Sea racing cars fly over the waves. With the hull almost 22 meters long, raised by the foils (a kind of aquatic wing), the AC75 glides over the water at almost 50 knots (92 km/hour). Off the coast of Barcelona’s Olympic Port, dozens of large yachts, tourist charters and small boats find space, hull to hull, behind the buoys that delimit the 37 competition area.my America’s Cup, to have the best view of the maneuvers of the futuristic monohulls. In it fan zones Installed on the beach of Barceloneta and Port Vell, the giant screens allow viewers to better understand what is happening on board, just a few meters from the coast. Since October 12, the start of the final between the challenger The British Ineos Britannia and the advocate The New Zealand Emirates Team New Zealand, the “kiwi” fans of the title holder went there. If you win, on Saturday, October 19, your team will be able to win again the oldest international sailing competition, which dates back to 1851.
“The Copa América represents a turning point for Barcelona, the symbol of a city that is reactivated and regains confidence in itself. And it was a good excuse to transform the coastline and reconnect the city with the sea”three days earlier he greeted the socialist Jaume Collboni, mayor of the Catalan city.
Before hosting the competition, the Olympic Port was renovated, remodeled and modernized. Built for the 1992 Olympic Games, it had become a discotheque area frequented by alcoholic tourists, run down, with a bad reputation and neglected by the people of Barcelona. The premises facing the docks are now reserved for “blue economy” companies, linked to the sea. It has been renovated and a new gastronomic area has been opened. The dike has been reinforced and accompanied by new submerged protection structures, to take into account the violence of storms and climate change, while favoring the regeneration of the seabed. The large parking lot has been transformed into a public square. Shade pergolas covered with solar panels have been installed and exhibitions are organised. “We want the people of Barcelona to recover the place”summarizes Olga Cerezo, director of the Olympic Port. The transformation, 60% completed and which has already cost close to 60 million euros, was well received by the residents.
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