivals in the finals. In 2000, the crew already faced with the team from New Zealand. That time, they lost with 0:5 in the final match races.

Now it’s time for Max Sirena and his team to dream of the cup again and to bring the most important trophy of international sailing to Europe.

The America’s Cup has always been the home of new technologies and design inspirations for the global yachting sector. It’s no surprise that boating history will once again be made in 2021 with the brand new AC75 boat class, which was debuted in 2018. The AC75s are 23-metre-long structures: half boat half flying machine. They’re not made to float on but to fly over the water on wings fixed to the sides. This kind of “foiling” was first established in the America’s Cup edition in 2013, but had only been used on catamarans. This year, the world will see giant monohulls for the first time that balance on two legs – the foil on the side and the rudder blade with a wing – and will reach speeds of over 50 knots. The bolides give the sailors completely new challenges: the main thing is to keep the boats on the foils during the whole sailing time. Two to three crew members take care of the correct angle of attack of the wings, trim tabs and the surface at the helm. So, they are real pilots.

In 2020, boot Düsseldorf became a special venue for all lovers of the world’s oldest sailing regatta. The trophy travelled from New Zealand to Düsseldorf and could be viewed by visitors and sailing enthusiasts on-site. Click here to find out more.