Luna Rossa's AC72 was launched on Oct. 26, 2012, in Waitemata Harbor in Auckland, New Zealand. The hulls of the Italian challenger were built at the Persico Marine facility in Northern Italy. Most of the components, including the 130-foot tall wing sail, were built in New Zealand.

Skipper Max Sirena commented in an article on americascup.com: “We will not go out sailing in 25 knots on day one,” he said. “In the AC72, there are a lot of tricky systems to test. It is not just the structural part. There are the foils, the rudder systems, the wing – a lot of systems to check before we can start to push.

“We are excited to jump into the water. It is hard to keep the crew under control, because they want to push, but we need to push smartly.”