It’s September 26, so today is the scheduled start of the final round of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Finals to determine which crew will pass through to the America’s Cup challenge against the Cup Defender, New Zealand.
Two races are scheduled for Thursday between the British and Italian crews, starting in early afternoon Central European time. The only way to watch the racing live is to subscribe to the fee-based cable channel ESPN+. Or you can watch on the America’s Cup website with a 24-hour delay.
The regatta is being held in Barcelona, Spain, and not New Zealand as one might suspect. This is due to the Kiwi team needing funds and sponsors that they simply could not put together for a defense at home. Barcelona stepped up with infrastructure and a fat checkbook to secure the event.
To recap, the America’s Cup race is the longest continually contested sporting event in the world and dates back to 1851 when the U.S.-flagged schooner America sailed to England and won the country’s most prestigious race on the course around the Isle of Wight. The 2024 regatta is the 37th Defense of the Auld Mug, as the cup has been called.
Five challenger syndicates put together programs to vie to become the official challenger through a racing series known as the Louis Vuitton Cup. France was eliminated in the first round robin. The American crew sailing for the New York Yacht Club was eliminated by the Italians in one semi-final and the Swiss team was defeated by the English crew in the other semi-final.
That leaves the Italians and the British to slug it out for the challenger cup. The Italian team is vastly experienced in America’s Cup sailing while the Brits are relative new-comers in the modern age. The races can be thrilling in a good breeze and the forecast for today is for 20 knots and a one-meter sea.
