The best sailors in the world will return to Naples from 16 to 21 April for the first America’s Cup World Series event of 2013.
Naples hosted the America’s Cup World Series in April 2012, when it drew more than 500,000 spectators. The racing on the water was highlighted by a spectacular debut from the Italian Luna Rossa Challenge team, which won the fleet racing and finished second in the match racing.
“We are very happy to be returning to Naples for our only event in Europe in 2013,” said Stephen Barclay, the chief executive officer of the 34th America’s Cup. “The people of Naples turned out in force to celebrate the America’s Cup and the Luna Rossa team in 2012, and we anticipate even more enthusiasm for the 2013 edition.”
The America’s Cup World Series is a global circuit of events where the teams race catamarans for a season championship. It features up to 11 of the top sailing teams in the world, racing on cutting-edge, wingsail catamarans that demand the best from the crews. The competition takes place extremely close to shore, on short, confined racecourses, making for dramatic race action for spectators and sailors alike. The 2012 to 2013 season opened with events in San Francisco in August and October 2012, and it continues with races in Naples and the USA in the spring.
One of the most fiercely competitive and sought after trophies in all of sport, the first America’s Cup race was in 1851, 45 years before the modern Olympics. An American yacht named ‘America’ won, giving the international sailing competition its name.
