Two weeks before the deadline, preparations are accelerating for the eight teams participating in the regattas of the first Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice.
The final installations are being set up, the boats are being upgraded and prepared for the events, while some teams trained last week on ACC yachts to be ready for November 7, the first day of the race.
In Valencia, the site of the last America’s Cup, where several teams still have an operational base, the four ACC boats that will be used in Nice have been prepared for the November regattas.
On Tuesday afternoon, two of these boats, GBR 75 (TeamOrigin) and FRA 93 (ALL4ONE team, formerly K-Challenge), arrived in Nice after a journey of over 400 nautical miles along the Mediterranean coast.
“It’s great to see these first two boats in Nice,” commented Laurent Esquier, President of the World Sailing Teams Association (WSTA), which organizes the event in partnership with Louis Vuitton and the Nice Yacht Club.
“We were relieved to arrive in Nice without difficulty. The weather window was very tight, but thanks to the work of everyone involved in the transport, we were able to depart on time and arrived safely, with the boats intact and ready to sail,” added Nick Bice, captain of the lead boat.
The other two boats, ITA 90 and ITA 99, loaned by the Mascalzone Latino syndicate (which will not participate in the Nice event), will arrive by the end of the month.
“Our team in Nice is working tirelessly to set up the race village and logistics for the regattas. Everything is on schedule,” confirmed Laurent Esquier. “We are eager to welcome the eight teams in early November for some training races before the events begin.”
Eight of the world’s best teams have confirmed their participation in the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice, which will take place from November 7 to November 22:
ALL4ONE (FRA/GER)
Azzurra (ITA)
BMW ORACLE Racing (USA)
Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL)
Swedish Challenge Artemis (SWE)
Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS)
TeamOrigin (GBR)
Team French Spirit (FRA)
BMW ORACLE Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand, and ALL4ONE (K-Challenge) participated in the last America’s Cup, while TeamOrigin participated in this year’s Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. The other four teams are new to the ACC, but will feature experienced sailors from the Cup. Last week, Synergy Russian Sailing Team and Azzurra familiarized themselves with the ACC on Victory Challenge boats, while ALL4ONE trained on FRA 93.
The Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice is the first event inspired by the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series held in Auckland earlier this year. ALL4ONE will be the host team of the Nice event.
