INEOS Team UK have taken Britannia I and relocated 1,226 miles to Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari, for a winter training camp.
Ben Ainslie and his America’s Cup team will continue their training and testing programme, in preparation for the 36th America’s Cup in 2021, in the warmer waters of the Mediterranean.
Cagliari is in the south of the island and home to both the first America’s Cup World Series event, held between 23 – 26 April 2020, and the Italian entry Luna Rossa Challenge.
The new temporary base is located on Molo Sabaudo at the Port Di Cagliari and is made up of three facilities with an amenity block that houses the offices, the boat shed and the sail loft.
The team used a combination of three modes of transport — waterway, roadways and airways to take their race boat, equipment and personnel from Portsmouth to Cagliari.
The three ‘main’ shipments, including Britannia, left the Portsmouth port in mid-November. Alongside the 75-foot race boat there were jam packed containers that were moved south.
They transported the team’s kitchen and gym, and everything for the composites, systems, sailmaking, rigging and IT departments . . . not forgetting the two huge crates that transported the two 1,175kg foils and the 87-foot rig that departed by truck.
To support its sailing operations in Italy the team has also shipped their chase boats, a 90ft crane, a fork-lift and a scissor lift.
Over 60 team members, including the sailors, operations team, in-house chef, support staff and performance team will relocate to the city.
The majority of the design team will remain in the UK working on the design for the team’s second AC75 race boat, Britannia II.
Come May 2020, the pack-up operation will begin as everything must return home to Portsmouth. It is expected that the second ACWS event will be held at Portsmouth, UK, in June 2020.
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