CAGLIARI, Italy — “The emotion is always there, always important and every boat launch is new and different, it’s not something you get used to.”
Prada Group’s hard-charging chief Patrizio Bertelli is not someone you would expect to get personal, but on Wednesday, at the christening of the new Luna Rossa, he was clearly pleased with the two years of work that went into the sleek boat. This is the sixth America’s Cup challenge for Bertelli.
It was a day of celebration at the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli dock of this Sardinian town, and the launch drew around 450 people. Miuccia Prada, wearing a blue pantsuit and sensible dégradé loafers, christened the boat with a bottle of Ferrari Maximum Blanc de Blancs, as the Luna Rossa team, their families and Cagliari officials cheered on. After the previous silver models, the latest design, the AC75 monohull, glistened black under the still-scorching sun.
This was the ninth time the designer acted as a godmother to a Luna Rossa boat. She was flanked by the archbishop of Cagliari, Arrigo Miglio; her husband, who is also president of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team; Agostino Randazzo, president of the Sicilian sailing circle, and Marco Tronchetti Provera, chief executive
Prada Group’s hard-charging chief Patrizio Bertelli is not someone you would expect to get personal, but on Wednesday, at the christening of the new Luna Rossa, he was clearly pleased with the two years of work that went into the sleek boat. This is the sixth America’s Cup challenge for Bertelli.
It was a day of celebration at the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli dock of this Sardinian town, and the launch drew around 450 people. Miuccia Prada, wearing a blue pantsuit and sensible dégradé loafers, christened the boat with a bottle of Ferrari Maximum Blanc de Blancs, as the Luna Rossa team, their families and Cagliari officials cheered on. After the previous silver models, the latest design, the AC75 monohull, glistened black under the still-scorching sun.
This was the ninth time the designer acted as a godmother to a Luna Rossa boat. She was flanked by the archbishop of Cagliari, Arrigo Miglio; her husband, who is also president of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team; Agostino Randazzo, president of the Sicilian sailing circle, and Marco Tronchetti Provera, chief executive