MILAN — No christening of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli boat would be complete without the viral moment provided by Miuccia Prada.
On Saturday in Cagliari, Italy, the designer and wife of Patrizio Bertelli, president of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, struck the boat’s bow with a bottle of Cantine Ferrari’s Maximum Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine to christen the AC75 foiling monohull — as is the tradition. The boat is set to compete in the 37th edition of the America’s Cup sailing race, taking place between Aug. 22 and Oct. 27 in Barcelona.
Prada donned a red coat with a contrasting dusty pink shirt, black pants and mary jane flats, and videos of her godmother duties were on a roll on social media over the weekend.
Decked in a metallic “Metal K”-colored livery the AC75 — the race-ready version of a prototype unveiled two years ago — glistened under the sun at the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli dock in the Sardinian town.
It marks the 10th “Luna Rossa” America’s Cup hull unveiled 25 years after the first boat in 1999.
Built at the Persico Marine shipyard in Nembro, Italy, the sailboat, made of pre-preg carbon fiber, required 70,000 hours of work by 35 boat builders. It is equipped with a 25.6-meter mast with a soft wing comprising two twin mainsails and a headsail made of carbon and Dyneema.
The Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli AC75 sailboat competing in the 37th America’s Cup.
Courtesy of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
In addition to Prada and Bertelli, the christening was attended by Marco Tronchetti Provera, executive vice president of Pirelli, the co-title sponsor of the team; Max Sirena, the longtime skipper and team director of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, and Agostino Randazzo, president of the Sicilian Sailing Circle represented by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.
In tandem with the ceremony, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli revealed that Oakley is joining the team as its new technical performance partner.
“The boat we launched today is the 10th America’s Cup hull that we christen ‘Luna Rossa.’ This name, that has marked important milestones in my life, has also become an iconic name in sailing worldwide. It is a beautiful and radical boat that represents a step forward in terms of design and technology, born from an incredible collective effort,” Bertelli said.
“In these 25 years I have accomplished a goal that I had set for myself a long time ago: to create a team of extraordinary technicians and sailors capable of shaping the future of sport in our country and leaving a legacy for future generations. Now, with this new Luna Rossa, I also hope to achieve my sporting ambition, to win the America’s Cup,” he said.
The upcoming America’s Cup will mark Luna Rossa’s seventh challenge, but sixth race, as the team in 2015 withdrew from the competition over disagreements with the overturning of rules unanimously adopted throughout the previous year by the Oracle Team of the U.S., which was owned by Larry Ellison, and which lost the America’s Cup to the New Zealand team.
The Prada boat will represent Italy and the Sicilian Sailing Circle at the oldest trophy in the history of sports and the most prestigious in the sailing world, often referred to as the Formula 1 of the sea.
Louis Vuitton is again the title partner of the event and is once again organizing the Louis Vuitton Cup.
Five challengers in the Louis Vuitton Cup regattas — Ineos Britannia, Alinghi Red Bull Racing, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, NYYC American Magic and Orient Express Racing — will battle it out on the water to win the right to face off against defender Emirates Team New Zealand for the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Barcelona.
The Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli AC75 sailboat competing in the 37th America’s Cup.
Courtesy of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
The Luna Rossa team was established in 1997 by Bertelli with the original name of “Prada Challenge for the America’s Cup 2000.” The team won the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000, with a record of 38 victories over 49 races. It also competed in 2003 and in 2007, when it reached the Louis Vuitton Cup final.