I’ve known for a long time that, when it comes to high-tech speed sports steeped in history, glamour, mystique, money, disappointments, and more than a few eccentric billionaires, it’s hard to beat the America’s Cup, which will be held in Naples, Italy, next year. And now that a new documentary about the last edition of the America’s Cup has just premiered at the Venice Film Festival, a whole new audience has the chance to see just how exciting this competition is today.
But I don’t want to talk about *Sail* just yet—the new documentary about the America’s Cup directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Frank Marshall and Evan Hayes, which just premiered in Italy. That’s because my “local” America’s Cup team, ARC Team USA, has just started training off the coast of Naples, Italy, in preparation for the preliminary regatta scheduled to take place there from September 24 to 27.
It’s only been a few days since they set sail, but, as can be seen in these first images, the team led by CEO Ken Reed is already sailing across the Bay of Naples. “Having the opportunity to represent the United States once again in the America’s Cup is a tremendous honor,” he says. Reed and his team are literally racing against the clock to be ready for the preliminary regatta, which kicks off later this month. But he’s also quick to point out that “we have no illusions about the challenges ahead, and we’re fully focused on building a team capable of winning the Cup.” So far, it looks like they’re off to a pretty good start.
Returning to *Sail*, the first documentary to offer an inside look at a contemporary America’s Cup, which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival: it’s like F1’s *Drive to Survive*, but on the water, where the producers capture all the human drama, tensions, and excitement of the key sailors, team managers, and support staff as they compete throughout the Louis Vuitton Cup (the challenger selection series) all the way to the 37th edition of the Cup against the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand.
I’ve always thought that a production like this, which shows what goes on behind the scenes, could hook a whole new generation of fans on the unique appeal of the America’s Cup. And I’m told that the film captures the personal dedication, ambition, and obsession with winning the world’s oldest continuously contested sporting competition, focusing on the emotional toll and extreme pressure of competing in the America’s Cup—both for the sailors and their families.
This has only just begun, folks. Stay tuned.