April 28, 2015 By Jack Griffin

Emirates Team New Zealand’s Burling and Tuke Take Another 49er Title

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have won another important 49er regatta, this time the ISAF World Cup event in Hyères, France in April. This is the eighteenth 49er event in a row that they have won since taking silver at the 2012 Olympics. London gold medal winners Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen of Artemis finished second in Hyères. Burling was named helmsman for Team New Zealand in March, replacing Dean Barker.

America's Cup Peter Burling and Blair Tuke won the 49er event at the ISAF World Cup event in March. — America’s Cup Peter Burling and Blair Tuke won the 49er event at the ISAF World Cup event in March.

ETNZ’s AC45 Underway to Europe. Development Boat is the Next Project.

Emirates Team New Zealand has shipped their one design foiling AC45 to Portsmouth for the first AC World Series event, which will be held 23-25 July 2015. Previously ETNZ had announced that they would soon start work on their development AC45x, converting a boat they acquired from Team Australia.

April 20, 2015 By Jack Griffin

The Tyranny of the Majority

When Team Australia withdrew as Challenger of Record last July, Luna Rossa was next in line. They decided to form a Challenger Committee to deal with Protocol changes proposed by the defender. What were they thinking? They gave up the power to veto any Protocol changes and left themselves vulnerable to a simple majority vote. In late March, ACEA announced plans to jettison the AC62 Class. Luna Rossa threatened to withdraw, pointing out that it was too late to make such a change and believing that the design rule should only be changed by a unanimous vote. Oracle’s proposal was not to change the AC62 Class Rule, but to discard it. They claimed this manoeuvre was a change to the Protocol, not a change to the design class. On March 31, Artemis, BAR and Team France voted to accept Oracle’s proposal to change the Protocol, dropping the AC62 and replacing it with the “America’s Cup Class.” Luna Ross was good to their word and promptly withdrew from the America’s Cup and cancelled the Cagliari America’s Cup World Series regatta, which was to have been held in June.

America's Cup - Patrizio Bertelli, in happier times, winning the Louis Vuitton Cup on his first try, in Auckland in 2000. The 2017 challenge was his fifth, equalling Sir Thomas Lipton. — America’s Cup – Patrizio Bertelli, in happier times, winning the Louis Vuitton Cup on his first try, in Auckland in 2000. The 2017 challenge was his fifth, equalling Sir Thomas Lipton.

August 10, 2014 By Jack Griffin

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.

July 20, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Australian Challenger Drops Out of America’s Cup

On Saturday 19 July 2014, Hamilton Island Yacht Club issued this statement:

Hamilton Island Yacht Club today announced its withdrawal from the 35th America’s Cup.

The Hamilton Island Yacht Club became the Challenger of Record for the 35th America’s Cup upon the completion of the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco in 2013.

In commenting on the decision not to proceed with the challenge, Sandy Oatley said ‘When we entered the Cup we had the intention of trying to change the Cup in many ways. Our position as Challenger of Record gave us the opportunity through the drafting of the protocol to affect this change. Central to these changes, was the desire to make the participation in the Cup more affordable and more sustainable.’

Bob Oatley said ‘The Challenge was initiated with a view to negotiating a format for the 35th America’s Cup that was affordable and put the emphasis back on sailing skills. Ultimately our estimate of the costs of competing were well beyond our initial expectation and our ability to make the formula of our investment and other commercial support add up. We are bitterly disappointed that this emerging team of fine young Australian sailors will not be able to compete at the next America’s Cup under our banner’.

The statement was sent by Sophie Baker, Senior Communications Manager of HIYC.

March 19, 2014 By Jack Griffin

Who will compete?

Until the Protocol is issued, no one else can officially challenge. But we know who is likely to be racing:

Oracle Team USA (Defender)

Russell Coutts stays on as CEO, with Grant Simmer as General Manager. OTUSA has re-signed helmsman Jimmy Spithill, strategist Tom Slingsby and grinder Rome Kirby. They have recruited American olympic Laser sailor Andrew Campbell. In addition they have named the core of their design team, stressing that 11 of the 18 designers are American. Some of the sailing team began training in the AC45 with Team Australia in Sydney. They plan to stay until June and have more training “camps” scheduled in 2014. Apparently they have no plans to race in the Extreme Sailing Series. (Image: OTUSA Video)

Team Australia (Challenger of Record)

Australian wine tycoons and owners of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club resort, Bob Oatley and his son Sandy initiated the challenge and are underwriting part of the funding. CEO Iain Murray has sailed for years on the Oatley’s fast racing yachts named “Wild Oats.” Murray named Mat Belcher skipper. Mat was the London gold medalist in the 470. Team Australia will race on the Extreme Sailing Series circuit as “GAC Pindar” with 18-Foot Skiff world champion Seve Jarvin as skipper of their X-40. (Photo: Andrea Francolini)

Emirates Team New Zealand

The New Zealand government committed US $4 million to fund the team through May 2014, enabling them to fend off other syndicates trying to poach their talent. Team boss Grant Dalton has been working to line up sponsors. Emirates Airline is still the title sponsor for the team on the Extreme Sailing Series circuit. The ETNZ’s youth team won the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup in 2013. Youth helmsman Peter Burling and trimmer Blair Tuke have joined ETNZ. The pair took the silver medal in the 49er at the 2012 London Olympics. (Photo: Chris Cameron. L to R: Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, Grant Dalton.)

Artemis Racing

Iain Percy, Team Manager (he did not want the title “CEO”) of Artemis Racing, has publicly stated on multiple occasions that the goal of Artemis Racing is “to dominate” the America’s Cup. Artemis has re-signed helmsman Nathan Outteridge and wing trimmer Iain “Goobs” Jensen. The Artemis team had learned to foil gybe their AC72 in time for their first race of the Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals, their ninth day of sailing (compared to Luna Rossa’s 75 days of sailing their AC72). Artemis has also re-signed Loïck Peyron as coach, backup helmsman and design team member. They have poached designers from ETNZ and from OTUSA. They will be a force to contend with in the 35th America’s Cup. (Photo: Carlo Borlenghi)

Luna Rossa

Team owner Patrizio Bertelli has won the Louis Vuitton Cup (2000) and been inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame. His team has set up camp in Sardinia to prepare for his fifth America’s Cup challenge. Luna Rossa bought their AC72 design from ETNZ for the 2013 America’s Cup, so they will need to build up their design team. Like OTUSA, Luna Rossa has shown no plans for racing in the Extreme Sailing Series. Francesco Bruni holds a “tour card” on the World Match Racing Tour and recently defeated Ben Ainslie in the Bermuda Gold Cup, so it appears they will train in 2014 by combining monohull racing on the World Match Race Tour with training in their AC45’s in Sardinia. Luna Rossa recently hired Adam Minoprio, the young Kiwi helmsman who was the 2009 World Match Racing champion. (Photo: Carlo Borlenghi)

Ben Ainslie Racing

J.P. Morgan sponsors Ainslie’s team on the Extreme Sailing Series. Sir Keith Mills and Charles Dunstone have indicated that they are ready to support Ainslie’s America’s Cup campaign. Reuters reported this week that Ainslie is making good progress towards raising £100 million ($130 million) with about $45 million coming from private investors led by Mills and Dunstone. BAR is racing in the Extreme Sailing Series, finishing seventh at the Singapore regatta in February.

Team France

Frank Cammas has won the last Volvo Ocean Race, the “Little America’s Cup” in C-Class catamarans and the Route du Rhum. He set the record for a circumnavigation in 2010, holding the record for two years before Loïck Peyron broke it in 2012. He has won the Bol d’Or in a D35 catamaran on Lake Geneva. He is preparing for the mixed multihull event at the 2016 Rio Olympics with teammate Sophie de Turckheim. French insurance company Groupama has funded his projects including his current Extreme Sailing Series team. They will not fund the Team France America’s Cup challenge, so Cammas will need to find other sponsors.

Gazprom Team Russia

With strong backing from Gazprom, the 21st largest company in the world, this Russian team would have the means to mount a campaign for the 35th America’s Cup. They have recruited Paul Campbell-James as helmsman. Paul won the Extreme Sailing Series in 2010 at the helm of The Wave, Muscat and in 2011 as helmsman for Luna Rossa. Team Russia also has the 2009 winner on board, Pete Cumming, who helmed Oman Sail Masirah. The team represents the Saint Petersburg Yacht Club, whose Commodore Vladimir Liubomirov has declared his desire to challenge for the 35th America’s Cup. A decision may depend on how they perform at the Saint Petersburg Extreme regatta in June. (Image: Lloyd Images)