Cup Experience

Many America's Cup fans say this is their best source of information.

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Moving to Fukuoka

The final stop for the AC World Series is Fukuoka, Japan. Fifty containers are on their way from Toulon.

Image: ACEA Video

Racing is scheduled for 19-20 November. From the leaderboard below, you can see that Land Rover BAR’s 14 point lead will make them hard to catch. Winning the AC World Series would give them two bonus points in next year’s round robin America’s Cup Qualifiers. Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand will be fighting for the bonus point that goes to the runner up. Oracle has yet to win a World Series regatta; this is their last chance. SoftBank Team Japan and Artemis Racing will be battling for fourth place. Since the AC World Series results will be used to break ties in the Qualifiers, every place counts, and these teams will be fighting hard. Groupama Team France looks unlikely to escape the cellar – they will have to count on a good performance in the Qualifiers to avoid elimination.

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Oracle’s Race Boat Arrives in Bermuda

The America’s Cup Class yacht that Oracle will race in the America’s Cup Match next year has arrived in Bermuda. The team will now assemble the hulls, crossbeams and pod, which were built in New Zealand. Electronics, hydraulics, winch systems and other equipment will be installed. The boat may not be launched before 27 December, 150 days before the first race of the America’s Cup Qualifiers. Click the photo to see the boat being constructed and to hear General Manager Grant Simmer talk about the process.

Image: OTUSA Video

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Building an Island in Bermuda

Click the photo to see a one minute time lapse video showing a year’s work on the infill project to build Cross Island, the site of the America’s Cup Village. The infill was completed on budget and ahead of schedule. In the next phase of work utilities will be installed – water, sewage, electricity, communications – so the space can be turned over to ACEA. Thanks to Scott Stallard for the photo.

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“We’re Going OK”

Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Glenn Ashby’s dry sense of humour is on display in his final comment in this video of the team training in the Southern Hemisphere winter. Just after the Kiwis show a foiling tack, Ashby tells us, “We’re going OK.” Click the photo to play the video.

Image: ETNZ Video

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Athlete Monitoring and Measuring

Click image to play video.

Head Athletic Trainer Craig “Oscar” McFarlane explains in this video how he manages individualized training programs for Oracle’s grinders. When the athlete goes into his anaerobic zone or when his core temperature rises above a certain level, his power output goes down.

% of
Max Heart Rate
Zone 1 Recovery Very Low 60-70%
Zone 2 Endurance Moderate 71-75%
Zone 3 Intensive Endurance Moderate Plus 76-80%
Zone 4 Anaerobic Threshold Race / Pace 81-90%
Zone 5 Threshold Endurance Super Threshold 91-93%
Zone 5a Anaerobic Endurance Speed/End Power 94-100%

Oracle uses a system called Zephyr from Medtronic to monitor and track each athlete’s performance both in the gym and on the boat.