Cup Experience

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

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How many challengers? And who are they?

Friday, 8 August was the deadline to submit challenges.
ACEA says that they have a “strong lineup” but did not name the teams.

Expected / possible challengers

Click each team’s name for more information on the Cup Experience site, and see the team updates below, in this newsletter.

  • Emirates Team New Zealand
  • Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA)
  • Artemis Racing (SWE)
  • Ben Ainslie Racing (GBR)
  • Team France

News about defender Oracle Team USA.

Why isn’t Team Australia in the list of challengers?

Challenger of Record

On 19 July, Team Australia of Hamilton Island Yacht Club announced their withdrawal as Challenger of Record, giving 90 days notice as required by the Protocol. Many observers think that Luna Rossa submitted their challenge next after Team Australia, and that they will become CoR.

Press Conference to Introduce Teams and Skippers: 9 September in London

ACEA will hold a press conference in London on 9 September to introduce the teams and their skippers. In the meantime, ACEA (on behalf of Golden Gate Yacht Club) will make sure the submitted challenges are valid. Challengers then have seven days to pay the first installment of the entrance fee – $1 million due now with the second payment of $1M due 1 December. They must also pay $75,000 in fees for intellectual property protection and website costs now. Those fees are non-refundable. There is also a refundable $1 million performance bond due 1 December. When the fees due now have been paid, the challenge will be accepted. ACEA expects that process to be completed by 20 August.

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America’s Cup Challenger Deadline is Today, Sort of

americas-cup-challenger-deadline

Challenges for the 35th America’s Cup are to be submitted to defender Golden Gate Yacht Club by today, 8 August 2014. The Protocol requires at least three challengers in addition to the challenge filed by Australia’s Hamilton Island Yacht Club. The Protocol also gives GGYC the authority to accept late challenges, so today’s deadline is not 100% firm.

We can expect an announcement of the challenges received soon, from GGYC’s event organizer, America’s Cup Event Authority. When GGYC confirms acceptance of the challenges, $1 million entry fee must be paid within seven days. A further $1 million entry fee and a $1 million performance bond must be paid by 1 December 2014.

Recall that Hamilton Island Yacht Club / Team Australia announced their intention to withdraw as Challenger of Record. Most observers believe that Luna Rossa will take over that role, but there has been no official announcement, either of Luna Rossa’s challenge or of a new Challenger of Record.

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, represented by Emirates Team New Zealand, today announced their challenge, the first public announcement. Four other teams have issued statements indicating their intention to challenge:

Split Venue for the Challenger Selection Series?

If we end up with five challengers, it will be interesting to see if the planned “split venue” for challenger selection goes forward. Anticipating more challengers, the Protocol calls for all challengers to race their AC62’s in early 2017 together with defender Oracle Team USA in a venue different from the venue for the America’s Cup. The top four challengers from this “America’s Cup Qualifiers” event would move to the America’s Cup Venue for semi-finals and finals to select the team to race against OTUSA in the America’s Cup Match. With only five challengers, this plan would incur high expenses and only eliminate one team. All five challengers made it clear at a meeting in Los Angeles in July that they did not want a split venue. Read more about the format for the competition here.

 

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New Zealand Announces their America’s Cup Challenge

 

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August 8 2014

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron has lodged a challenge for the 35th America’s Cup.

Out-going Commodore Steve Burrett announced that the challenge would go ahead at the Squadron’s annual meeting last night.

The Squadron will be represented by Emirates Team New Zealand. Challenges must received by the defending yacht club, the Golden Gate Yacht Club, by midnight Friday, San Francisco time.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron has been involved with all but one New Zealand America’s Cup campaign since 1987, winning at San Diego in 1995 and successfully defending at Auckland in 2000.

Mr Burrett said: “New Zealand has a distinguished history in the America’s Cup and we expect Emirates Team New Zealand will once again make New Zealand proud, just as it has done many times in the past.

“We wish the team well and we look forward to contributing to the success of the 35th America’s Cup.”

Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton says the team is pleased to be able to be in a position to challenge with the confidence of being able to represent the country well.  “This is the official start of a long, hard journey. We do not under-estimate the challenges ahead.

“We look forward to working with the other teams to create a great event.”

More ETNZ news and info here.

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America’s Cup Defender Oracle Team USA Foiling Camp

 

Tom Slingsby, strategist on the AC72 and sailing team manager for the 2017 America’s Cup, organized a “foiling camp” in Moths to help the OTUSA sailors improve their foiling skills.

“When you sail these boats, everyone’s got a smile on their face.” – Jimmy Spithill

The Oracle sailors clearly agree with Chris Draper of Luna Rossa and Nathan Outteridge of Artemis Racing about the benefits of sailing small foiling boats:

Kinley Fowler: “They’re definitely the hardest boat I’ve ever sailed in my life…   It’s the perfect learning platform for us.”

Kyle Langford: “It’s good to get back to the basics… It’s good for all of us, no matter what your position is on the big boat – to be able to trim, to be able to steer – to get a good handle on the foiling.” 

Tom Slingsby: “I think just sailing these small foiling boats and then adapting that to an America’s Cup with a big foiling catamaran, it just gets everyone on the same page as what we’re looking for with the boat…   Everyone learns quickly. It’s a cheaper way – everyone can get out there and sail by themselves and learn, and then they can bring that knowledge back to the bigger boat.” 

Added Benefit for the Public – Get to Know the Sailors Better

Small boat sailing lets the public hear the banter among the sailors – developing the “personalities” we need to engage the audience better. At 1:38 in the video you’ll see this exchange:

AC72 wing trimmer Kyle Langford: “Jimmy’s obviously the helmsman of the (big) boat and he should be the best at steering (a Moth). I don’t think he’s beaten anybody in a race.  It’s good to see the trimmers and the grinders getting races off the helmsman. So I think he’s got a bit to prove today.” 

Skipper Jimmy Spithill’s reply: “I’m surprised by his statement about beating me in every single race, because I actually saw it quite differently, funny enough. Kyle Langford doesn’t know what’s gonna hit him.”

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America’s Cup Update from Moth Worlds

 

Chris Draper and Nathan Outteridge agree that racing foiling moths is both fun and valuable training for the America’s Cup.

Chris Draper: “It’s great to have some of the Cup guys (at the 2014 Moth Worlds). It would be great if we had some more. Maybe in Sorrento (Australia – 2015 Moth Worlds) we could get a few more of the teams. If some of the Oracle boys showed up as well it would be great.   The new (AC62) rule looks great, the boats look awesome. We’re waiting with bated breath for a venue. Both options that are on the table look great.”   (San Diego and Bermuda)

NO:  “I think it’s pretty obvious why the Moth is so important.  The things we learn (sailing the Moth) are so critical to anything that’s foiling. I think everything I’ve learned sailing the Moth over the last five or six years put me a long way ahead when it came to the Cup.  (Talking about AC62’s…) It’s about trying to make the boats perform better than they did the last time, a lot safer than they were the last time, With the rule they’ve come up with for the 62 – it’s going to be a really nice boat… The venue –  hopefully there’s going to be enough wind so that we can not just foil downwind but foil upwind as well.”