Italian challenger Luna Rossa believe the team is already closing the gap on the advantage America’s Cup holder Team New Zealand has over them in high winds.
Luna Rossa skipper Max Sirena readily acknowledged the Kiwi speed advantage in that zone after the world series regatta where Team New Zealand blitzed them by 3m 12s in a decent south-westerly wind on the inner-city course of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour.
A motivated Luna Rossa was the first challenger out of the shed after Christmas, looking to utilise the strong south-westerlies that buffeted Auckland earlier this week. And, according to co-helmsman Francesco Bruni, they have made some decent gains.
“We encountered that strong wind that was needed to improve in the conditions where ETNZ has shown to have an advantage at the moment,” Bruni told Italian yachting site Fare Vela.
“We tried many solutions including adjustments, appendices, settings and it was three very profitable days just to grow in medium-strong wind conditions. We have tried many solutions … but I certainly can't tell you what we discovered.”
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