LUNA ROSSA GUEST STARRING AT NEWPORT RI THE SAILING MUSEUM
The new Sailing Museum celebrating sailing excellence and the stars of the America`s Cup, pays tribute to the Italian challenger with a permanent exhibit of its most iconic items
«Having the Italian team represented in such a significant way at The Sailing Museum illustrates the global nature, connection and community of our sport," said Executive Director Heather Ruhsam. "While we honor the achievements and contributions of sailors past and present, Luna Rossa's design innovations for the recent Cup highlight how sailing continues to move forward» Heather Ruhsam, executive director The Sailing Museum
For fifty-three years, Newport RI has been the home of the America's Cup: the waters of Narragansett Bay, in fact, not only saw the fabulous J-Class sail in the 1930s and the 12 Meters S.I. in the post-war era, but also witnessed the incredible defeat of the NYYC, which in 1983 lost the America's Cup for the first time after 132 years of uninterrupted dominance.
Newport is a place steeped in history, permeated with America's Cup. So it's not surprising that the founders of the National Sailing Hall of Fame in Annapolis, when looking for a venue for a new museum that would be at once a tribute to the sailing of the past and an inspiration for that of the future, chose Newport's Armory Building, the historic building that housed the America's Cup press room from 1958 to 1983.
Redeveloped by renowned architecture firm HealyKohler Design to offer visitors an immersive, interactive, multimedia experience, the National Sailing Museum opened its doors in 2019 and has since been racking up visitors. Through a twinning with the Herreshoff Museum, it is home to two iconic Halls of Fame: the National Sailing Hall of Fame and the America's Cup Hall of Fame, united to celebrate both the people who wrote the great book of American sailing and those around the world who helped build the myth of the America's Cup.
In a multimedia journey linking past, present and future, the evolution of sailing is also recounted through the items that have most marked its journey over the years, from the standpoint of design, technology and materials.
Protagonist of The Sailing Museum, with 5 iconic pieces on display, is Luna Rossa, the most persevering Italian challenger in the history of the Cup (with seven challenges launched from 2000 to 2024). The items - highly appreciated by fans - are distributed in various thematic areas: in the "Competition" area, visitors can take a closer look at the foil winglet (a fundamental element of an AC75), a mannequin dressed for racing (wearing the sailing team uniform), with wetsuit, life jacket, helmet and shoes, and the scale model of the AC75, complete with foil and sails, which is by far the most admired piece in the collection.
The jacket worn by Patrizio Bertelli during the 2003 edition is on display in the "Legends of Sailing" area, which pays tribute to the protagonists of the America's Cup and the National Sailing Hall of Fame, while the iconic 2000 Prada America's Cup sneaker can be seen in the area dedicated to the teams that took part in the America's Cup 2021.