UPDATE 1-Sailing-Italy's women and youth America's Cup crew set pace in early skirmishes

America's Cup crewsbrimming with some of the world's best ‌sailors took to the seas off Sardinia on Friday in the first regatta leading up to the 38th edition of the event next year. Italy's Luna Rossa women and youth team, co-helmed by Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro, who had set the pace in Thursday's practice, also dominated the first day of official racing with two ‌wins and a second position to top the early leaderboard.

America's Cup crewsbrimming with some of the world's best ‌sailors took to the seas off Sardinia on Friday in the first regatta leading up to the 38th edition of the event next year.

Italy's Luna Rossa women and youth team, co-helmed by Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro, who had set the pace in Thursday's practice, also dominated the first day of official racing with two ‌wins and a second position to top the early leaderboard. "This team is strong, this team is about to sail this boat fast and I'm ‌proud of them, just keep going like this," Gradoni said from his cockpit as the crew sailed back into dock.

The five national teams competing off Cagliari in eight one-design AC40s faced challenging sea conditions which saw the four-person foiling monohulls hit speeds of more than 40 knots. Several crews nose-dived into the waves as they lost control of their foiling height, particularly on tricky gybe ⁠manoeuvres, dramatically ​plunging the hulls and sailors into the ⁠water.

The AC40s are a smaller version of the AC75s in which the teams entered in the America's Cup will battle for a shot at lifting the "Auld Mug" in Naples, Italy in 2027. Defenders ⁠New Zealand as well as challengers Britain and Italyare each fielding two crews in the three-day event, which will be decided in a head-to-head match race showdown on Sunday, ​with France and Switzerland each represented by a single crew.

'AMAZING OPPORTUNITY' Australia and the United States, whose teams both made late entries to challenge for ⁠the America's Cup, will not be competing off the Italian island of Sardinia, but closely scrutinising the action.

In a break from previous preliminary events, the racing off Cagliari also includes the women's and ⁠youth ​teams, adding to the intrigue over who will come out on top. "It's just an amazing opportunity to be going up against these sailors who have been my heroes in established cup teams," said Erica Dawson, who helms the second New Zealand boat.

"We've all just got such a big learning curve that ⁠we're just giving it everything. Who knows where we'll end up?" Dawson said during Thursday's pre-regatta press conference in Cagliari. Sunday's regatta final will be between ⁠the two crews leading after up to ⁠three fleet races scheduled for Friday and Saturday, and a further two to be held on the last day.

A second preliminary regatta will be held from September 24 to 27 in Naples, marking the first time the America's Cup ‌defenders and aspiring challengers ‌will test the winds and water off the Italian city.