Training with Barcelona's skyline as background ahead of America's Cup

NYYC takes over Barcelona's Marina 92 shipyard in the Catalan capital. The letters are an acronym of: 'New York Yacht Club,' the main sponsor of American Magic, one of the six America's Cup teams.

Around 140 people work at the team's headquarters, which has an astonishing view of the city's landscape. Americans, Spaniards, Dutch, and several other nationalities see Barcelona from their workspace, with a straight view of the Tibidabo mountain, Christophorus Columbus statue, or the Torre Glòries in the 22@ neighborhood.

The headquarters works non-stop when there is less than a month before the first preliminary regatta in Barcelona starts on August 22. Some employees start working from 6 am and can easily finish past midnight. Despite seeing many people working, the main indicator is a large flag.

A raised US flag visible from several parts of the city's Port Vell means the team is in a training session, all with Barcelona's skyline as its background.

"The team has marvelously adapted to the city," José Luis Wood, a commercial team member at American Magic, told journalists during a visit to the base.

"Many of the members are very excited to have discovered Barcelona, a marvelous place, as they say," Wood, or Woody as he is known, added. The Canary Islands native is three times Olympic sailor and is now working with the US team in the Catalan capital.

Challenger

The team is now preparing for the America's Cup Challengers Cup, which will see five teams: Inneos Britannia, Orient Express Racing Team, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, American Magic, and Alinghi Red Bull, competing to win a spot to fight against the defender, Emirates Team New Zealand.

"Barcelona is a city that has very traditional sea events during summer, such as Garbí (south) and Llevant (east) winds. It also has waves, which is not very usual in America's Cup, so it has been a challenge for designers as it has pushed them to think new plans for foils, but also sails, and the boat itself," Woody said.

Their vessel is different from the other competitors, as the cyclors (a word formed by using cyclists and sailors) face backward while pedaling, compared with the other teams.

The boat is also 25 centimeters shorter in height than their rivals, as the design has been completely adapted to their needs to "try to win and return the America's Cup to America," team members say.

"Three, two, one… foil is up"

American singer Bruce Springsteen sings 'Waiting on a Sunny Day,' but his compatriots tend to wait for 'windy' days.

During a Catalan News trip to the headquarters, American Magic postponed its training session for a couple of hours due to the lack of wind in Barcelona on a 30-degree warm and sunny Wednesday.

A few minutes before 1 pm, two boats started sailing aside from the AC75, the 22-meter-long competition boat that the American Magic will use during the Louis Vuitton America's Cup, which begins in August in the Catalan capital.

The boat flies over the water thanks to two foils, one per side, which help keep it in the air while sailing at 35 knots.

America's Cup vessels can reach up to 60 knots.

Eight sailors, including the four cyclors, sail in front of Barcelona, with architect Antoni Gaudí Sagrada Família Basilica as one of the city's main characters.

While the sight focuses on the boat sailing in front of the Hotel Arts and Mapfre towers, the touch enjoys the cold wind on the skin, the smell of the Mediterranean Sea, and the hearing listens to the constant conversations going on across the different boats.

It is just a holiday for the taste.

Around one hour and a half training session, and it is easy to hear the radio with the constant conversation between sailors and the teams on the two boats and in the Barcelona and US headquarters. When it was time to turn or when a foil was going up, the sailors say: 'Three, two, one… foil is up."

Maranello-style factory

American Magic's boat, Patriot, has a 27-meter-long ship mast weighing only 350 kilograms. It was made in-house in their shipyard in Barcelona.

"It is like moving Maranello and bringing it here," Woody said, comparing the shipyard to Ferrari's historic factory during a tour around the base.

There is a large area to save the ship at night, beside a big building that features all the atelier for the carbon fiber sails and all the other materials. A large team works on hand-made pieces that are tested on the boat.

"Every day that you do not go out and sail is a lost day, as you cannot get data and test new things," he explained.

This tour will be part of one of the team's different hospitality packages for those interested, being one of the many activities scheduled around Barcelona for the sailing championship.

"So people in Barcelona can enjoy this event from the inside, get to know the team, and understand American Magic's technology, history, tradition, current events, and probably the future of the America's Cup," Woody added.

However, some Barcelona residents are not excited about the arrival of the America's Cup, as they claim prices have increased and the housing crisis has worsened.

"I do not know what to say, as I do not have those figures, but what I can say is that we are 160 families who have been living in Barcelona for the last two years, with the idea of helping somehow the city and to be able to work to win this competition," Woody said.

Podcast

Listen to our podcast on the America's Cup below, including an interview with event CEO Grant Dalton of defending champions Emirates Team New Zealand. Dalton considered bringing the sailing championship to Barcelona: "The best call" in his life.