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New “America’s Cup Class” Catamarans Replace AC62 for 2017 America’s Cup

 

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OTUSA’S “TURBO” TEST BOAT FOR THE 2017 AMERICA’S CUP

The America’s Cup challengers voted 3-2 to change the Protocol and race in “America’s Cup Class” 48 foot catamarans instead of the AC62 class that had been announced 10 months earlier.

As is often the case, politics were part of the mix. Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand voted against the change. After the vote, Luna Rossa carried through on their threat to withdraw from the America’s Cup. They complained that it was too late in the cycle to change the class of boat used. ETNZ claimed that the decision was linked to the choice of venue for the America’s Cup Qualifiers, saying that ACEA offered to hold the AC Qualifiers in Bermuda rather than Auckland if the new class were to be accepted – european teams were reportedly strongly against holding the AC Qualifiers in Auckland.

Reasons given for making the change were cost savings and the surprisingly good performance and manoeuverability of the test boats that Artemis Racing and Oracle Team USA launched on San Francisco Bay. OTUSA reportedly has hit over 46 knots. Artemis has been seen foiling upwind and executing roll tacks, even attempting foil to foil tacks.

In depth look at the test boats –
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Cup Experience Club members can take a closer look at the AC45 “Turbo” boats. Five marked up photos and two videos show the details and the impressive performance that convinced ACEA to propose moving to the new, smaller America’s Cup Class. Bronze level member ship is FREE – all we need is your email address.

 

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Earlier articles about the AC45 “turbo” test boats:

 

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High stakes dealings at the America’s Cup

 

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Showdown

There will be a showdown at the Competitors’ Forum meeting on Tuesday 31 March 2015. Negotiations over changing the boats to be raced and the venue for the first phase of America’s Cup have reached a climactic moment. Luna Rossa has threatened to withdraw. Team New Zealand may lose a major funding source. The Protocol may be changed drastically – abandoning the split venues for challenger selection and scrapping the AC62 in favor a a new class of boat.

What caused the showdown? Where do things stand?

  • On Wednesday 25 March, Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller announced plans to abandon the AC62 in favor of a smaller boat.
  • On Thursday, Luna Rossa announced their opposition to the change, stating that they would withdraw if the change were made, and that they would cancel the first America’s Cup World Series event in Cagliari in June.
  • Also on Thursday, Emirates Team New Zealand announced their support for Luna Rossa‘s position.
  • Within hours, Schiller informed ETNZ that the America’s Cup Qualifiers (the round robin phase of the challenger selection) would not be awarded to Auckland. The New Zealand government reconfirmed that without the Auckland regatta, they would not renew as a sponsor of the team.
  • On Friday 27 March, ACEA CEO Russell Coutts confirmed that the current proposal is to abandon the split venue for challenger selection, and instead to hold all 2017 racing in Bermuda.
  • Coutts explained that America’s Cup World Series racing will be in foiling one design AC45’s, as previously announced.
  • Coutts also repeated that he expects to have one Asian challenger (widely rumored to be from Japan) and possibly another Asian challenger. Coutts made it clear that he only wants competitive teams and criticized China Team for being uncompetitive in the 2007 America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain.
  • The class rule for the new, smaller America’s Cup boat will be presented to the teams. It is likely to be a scaled down AC62, possibly an AC54, with a crew of six instead of the eight man crew on the AC62.
  • This would be a change to the Protocol, not a change to the AC62 Class Rule. The distinction is important, since only a majority of the five challengers is required to change the Protocol, while a change to the AC62 Class Rule would require unanimous approval.
  • Artemis Racing, Ben Ainslies Racing and Team France have all expressed their support for the change

What happens next?

A Competitors’ Forum meeting has been called for Tuesday 31 March to vote on the changes.

 

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Artemis Racing: staying on SF Bay, for now

Artemis Racing continues training on San Francisco Bay, sailing from their base in Alameda. This video has comments from the sailors and shows the cockpits and deck layout of what they call their “turbo” foiling AC45 test boat.

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ETNZ: Peter Burling replaces Dean Barker as helm

America's Cup - Peter Burling replaces Dean Barker as helm

Emirates Team New Zealand suffered almost two weeks of media frenzy after leaks that 24 year old Peter Burling would replace Dean Barker as helmsman.

Ten days after the initial reports, ETNZ confirmed Burling as helmsman and Australian Glen Ashby as Sailing Director. Barker was offered the position of Performance Coach but turned it down. He has since left the team.

At the beginning of March, 50 staff began work at ETNZ. One of their first tasks is to modify their AC45 to the one design foiling version that they will race in the AC World Series, beginning in June. The team will then convert a second AC45 into a development boat for testing AC62 design ideas.

The ETNZ design team has likely been working during the past few months, but the team is clearly in catch up mode, given that OTUSA, Artemis Racing, Luna Rossa and Ben Ainslie Racing have all been sailing in their AC45 development boats. Read more.

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Foiling AC45 Videos

Artemis Racing and Oracle Team USA sailed their AC45 test boats and are already training the maneuvers they will use on their AC62’s. These boats are strictly for development – they will not race in the AC World Series, as I explained here.

In this video, watch Artemis Racing foiling upwind. At about 30 seconds into the video you’ll see them do a roll tack, and another one at about 60 seconds. This is the maneuver that Oracle Team USA did not master until half way through the America’s Cup Match in 2013. See my explanation of the roll tack here.

Video: John Navas

Oracle Team USA has also been working on maneuvers. This video shows them on San Francisco Bay in late February. At about 25 seconds into the video you will see a foiling gybe. At 45 seconds you’ll see them foiling upwind. At 1:15 watch them do a roll tack. At 2:42 you’ll see them foiling downwind and then turn upwind going right into a tack. In match racing in the AC62’s this will be an important maneuver to be able to chose at the last moment which mark to round at the leeward gate. Remember that we will not see match racing until the AC Qualifiers in 2017 – all of the AC45 one design racing in 2015 and 2016 will be fleet races, as I explain here.