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After beating Team Ineos UK 7-1 last Sunday, on the 21st of February, in the Prada Cup Final, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli representing Italy, have now been entitled to challenge Emirates New Zealand in Auckland for the esteemed America's Cup.

Now that sentence may have made zero sense to you but the America’s cup is one of the oldest and most important sailing regattas in sport history. First contested in 1851, it is the longest standing trophy in international sport (it's even older than the modern Olympics!). Its presence in the sailing community has allowed for massive strides in sailing technology with boats that seem to defy physics and out of this world rigging mechanisms. I like to compare the competition to the Formula 1 but man these boats are in a whole league of their own!

The contest has come a long way in its 170 year voyage, embarking on its journey on August 20, 1851 when a schooner (a large sailboat with 2 masts) won a race around the Isle of Wight. Once the ship had returned to its home in New York, the hundred pound trophy awarded was soon named the Americas Cup, named after the very ship that had won it. Upon the trophy being handed to the New York Yacht Club, it was declared that the cup would be challenged in a ‘perpetual friendly competition’. Up until 1995, only one challenger had been able to take the Cup from the Americans, Team Australia in 1983. Since then however, the Cup has been won by the Swiss twice and Team New Zealand who are the current defending champions after winning for the third time.

The main format of the competition has barely changed in the last 170 years, with the defending champion having to go against a challenger after four years. The challenger is decided in a series of round robins, with this year being the Prada Cup. Once gaining the position of Cup challenger, both teams will compete, with the winner being the first yacht to win 9 races. The races these boats take part in are windward - leeward match races, one of the simplest, quintessential forms of boat racing. Click the link to learn more about the race course.

The current class of boats, the AC75s are truly a marvel in nautical engineering. The 75-foot monohulls don't have keels but glide over the water with the use of two hydrofoils on either side of the boat. The boats can reach speeds of up to 50 knots (92 km/h). Every iteration of the America's Cup boats is the pinnacle of sailing technology. These boats are alien to regular yachts with their advanced hydraulic systems and world class teams. These races are not to be missed just to see the spectacle of these yachts fly.

Catch the races live on the America's Cup youtube channel completely free starting March 6th!

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