by America’s Cup
https://youtu.be/R2ZwrUuZ8gM
Peter Burling, winner of the inaugural Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, has helmed Emirates Team New Zealand to the lead after the first three Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events. And he, along with his 49er and LVACWS crew Blair Tuke, has just been named the ISAF Male World Sailor(s) of the Year.
by Yachting World
How do you fly an AC45F? As the Portsmouth AC World Series event approaches, Land Rover BAR’s Paul Campbell-James explains to Matthew Sheahan how crews fly their foiling 45 foot cats.
by BBC South Today:
We’re just 24-hours away from the start of the America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth. The man behind Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing British bid is businessman Sir Keith Mills. He’s been speaking to our business correspondent Alastair Fee
From americascup.com
ORACLE TEAM USA became the first America’s Cup team to sail an AC45S boat on the Great Sound in Bermuda.
On Monday, the defending champion of the America’s Cup launched its training boat for the first time and put in over two hours of testing on the future race course of the America’s Cup.
“It’s a real statement to be the first ones out there on the 45-footer and to get a feel for the race course on a boat of this size,” Spithill said. “It can only help to give us an advantage as we come into the race period.”
Source telecompaper
French pay TV group Canal Plus has acquired rights to the America’s Cup sailing competition for over 50 markets, including France, Monaco, French-speaking Switzerland. Canal Plus Sport and Canal Plus on demand channels will broadcast races live and produce highlights programmes. Coverage to include the America’s Cup World Series 2015-2016, Red Bull Youth America’s Cup and from May 2017 in Bermuda, the challenger eliminations leading toward the 35th America’s Cup in June 2017. Canal Plus covered the America’s Cup in 2013.
Source: AC media
Beginning with the opening races of the America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth on July 25th and 26th this summer, BT Sport will offer live coverage of all America’s Cup racing to viewers in the UK and Ireland through to the finals in 2017.
The BBC will carry highlights programming from the America’s Cup after acquiring free-to-air broadcast rights for the event.
Highlights from the 2015-16 America’s Cup World Series – including the Portsmouth events – as well as the 2017 America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs and America’s Cup Finals are included in the BBC agreement for free-to-air broadcast.
Excitement for the America’s Cup has never been greater in the UK, as Sir Ben Ainslie, the most decorated Olympic sailor in history, heads the British challenge to win the oldest trophy in international sport.
“With Sir Ben Ainslie leading the charge for Britain, and with the first event of the America’s Cup World Series taking place in Portsmouth in July this year, we know the interest level in the UK has never been higher,” said Harvey Schiller, the Commercial Commissioner of the America’s Cup.
“Our partnership with BT Sport as our live coverage broadcaster and the BBC for highlights programming, means we have an opportunity to reach millions of sailing fans in the UK and Ireland and engage them in the new America’s Cup, which is more dynamic, athletic and spectacular than ever before. Fans have a choice of watching the live programming or they can catch highlight shows on the BBC. It’s a powerful combination.”
Under the agreements, BT Sport will broadcast all live wwws of the 2015-16 America’s Cup World Series events, being hosted in Portsmouth in July 2015 and again in July 2016, and continuing with events around the world. The BBC will have highlight programming from the World Series events.
Sir Keith Mills, Chairman of Teamorigin Events and Founding Shareholder and Director of Ben Ainslie Racing, said:
“The America’s Cup World Series event taking place in Portsmouth this July will be the first time a British team will compete in an official America’s Cup event in British waters since 1851. This is going to be an historic occasion where we expect up to 500,000 people attending the event and with BT Sport’s support as the exclusively live broadcaster, and the BBC showing highlight programming, many millions more will be engaged on TV and online.“
In 2017, the focus will shift to Bermuda, for coverage of the America’s Cup Qualifiers, Challenger Playoffs, and America’s Cup Finals.
“We’re thrilled to be able to bring the story of Sir Ben Ainslie’s quest for the America’s Cup to millions of fans in the UK and Ireland,” said Simon Green, head of BT Sport.
“The essence of the America’s Cup is the racing on the water and with exclusively live coverage of all the live wwws across all of the BT Sport platforms, viewers will share in the full story from the first races in Portsmouth this summer through to the America’s Cup finals in Bermuda in June 2017.”
Barbara Slater, Director BBC Sport says “The BBC is delighted to be able to offer viewers highlights programming for the next two and a half years of America’s Cup racing. We’ve followed Sir Ben Ainslie throughout his brilliant Olympic career and covered his remarkable contribution to the dramatic America’s Cup climax two years ago, so we’re delighted to bring the latest chapter in his career to a wide audience of existing fans and newcomers.
By Johno Fullerton
Kansai Yacht Club Commodore Ko Watanabe and SoftBank Team Japan General Manager Kazuhiko Sofuku “Fuku”, sign the challenge papers.
Photo: SoftBank Team Japan / Yoichi Yabe
SoftBank Corp and the Kansai Yacht Club announced they have come to an agreement to challenge for the 2017 America’s Cup. As SoftBank Team Japan, the team will compete in the 2015 America’s Cup World Series events, and challenge for the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda.
The campaign was confirmed today by Kazuhiko Sofuku, “Fuku”, a veteran of four previous America’s Cup campaigns who has been appointed as the team’s general manager.
“To lead a Japanese challenge for the America’s Cup is a dream come true,” said Fuku, who last raced with a Japanese team for the Cup 15 years ago as bowman for Nippon Challenge during the 1999/2000 Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series.
“This is a great opportunity for Japan and for Japanese sailors to get back into the America’s Cup game,” Fuku explained. “We are planning to build up our team using America’s Cup World Series events to recruit and train Japanese sailors for our crew.”
SoftBank Group representative Masayoshi Son said, “I am thrilled to announce that we will be supporting Team Japan at the America’s Cup.” He added, “Taking on this major challenge at the pinnacle of yacht races matches with the SoftBank Group’s aim to be the global No.1. We look forward to cheering on Team Japan along with all of their supporters.”
SoftBank Team Japan is challenging under the banner of the Kansai Yacht Club, among the most distinguished clubs in the country.
“It is an honour for the Kansai Yacht Club to try for the America’s Cup for the first time,” said Commodore Ko Watanabe. “This is a great challenge to take on, not just for our club, but for the entire country. With support from across the entire nation, I am sure we will represent Japan with pride.”
A base level of technical assistance from Oracle Team USA will be provided to SoftBank Team Japan as it prepares for the 2015 America’s Cup World Series events.
“SoftBank Team Japan is a very positive addition to the America’s Cup,” said Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller. “The Japanese challenge will increase interest in the America’s Cup across Asia which is good news for all of our teams and partners.”
A GREAT post By Kimball Livingston on blueplanettimes.com
Does Russell get his catamaran circuit or not?
That is the question.
I mean, the catamaran circuit he really wants, in the long run, even if he has to drag the America’s Cup with it.
It’s a question underlying all the chatter and all the undercurrents and all the dissension surrounding the outlook for America’s Cup 35 at this www of the AC potboiler du jour. And, of course, the vote to move to smaller boats closer to the familiar AC45 model, and to run all of the America’s Cup eliminations in Bermuda.
To lower entry costs and bump up the number of competitors, perhaps one or two from Asia, at the risk of peeling off a couple of, should we say, “minor” teams. Patrizio Bertelli’s Luna Rossa, for example, which threatened to withdraw in such case, and today announced — ta da — they have withdrawn.
No arithmetic, please, or we’ll soon be talking about the plight of Team New Zealand.
DC-TimeThe last time the America’s Cup made as big a … Continue reading on blueplanettimes.com
From americascup.com
You won’t find an America’s Cup sailor with the depth and breadth of experience of Loïck Peyron. From his fully-crewed assaults on the round the world record, to his various monohull and multihull solo exploits, Peyron is a sailor who has done it all.
Now in his second campaign with Artemis Racing, he is nominally listed as a ‘designer’. But the French legend is much more than this, providing a vital link between the sailing and design worlds.
“I’m involved in many areas because that’s my way,” he explains. “I don’t want to be too specialized. That’s what happens when you’ve been a solo sailor as much as I have. You have to know a little bit – and sometimes quite a lot – about everything.”
Peyron counts many years of experience on multihulls, from round the world behemoths, to the old ORMA circuit, to the catamaran that Alinghi designed and constructed for the 2010 America’s Cup. Alinghi 5 was one of the most incredible boats ever built at the time, but it was eclipsed, if only just slightly, by the American trimaran powered by its towering wing sail, which went on to win the America’s Cup for Oracle Racing.
“When you look back, it’s hard to believe that was just five years ago. We have learned so much since then,” he says, thinking back to those boats, which are almost primitive in comparison to what is being tested by the teams today.
“Each time the America’s Cup becomes interested in something, it forces a huge jump as a lot of clever people focus on that area and start pushing the progress. A century ago we can imagine this was happening maybe with winches and aluminum masts. Today it’s foiling.
“The funny thing with foiling is that speed isn’t related to size. In a classic scenario, speed is related to the waterline length of the boat. But the foiling world is absolutely different. Speed is restricted by drag and by righting moment. That’s why a smaller foiling boat can be quite fast compared to a bigger one. That’s why the boats we have today are so much faster than those monster boats we built in 2010, for example. But it all started from there.
“The main reason behind the new class rule is to push the costs down, so there are some one-design elements in new America’s Cup Class. But one area that is free is the appendages and the controls and there is a lot of room to refine and improve here. The main area of importance on this boat is the drag – aero and hydro. So the appendages are so much more important. The small little details in shape and surface are problems we need to solve. Getting this right can make such a big difference.”
Peyron says Artemis Racing designers are already poring over the new class rule, putting their thinking caps on, sharpening their pencils, and figuring out the best approach. He loves it.
“In the America’s Cup you have so much talent across so may areas that the place is always buzzing. It’s a great ambiance. Everyone is thinking all the time on how to make things work better.
“But it’s a fight every day, by the way,” he says, laughing. “Because hopefully, no one agrees. So you have to defend your opinions and test the options and sometimes learn to accept another point of view. But with this process, the best ideas win out and the boat goes a little bit faster.”
And the incredible flying machines continue to evolve; faster and faster.
From Team Luna Rossa Challenge
Luna Rossa announces its withdrawal from the 35th America’S Cup
The result of the vote proposed by the Event Authority with the agreement of the Defender of the 35th America’s Cup has overturned, with a majority vote, the America’s Cup Class Rule for the boat with which this edition will be held; this happened notwithstanding the fact that such rule had been previously adopted unanimously by the teams and was in force since June 2014.
Following a careful evaluation of the serious implications of this unprecedented initiative, Team Luna Rossa confirms that it will withdraw from the 35th America’s Cup.
Team Luna Rossa indeed considers illegitimate the procedure adopted and founded on an evident abuse of process by surreptitious use of procedures to modify the Protocol in order to overturn the Class Rule, which instead requires the unanimity of the teams entered.
This is an attempt to introduce boats that are substantially monotypes and in total contrast with the ultra-centennial tradition of the America’s Cup, not to mention a two-month extension period to introduce further modifications to the rules, decided by the majority.
All of the above contributes to a lack of credibility and uncertain technical grounds for what should instead be the most sophisticated sailing competition in the world.
This radical change also implies a waste of important resources already invested based on the rules that were sanctioned in June last year. This means that the claim to reduce costs reveals itself as a pure pretext aimed to annihilate research and development achievements of some teams, and to favor instead preconceived technical and sporting positions by means of changing the most important element in the competition, the boat.
As a confirmation of this, it is important to underline the fact that Luna Rossa frequently advanced proposals aimed at containing costs that however would not have changed the nature of the boats, but these proposals have systematically been rejected by the Defender.
Team Luna Rossa has also taken into consideration the possibility to protest through the Arbitration Panel as foreseen by the Protocol; it has however noted that, ten months after signing the Protocol, the Defender is only now initiating the first formal procedures to compose this important body. This fact contributes to making the entire governance of the Event even less credible and reliable.
Team Luna Rossa regrets the repercussions that this difficult decision will have on the members of the Team – although it will honor all of its contractual obligations – and on the sailing event planned to take place in Cagliari next June and obviously understands the disappointment of the many fans who have supported Luna Rossa during the last four editions of the America’s Cup.
Patrizio Bertelli declared: “I want to thank the whole team for its hard work during this past year; regretfully this effort has been frustrated by this manoeuvre that is unprecedented in the history of the America’s Cup.
However, in sports, as in life, one cannot always go for compromise, after compromise, after compromise; sometimes it is necessary to make decisions that are painful but must be clear cut, as only these can make everybody aware of the drifts of the system and therefore set the basis for the future: respect of legality and sportsmanship”.
