All the news continues to point to 2017 and San Francisco as the time and place for the next America’s Cup. We should expect to see foiling wingsail catamarans, probably around 60 feet long, although we could possibly see the AC72’s again. The class rule will probably allow adjustable control surfaces on rudders and daggerboards, to make foiling safer and control systems simpler and less expensive.
I also predict we will see the AC45’s again in AC World Series racing, probably starting in San Francisco in late summer 2014, and possibly modified for foiling. Any international venues for the ACWS are likely to want multi-year contracts with at least a year lead time to promote their first event. The Youth America’s Cup will be back, probably with Red Bull again as title sponsor.
America’s Cup teams
Oracle Team USA
The Defender has re-signed strategist Tom Slingsby. Helmsman Jimmy Spithill has not yet been re-signed. In mid-November he was said that had been approached by other teams. More recently he has implied in a New Zealand TV interview that he will be back with OTUSA
Team Australia
Challenger of Record Hamilton Island Yacht Club on 28 November named Iain Murray CEO of “Team Australia.” As Challenger of Record, Iain will be working closely with Russell Coutts, CEO of Oracle Team USA to develop the rules for the next America’s Cup. Murray is no doubt working hard to recruit key sailors and designers.
Team New Zealand
The challenger in the 2013 America’s Cup Match innovated to lead the way to hydrofoiling and then sailed extremely well, but OTUSA’s continued improvement during the match led to intense disappointment for TNZ. The team is staying relatively quiet now, still in a debrief phase. Team boss Grant Dalton has been speaking with potential sponsors but will be unable to get firm commitments until details of the next event are known.
Until funding is in place, team members are at risk of being recruited away by Luna Rossa, OTUSA or Artemis, whose funding is assured by their wealthy team owners, or possibly by Team Australia. Australian wing trimmer Glenn Ashby has announced he is staying with Team New Zealand. Dalton told journalists in New Zealand that the team has been “95% successful” retaining key members, but had lost an important designer.
Artemis Racing
Iain Percy was named “Team Manager” in September. He says their goal is to build a team capable of winning and dominating the America’s Cup arena. Team owner Torbjörn Törnqvist said in a September interview that Percy and helmsman Nathan Outteridge would be the core of the team, but recently neither Outteridge nor Percy would confirm if Outteridge had been re-signed. As Australians, Outteridge and Iain Jensen would be high on the recruiting list at Team Australia. They dominated the 49er to win gold in the London Olympics. Jensen again paired with Outteridge on board Artemis, with Jensen in the key role of wing trimmer.
Luna Rossa
The Italian syndicate has chosen Cagliari in Sardinia as their base to prepare for the 35th America’s Cup.
Ben Ainslie Racing
Ben Ainslie told reporters in early December that fund raising is going well and they are “sort of” on target to move forward with a British challenger. Grant Simmer has said that he and Ben are “trying to get something together.” They may be facing a chicken and the egg problem. Potential backer Keith Mills has said “If they announce a commercially viable America’s Cup, then I know we can assemble a fantastic British entry.” The problem is that no announcement will be made before early 2014 and Ainslie said in late October that unless they could get private underwriting within the next couple of weeks “… we won’t do it [launch the challenge]. There’s no point going into an event like this without the talent because your chances of winning are then very slim.”