Cup Experience

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America’s Cup Test Races – The Results and What They Mean

The five America’s Cup teams in Bermuda held the second series of test races in their America’s Cup Class race boats – 17 races in all. In windy conditions Artemis dominated, winning all nine races, including four against Oracle. Oracle beat everyone else, including three wins against stablemates SoftBank Team Japan. Team Japan lost five races but beat Land Rover BAR and Groupama Team France once each. BAR raced each team once, beating only the French. France raced each team once, losing to everyone.

America’s Cup Practice Racing – 6-12 April 2017

17 Races Were Run

America's Cup Practice Racing Results 6-12 April 2017

Head to Head Results

America's Cup Practice Racing Results 6-12 April 2017

But… All of the teams will continue improving!
France has good straightline speed but are still mastering their boat and the control systems.
BAR has great crew work on a slow boat that they will continue to develop.
Team Japan, like the French, has a fast boat and will continue to improve.
Oracle has heaps of resources and experience at making a comeback.
Artemis will keep getting faster.

And… then there is the mystery team – Emirates Team New Zealand.
We will find out how competitive the Kiwis are during the next training race series – five days beginning Monday 24 April. All reports say they are fast, smooth and confident, as we heard in this interview.

Comments From the The Teams

Oracle Team USA Skipper Jimmy Spithill

Nathan Outteridge and Iain Percy – Artemis Racing

 

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SoftBank Team Japan’s Nick Holroyd Explains Foil Design Tradeoffs

The 2017 America’s Cup may be won or lost on foil design. With a lower wind limit of six knots, it will be crucial to get up on the foils at low speeds. To foil at low speeds, all the teams have built foils that are longer, skinnier, more flexible and harder to control. At high speeds, cavitation increases drag and decreases stability. Straight line top speed, manoeuvrability and stability all needed to be traded off against each other. This video does an excellent job of explaining the design issues. Remember that Nick Holroyd was the head of design at Emirates Team New Zealand for the 2013 America’s Cup and led the work that gave ETNZ the breakthrough to fly their AC72 on hydrofoils.

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America’s Cup Wind Model for Bermuda’s Great Sound

America's Cup wind model for Bermuda
Airbus wind model of Great Sound.

Looking for every possible advantage in the America’s Cup, Oracle Team USA has a small scale wind model for Bermuda’s Great Sound. Technical partner Airbus built the model for them using large quantities of wind data the team has collected over the last two years from their test boats, chase boats and the crane at their base. Large scale models for the Atlantic cannot be scaled down into reliable models for the Great Sound, since it is enclosed and subject local effects unrelated to the rest of the Atlantic.

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Emirates Team New Zealand America’s Cup Class Yacht Arrives in Bermuda

09/4/17- Emirates Team New Zealand load their America's Cup Class race boat into an Emirates Sky Cargo 747 at Auckland International Airport to fly to Bermuda for the 35th America's Cup
ETNZ loading America’s Cup Class yacht into 747 in Auckland to fly to Bermuda for the 35th America’s Cup

Loading the 747

09/4/17- Emirates Team New Zealand load their America's Cup Class race boat into an Emirates Sky Cargo 747 at Auckland International Airport to fly to Bermuda for the 35th America's Cup
ETNZ’s America’s Cup Class yacht in the hold of the Emirates 747 in Auckland, ready to fly to Bermuda for the 35th America’s Cup

The air freight arrival of the team’s America’s Cup Class foiling catamaran coincided with the start of a three-day practice racing window for the teams involved in the 35th America’s Cup. The Kiwis hope that their boat will be reassembled before the next practice racing session, that runs from April 24-28.

The team’s base in Dockyard was ready for the precious cargo of… two hulls, the crossbeams, the pod and fairings for their America’s Cup Class yacht. Also on board the 747: daggerboards, two wing sails, a chase boat, electronic and hydraulic systems – all told around 42 tons. Loading and unloading took over three hours at each end of the trip.