11 March 2021: Well, it's started and the excitement has built quickly. We said last week, that we hoped to offer an update on the Cup races in New Zealand and, with the cooperation of the corona virus (which had postponed the start of racing for a week), here we are with some news and a couple of images that are quite thrilling. As we mentioned previously, the NYYC/United States entry has been eliminated during the challenger series, (Prada Cup) along with the British boat, so for the first time since 2000, it's Italy vs. New Zealand. The boats are incredible, dangerous, fast, and outrageous! Top speeds on these foiling monohulls have exceeded 50 KTS! (recall the foiling cats in San Francisco and Bermuda.) Day one of racing was yesterday (10 March) and New Zealand won the first race handily, taking the lead at the start. In the 2nd, however, the Kiwis made a mistake at the start and Italy, brilliantly sailed into the lead and carried it through to the finish. Even in the relatively short courses, each boat tacks or jibes dozens of times. And that's where the race is decided; both are about equally fast in a straight line, so being able to hold the speed while changing course is paramount. So the "first to 7 wins" series is tied, 1 each. More racing tomorrow and Saturday.There are 2 races scheduled each day. You can find it on line or the television remembering it's 18 hours ahead of the eastern United States there - so while I am writing this on Thursday afternoon, it's already mid morning on Friday there and they're gearing up for racing. Here's a couple of great images to feast your eyes on!
Team Emirates/New Zealand leads LunaRossa Challenge 
Close work makes these races scary exciting!
That'll do it for this week. Next week we'll have an update on the racing and possibly an article of more general interest. We recognize that not everyone of our (now!) 119,000 readers care about the Cup, but many of us do.
Until next week,
Fair winds,
Old Salt
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