It's been a long time coming and sometimes along the way we wondered whether we would ever get there but we are now just a few days away from the 33rd America's Cup regatta in Valencia.

No matter what you think about the appalling behaviour of both teams in getting to the line, this regatta promises to be like nothing we've seen before and probably will not see again in the next decade. Up to $200m has been spent on technology, hulls, people and lawyers between Ellison and Bertrarelli and the result will be a match between two sailing boats that push the state of the art.

Don't blink though. The NOR calls for a match of 3 races with the winner being the first to two wins. So there will be a maximum of 3 races to decide the fate of the auld mug. Goodness knows what will become of the boats after the regatta.

But if you doubt these men's magnificence, know that they are in flying machines. James Boyd of the Daily Sail clocked Ellison/Oracle's amazing tri USA doing 29 knots on her port outrigger in 7-8 knots of wind last weekend.

Driven by young Australian James Spithill who seemed to have just three fingers on the helm she out-accelerated the chase boat. It's not clear that this is full performance and quite possible that, in the maximum wind conditions allowed by the SIs, the boat could exceed 40 knots. Spithill helmed Luna Rossa in the 32 Cup.

She is powered by a 190 foot wing sail with 9 separately adjustable elements. This enormous rig has it's origins in the development of C-Class cats and the Little America's Cup series. The overall design of USA seems to be based on an extension of the last French ORMA tris. The Oracle team owned by Ellison is led by Brad Butterworth who was skipper of the Alinghi team in the 32nd Cup.

We have not yet seen Bertarelli and the Alinghi team wind their sleek cat up but rest assured that they have driven her to the max. 'Sir' Russell Coutts, CEO of the Alinghi venture and winner of the mug three times already runs a tight ship.

Instead of Ed Baird the Alinghi AC 32 driver, Loick Peyron/Alain Gautier and Bertarelli himself will be behind the wheel of the Alinghi 5 maxi-cat come race day. Baird takes the role of coach/strategist. Alinghi's rig supports more conventional 3DL 'soft' sails built on a hull configuration that is almost 90' x 90'. According to Murray Jones the rig produces "simply monstrous power".

These boats push the limits of apparent wind sailing on water developing speed capability of 4 times wind speed. According to Matthew Sheahan of Yachting World, this sort of multiplicand puts these yachts near the capability of ice yachts where 5x wind speed can be achieved reaching.

With so much power available the match will be sailed in conditions unlike any previous. The 32nd Cup was sailed in an area of 9 sq. miles with maximum leg lengths of 3 miles. This match will be sailed over an area of 450 sq. miles.

The SIs call for one windward/leeward race with a leg length of 20 miles and an equilateral triangle race with leg lengths of 13 miles, the first to windward. Thus the windward mark will be over the horizon in the first race.

Racing in such conditions will present unique challenges to the after guard and the race committee. How do you set a windward mark 20 miles from the line when the conditions may be very different to those at the line? What tactics should the teams follow if; given split tack on the line, after two minutes the boats are 1-2 km apart?

Given the sophistication of the rig control, (each boat has over 150 sensors and hydraulic control), and the relative lack of manoeuvrability of multis the race seems likely to be dominated by a search for pressure rather than the favourable shift.

James Boyd speculates that USA may have a slight advantage in manoeuvrability given the solid rig and that this might lead to Spithill "engaging with Alinghi 5 until they flounder and the tri can sail away”. Certainly this will not be a game of tacking as this can take 25 seconds of momentum loss whilst the other boat travels at 25kts plus. The boats seem likely to take 3 tacks to the windward mark – one to get ahead, one to cover and a turn for the mark.

All eyes will be on the windward mark as this is where the boys are most likely to break their toys. According to Ed Baird If you have 12-14 knots these boats are completely capable of capsizing doing the bear away at the top mark "...you have to pay attention with everyone on board prepared. The sails have to be adjusted in concert with the rudder, and you have to manage where the weight is and the people are and manage the type of turn you do, to keep the boat from putting its nose in". If either boat gets it wrong it would be a $100m mishap. Pressure? what pressure?

No matter what you think about the preceding proceedings this is an unmissable match. Race 1: February 8; Race 2: February 10. I for one will be glued to all the available media. The races will be screened live on the America's Cup site.

I will cover the races on the Racing Page day by day.

In the video below USA sailing as BOR 90 sports her earlier 'soft' rig

Here BOR 90 has a solid rig

Close up as Alinghi sails on Lake Geneva

Alinghi reaching

Some detail on the BOR wing