The Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli support boats fleet
Each time the AC75 goes out at sea, the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli support boats transport over 50 people.
The on-water management of an AC75 is not an easy task. Mooring and dock-off maneuvers are extremely complicated by the presence of the two lateral foils. Furthermore, given the fact that these race boats have no engine, the dock-in and out operations can only take place with the aid of the support fleet.
The AC75 reaches the racecourse or training areas towed by a 14-meter rib nicknamed “Marchino” by the team. The rib is equipped with 4 Mercury engines with 300-horsepower each, for a total of 900 horsepower, fully required to keep up with the AC75 when sailing at over 40 knots.
The “Marchino” rib is loaded with spare parts and sails. The staff onboard, together with the driver, consists of a sailor – in case of a crew change, the riggers – ready to move in if necessary -, the medics, who must be available at every outing, and the diver, another essential figure required to assist in case of accidents at sea.
The other boat that is crucial for each sailing session of Luna Rossa is the “Chaz”-cat, a 14-meter motor catamaran, built in New Zealand by the Salthouse shipyard. It is configured with a lateral padding that allow it to get close and lean on the AC75 in complete safety, to avoid damaging, even in rough conditions, where approaching maneuvers could be quite complicated.
During the races and the sea trials, “Chaz” is the boat that follows Luna Rossa more closely. Onboard there are about 20 people, including the coach, some shore team technicians that need to be ready to jump onto the AC75 in case of failure or just for systems check, and the engineers that follow all of Luna Rossa’s movement through a complex telemetry system that monitors and records all the data coming from hundreds of sensors installed onboard monohull.
During the races, the “Chaz” is the only team boat allowed to stay in the racecourse and follow Luna Rossa. You could say that it has the same functions as the Formula One pit wall.
In the pre-race phases the “Chaz” is allowed to communicate with the sailing team to exchange information regarding the boat set up, sail choices, and strategies to be followed during the race. These communications cease just a few minutes before the start.
To carry out this crucial function, the “Chaz” is equipped with three 450-horsepower Mercury engines, that allow her to reach over 50 knots of speed when fully loaded.
Another support boat is the Fast 2000, a rib about 13 meters long, used as an additional support boat. It carries additional riggers and spare parts. It also hosts the drone pilot and the technicians in charge of video footage and photos during training. The “Fast 2000” is also used for “recon” activities, in other words the observation of opposing team operations, as allowed by the protocol.
The support fleet also includes a rib called “Taxi.” When the team is on the water it is moored at the base but is ready to leave at a second’s notice to assist at sea, bring spare parts, and transfer team members from the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli base to the training area and vice versa.
The team uses an additional boat to bring its guests out to view Luna Rossa training, which is the Pardo 38. Built by the Italian shipyard “Cantiere del Pardo”, it is 11.90 meters long, equipped with three Mercury 300 hp outboard engines, and reaches a speed of up to 50 knots when following the AC75 close up. The Pardo 38 is fitted out with Garmin accessories for its on-board electronic instrumentation.
All the support boats are equipped with an advanced radio system that allows them to talk to each other and remain in a listening mode for the communications between the sailors on board Luna Rossa.
Two people from the shore team are fully dedicated to the support boats operations and maintenance, and these are meticulously checked every day. All support boats must be fully functional and ensure maximum efficiency and reliability.
The Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli fleet is impressive, and during race days it carries over 50 people, counting sailors, shore team and designers spread out among the various boats.