The America's Cup requires teams to introduce a water recycling system at their bases in Barcelona

The sailing America's Cup sails on the water, but watches the sky with concern.

With no rain events expected, the organization is studying ways to limit water consumption in the port bases of the participating teams in Barcelona.

As a first step, it has asked the teams to implement water recycling systems to reduce its use.

The Catalan Water Agency considers that the competition is included in recreational recreational uses comparable to urban use, so the measures must reduce habitual consumption by 25%, according to sources from the entity to EL PAÍS.

ACE, the organizing entity, sent a letter to all teams on February 2, one day after the Generalitat decreed emergency phase 1, urging participants to implement measures to limit consumption.

The letter explained the “severity” of the drought and recalled the need to comply with the obligations of Catalan legislation.

“Competitors must comply with the regulations of any city (…) that has jurisdiction over part of the competition,” states article 69 of the America's Cup protocol.

Despite calling for savings measures, the organization has not yet established a maximum water per team.

The magnitude of the six participants is different due to the volume of workers.

Consumption also varies and makes it difficult to impose a common maximum.

As a comparative parameter, in any case, Alinghi Red Bull Racing, the Swiss team established in the city since 2022 with about 130 workers, consumes about 5,000 liters a day, as members of the team calculated to EL PAÍS in a recent report.

The calculation of the Swiss team was divided into two aspects: the daily use of the base (kitchen, consumption, maintenance...) and the cleaning of the boats that go out to sea almost every day to train.

Cleaning the AC75 (the type of competition boat model) requires about 1,500 liters of water per day, while the

(boats that follow the AC75 and take its performance data up to the minute) and the

(which shares information with the rest of the equipment to avoid traditional espionage) somewhat less.

Cleaning with salt water is not possible because salt oxidizes the surface of the boats.

Most teams already took action before the organization ordered the installation of recycling systems.

Alinghi Red Bull Racing installed a desalination plant capable of making 15,000 liters of salt water per day pumped directly from the sea and powered by solar energy.

“We do not consume non-renewable energy or running water,” the Swiss team celebrates.

Since its start-up, the desalination plant has already saved about 600,000 liters of water, equivalent to the maximum daily consumption of 3,000 people.

The French Orient Express has already announced at the end of 2023 the creation of water management systems to “recycle gray water and treat black water,” as they announced in a statement.

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