What It’s Like to Watch an America’s Cup Race Right on the Water
Seeing an AC75 race boat up close is a beautiful, exciting thing, one that even most diehard yachting-racing fans never get to experience. But during the first week’s round robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup in Barcelona, the chrome hull and tall sails of Taihoro, Emirates Team New Zealand’s foiling monohull, suddenly loom large in front of me. The racer feels enticingly close—so near it feels like I could touch it—as it glides past our Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45 sailboat, stopping about 40 yards away.
Taihoro, which will be defending the America’s Cup for New Zealand, is a vessel of singular beauty: The sails are 87 feet high, it has a sci-fi-looking carbon-fiber hull, with slots where the sailors sit low during high-speed racing, and spindly, insect-looking foils that emerge as it maneuvers down the racecourse.
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To watch these futuristic, technological marvels at home is one thing. But seeing them in real life makes me realize why America’s Cup is called F1 of the Seas. These racers—and the hydrogen-powered chase boats that shadow them—are unlike anything on the water, and we’ll get to spend a day watching them race, while enjoying Michelin-caliber meals, Champagne, and craft cocktails, courtesy of the Barcelona-based boutique hotel Almanac.
“You could watch from the beach, but here you have the opportunity to be in the thick of the action,” says the sailboat’s captain, David Mocholi, voicing my thoughts. It’s a blue-sky afternoon on the Mediterranean Sea, with temperatures of 81 degrees and winds between 8 to 10 knots. Perfect racing conditions. Even from the water, I can make out the crowds at the Fanzone Plaça del Mar looking out towards us. Onboard, there’s just 10 of us, with a fully stocked bar and a steady flow of haute cuisine.
Around us, a large number of vessels in the spectator-boat sections have claimed ringside seats: from big catamarans with booze-cruise vibes to elegant sailing yachts, such as Alloy Yachts’s Imagine, flying the Emirates Team New Zealand flag. To starboard is Vava II, the gleaming 315-foot superyacht owned by Alinghi Red Bull Racing chairman Ernesto Bertarelli, who has brought the Swiss team back into the America’s Cup after being absent for 14 years.
As Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and NYYC American Magic jockey for position at the start of the first race, an excited buzz sweeps across the spectator boats. You can feel the electric anticipation in the air. Some of the bigger sightseeing boats are standing room only, with fans crowding the best vantage points. Other vessels are testing their horns at full volume for the finish-line celebrations.
As part of the Almanac on Board package, the 45-foot Jeanneau will bring up to 10 guests to the races every Saturday until the final weekend, October 26, when the America’s Cup winner is crowned. The vessel is one of an assortment of possible charter boats that spectate during the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup racing in Barcelona.
The first race between the Italians and Americans is good, but not close. Luna Rossa crosses the finish line with a 40-second win. I note that our boat’s vibe, which is full of journalists, is more laid back than our neighbors, who are cheering at full volume and blasting their horns. Our group is more interested in the cuisine.
Not me. Having been a fan of sailboat racing for years, I’m determined to take full advantage of this opportunity. Our sailboat is slated to be in the preferred charter boat zone, but Mocholi has eased us into the AC Teams and Partner Boats zone, effectively sneaking into the VIP area for a much better view. But like every spectator boat, we’re still a fair distance from the course. The Guardia Civil and customs officers in rigid-hulled inflatables patrol the spectator zones, ensuring all boats stay behind the line.
We’re at a greater distance from the action than I expected; but it makes safety sense when you consider the 58 mph top speeds these AC75s can achieve in full flight. That’s hyper-speed for a boat, especially considering it has no brakes. I really began to grasp the speed, power, and grace of these AC75s seeing them up close and marvel at the driver’s skill and boat’s nimble design as they jockey for position within feet of each other at high speeds.
Sailing tends to be considered a dull, slow sport by some. But foiling boats have changed the game by making racing fast, thrilling and won not just by speed, but also by tactics and risk. I follow the action live when the racers are closest, moving between the bow and cockpit for the best view. When the two boats disappear to the course’s far end, I watch in real-time on the boat’s iPad. All spectator boats have viewing systems rigged up.
As part of the charter, Almanac has five-star touches from its Barcelona property on board: The cushions and bespoke toiletries are nice, but even more so the large beach towels, sunscreen, and baseball caps we are gifted. Most welcome, however, is the tasting menu from the hotel’s restaurant, Virens, and craft cocktails from its rooftop bar, Azimuth. We enjoy appetizers at first and then a tapas-style feast, creatively prepared by the hotel’s chefs using local ingredients and served by their wait staff.
During the event, the Dom Pérignon, is flowing and everyone is having a good time, even if they’re not as enamored as I am with the racing. As we slip back into Port Veil, the cool cranberry, vodka, and lime cocktail we sip is perfect after a day at sea.
The range of vessels around us shows how easy it is to be a waterborne spectator for the America’s Cup. And that’s exactly as it should be, especially now that the initial round robin is complete and the semi-finals will start on Saturday.
With sports-hooked yacht charters becoming increasingly popular, particularly in the F1 realm, if there’s one event made for watching from the water, it’s this sporting grand dame—even, if, occasionally, you still have to swap the scene for a screen.
Almanac on Board packages start at $2,940 for two people for two nights accommodation in a suite, complimentary breakfast and private transfers to and from the port to watch the races on the Jeanneau 45.
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