34th America's Cup: multihulls!

34th AC-Challengers

Note: Magnus Clarke gave us a little insight (published on this thread) that this would happen back on 10/14/2010 in post 17!

from Scuttlebutt tonight:


KIWIS QUIETLY CHALLENGE

The long-expected news that Team New Zealand have entered the 34th
America's Cup has been delivered in an unexpectedly low-key manner.
America's Cup entries would normally be accompanied with much fanfare, but
Team New Zealand's confirmation they had officially signed on with
America's Cup race management came yesterday (Wednesday) in the form of an understated media release.
Nestled three-quarters of the way into the release announcing the continued
support of their premier sponsor Emirates, was the news Team New Zealand
had paid the fee to race management and taken possession of their new AC45
yacht. The team took their new wing-sailed catamaran out for its first spin
on the Waitemata Harbour yesterday (Wednesday).

If the fact they have a sparkling new AC45 in their shed didn't make it
blindingly obvious, the looming March 31 deadline for entry left Team New
Zealand with no choice but to confirm they've signed on for the next event.
However Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton was holding off making any firm
commitment while the country deals with the aftermath of the Christchurch
quake.

He said he was not willing to offer any guarantees that the team would be
on the startline in 2013. Although the news that Emirates and long-term
sponsors Omega and Toyota will back their next campaign is a positive
development, Dalton said there was a funding shortfall to be addressed.

"I don't think it is appropriate at this time to totally confirm we are
there yet," explained Dalton. "I think I've still got a bit more work to do
on that. I've always said we'll only do this thing if we can be absolutely
at the top of our game." Dalton said the team would make a further
announcement on its involvement in the 2013 America's Cup in a couple of
months.

"In the meantime we are developing the sailing team; the design team is
working through concepts for the AC72 catamaran and we are continuing
meeting with several potential sponsors." The guarded nature of their
announcement suggests they still have a significant amount of cash to raise
- some of which they had been relying on the Government contributing. -- NZ
Herald, read on:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10712954

Team announcement: http://tinyurl.com/ETNZ-031611

 

34th AC-Challengers

AC 45 Fleet sailing video form Scuttlebutt Europe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_lDXQVcRaE

 

Thanks for posting the video.

 

====
You're welcome!

 

34th AC- the challengers-

Team China enters-with mostly Chinese sailors:
http://www.americascup.com/news/china-team-to-contest-the-34th-americas-cup_73

 

34th AC- the challengers-

from Scuttlebutt, Friday April First, 2011:

CHARLIE SHEEN TO CHALLENGE FOR THE AMERICA'S CUP


(April 1, 2011) - Charlie Sheen has announced that one of the
confirmed/confidential AC challenger teams is the one he will be leading
through the Royal Titicaca Yacht Club. When asked about the Deed of Gift
requirement that a challenger have an annual regatta on an ocean course on
the sea or an arm of the sea, Lake Titicaca being 3,811 meters above sea
level, his attorney, former Société Nautique De Genève (SNG) counsel Barry
Ostrager, responded that for Mr. Sheen that is "not high at all."

Ostrager continued that Mr. Sheen indeed has an annual regatta cruise in
the arms of Amber Buttafuoco, a mermaid **** star. Mr. Ostrager went on to
say that in Amber's arms was good enough under the Deed. He suggested that
"if you don't believe me, try it." Mr. Ostrager further reported that Mr.
Sheen found himself in Amber's arms "because he loves his country so much
that Amber and the Cup happened in his life."

Hamish Ross, ACM legal counsel is on his way to Lake Titicaca with the
latest ultra-sensitive NASA equipment to check tides and salinity. He soon
will have to determine whether rejecting Mr. Sheen's challenge would
violate laws barring discrimination against mermaids under the civil rights
laws, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Fish and Wildlife Act, the
Endangered Species Act, or all of the above.

Mr. Sheen initially had the enthusiastic support of Ernesto Bertarelli and
Fred Meyer to challenge through the Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG), a
former trustee. Mr. Meyer even offered to chair the race committee, "just
to make sure everything is perfectly fair and by the book, as always when
SNG is involved." New Zealand's Graham McKenzie offered to serve as Chief
Judge, "In order to bring the highest level of ISAF judging to the event."
On behalf of ISAF, David Kellett offered to look the other way.

However, when asked to return as IPRO with Mr. Meyer's team, Harold Bennett
exclaimed, "Crikey!" and was seen running away at top speed. Lucien
Masmejan, Mr. Bertarelli's personal attorney, declined to comment on
reports that SNG's participation was scotched when Mr. Bertarelli's wife,
Kirsty, informed him that Amber better not be seen so much as buying a
cuckoo clock anywhere near Switzerland. -- Read on:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/07/cf/#p61

 

1st April is it?

 

34th AC- the challengers-

New-look America's Cup opens with World Series also see: http://www.americascup.com/news/entries-surge-for-transformed-america-s-cup_77

By BERNIE WILSON, AP Sports Writer

Friday, April 1, 2011 at 2:02 p.m.

SAN DIEGO — The new-look America's Cup will begin this summer with 15 teams from a record 12 countries sailing fast catamarans in a true World Series.

Organizers announced Friday that 14 challengers from around the globe, plus defending champion Oracle Racing of San Francisco, have signed up for the 34th America's Cup. They also announced Portugal, England and San Diego as the first three stops on the new America's Cup World Series.

Other AC World Series regattas will follow during the buildup to the 2013 America's Cup on San Francisco Bay.

"It is time to go racing," Iain Murray, the regatta director and CEO of America's Cup Race Management, said from his home in Sydney, Australia.

Of the 14 challengers who've entered, 12 have been validated while the others are being checked against qualifying requirements. Some of the vetted teams have yet to publicly announce their challenges.

The latest to announce was Italy's Venezia Challenge. Other countries with teams that have announced are Sweden, New Zealand, France, China and Australia. It's believed that Korea and Canada will be represented.

"It's obviously an acceptance of the new vision of the America's Cup," said Murray, who lost to Dennis Conner in the 1987 America's Cup match in Fremantle, Australia. "People must be liking what they see, which is the World Series, the catamarans, the 45s, new rules. They can see all that stuff now. And there's more to come, with television production, and maybe just the event being in San Francisco. There's a package around the America's Cup of activity and people that's never been there before."

The first season of the AC World Series will run into July 2012 and be sailed in 45-foot wing-sailed catamarans. The second season will begin in San Francisco in August 2012 with a 72-foot version of the fast cat. The 72-footers will be used in the America's Cup itself, replacing the plodding sloops that were used from 1992-2007. A champion will be crowned at the end of each season.

The AC45s are being built in New Zealand.

"It's been quite a journey the last six months, really, to say the least," Murray said. "To be sitting here six months later with 15 entries and five boats sailing around in Auckland has exceeded all our expectations, really. We've got more teams than we've got boats. That's a good problem to have."

The ACWS will begin in Cascais, Portugal, Aug. 6-14, then move to Plymouth, England, Sept. 10-18.

The San Diego regatta will be held sometime between mid-October and early December.

All three ports will allow for viewing from the shore, one of the changes organizers have made in an attempt to make the sometimes-confusing sport more fan friendly. In the past, America's Cup races have been held miles offshore.

San Diego hosted the America's Cup three times between 1988-1995.

"The race course on San Diego Bay will amaze fans from around the world when they see the power and speed of the new wing-powered AC45 multihull racing yachts," said Troy Sears of the Sailing Events Association San Diego.

Sears helped promote a regatta in the RC44 class last month on San Diego Bay, the first international regatta here since the 1995 America's Cup.

Oracle Racing tested its giant trimaran in San Diego for 16 months before beating Alinghi of Switzerland off Valencia, Spain, in February 2010 to win the oldest trophy in international sports.

The choice of Plymouth is interesting, considering that a British syndicate announced in October that it wouldn't challenge for the America's Cup because the format and timetable weren't viable.

Still, the southwest English coast has a rich nautical history. Plymouth was the one-time base of the English fleet, where Sir Francis Drake awaited the Spanish Armada as it sailed up the English Channel. The Pilgrims departed Plymouth for the New World aboard the Mayflower.

Plymouth has hosted the start and finish of several major sailing races. To the southwest is Lizard Point, the ending point for trans-Atlantic record attempts from New York.

The race that gave birth to the America's Cup was held to the east in 1851, when the schooner America beat a fleet of British ships around the Isle of Wight to claim the silver trophy. The Brits tried for more than a century to win it back, failing each time.

Also east of Plymouth is Weymouth, the sailing venue for the 2012 London Olympics.

 

34th AC- the challengers-

from Scuttlebutt tonight:

The current entries are...

DEFENDER: Oracle Racing, Golden Gate Yacht Club (USA)
CHALLENGERS: Aleph-Equipe de France, Aleph Yacht Club (FRA); Artemis
Racing, Kungliga Svenska Segal Sallskapet (SWE); China Team, Mei Fan Yacht
Club (CHN); Emirates Team New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
(NZL); Energy Challenge, Yacht Club de France (FRA); Mascalzone Latino,
Club Nautico di Roma (ITA); Team Australia, Multihull Yacht Club of
Queensland (AUS); Venezia Challenge, Club Canottieri Roggero di Lauria
(ITA); Four challengers - Confirmed/Confidential; Two challengers - In
vettinging process

Additional details: http://tinyurl.com/ACUP-040111

 

34th Americas Cup-the challengers-South Korea!

From the America's Cup site( http://www.americascup.com/news/team-korea-enters-34th-america-s-cup_81 ) :

For the first time in its 160-year history, a challenge has been made by a South Korean Yacht Club for the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in international sports. The Sail Korea Yacht Club, represented by Team Korea, has been officially accepted as a challenger for the 34th America’s Cup.

Team Korea will be known as the ‘White Tiger Challenge’. The White Tiger, or ‘Baekho’ in Korean, is one of the revered ancient guardian gods in Korean mythology, ferocious and potent, a fitting image for a team from one of the world’s major industrial nations with long term America’s Cup ambitions.

Founder of Team Korea is Dong Young-Kim, an accomplished sailor and the organizer of one of the biggest prize money sailing events in the world, The Korea Match Cup. In launching Team Korea, he intends to boost public interest and knowledge of the America’s Cup and hopes to attract new people to take up sailing as their support for the team grows.

In announcing the team he said, ‘’The America’s Cup is not only the world’s oldest sporting trophy, it is one of the most celebrated, with a tradition, glamour and attraction like no other. Some of the most famous people in world history have competed in this event trying to win this coveted trophy, enjoying the honor of taking part and representing both club and country.”
===============
Design Note: This picture clearly shows the angle of the daggerboards allowing them to develop a bit of vertical lift.

===============


click on image:

 

AC 45 down the mine--well, almost!

Check this out from Oracle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRZGQzDTDaU


more here: http://www.oracleracing.com/news/now-from-the-windward-side_96

 

34th America's Cup-Challengers/Design

from Scuttlebutt tonight:

AC34 TEAMS BENEFIT FROM SHARED DESIGN PROGRAM

San Francisco, CA (April 7, 2011) - For the first time ever in the America's Cup,
a shared design program is being offered to the entered teams to jump-start designs
of the fast, high-tech AC72s,
the new wing-sailed catamarans to be launched next year.

With the surge of new teams that just entered the 34th America's Cup, the 15 teams
that met last week's entry deadline now have the opportunity to share
in an initial design package from an international team of proven industry
leaders.

"We gave the design and research team a simple brief: give us your best shot
at a winning design," said Iain Murray, America's Cup Race Management CEO
and Regatta Director. ACRM developed the concept and sourced international
design and technology leaders to start designing a package for the new
wing-sailed AC72.

"This solution is being offered to close the gap on the front-runners, and
provide all teams, large and small, the opportunity to be competitive within
the time remaining before racing starts in the new AC72 catamarans next
year," Murray said. "Technology is a critical piece of a Cup-winning program
and we want to ensure teams have access to the right people and the latest
tools to design a fast boat while still managing their costs."

The ACRM AC 72 will be comprised of a platform designed by high-performance
multihull design leaders VPLP of France and a wing and sail package designed
by the North Technology Group (NTG), a global company headquartered in the
USA. Both VPLP and NTG have assembled an international team of their top
talent across all areas of the design and structures spectrum. The project
will be coordinated for ACRM by Andy Claughton. Michel Marie is ACRM's
technical consultant for VPLP and NTG. -- Read on:
http://media.americascup.com/pressreleases/?id=66

 

34th AC- the challengers-

From Scuttlebutt tonight:

CHINA TEAM - ENTHUSIASTIC...& FUNDED
By Michelle Slade, SailBlast

Even if the next America's Cup dispenses only a handful of truly
competitive teams, which is the way it's currently lining up (thinking
ORACLE Racing, Artemis Racing and Emirates Team NZ), there's no lack of
enthusiasm among the less established teams, and for one of those teams -
China Team - no lack of funding. In fact, I think large amounts of both
enthusiasm and dollars can probably take a team a long way, and it appears
that China Team's Thierry Barot, CEO, concurs.

"In terms of sponsorship, we have over 50% of the budget that we need,"
53-year old Barot said. "We are very lucky - in China we are on the top of
the biggest marketing wave in the world. When you see what China did with
the Olympics it gives you an idea as to how the country will support us.
When the Chinese decide to do something, they make the decision and go all
out. It's impressive."

Barot's history with yachting in China goes back to 1987 when, after racing
on French Kiss in Fremantle in the 27th America's Cup, he ended up in China
managing yachts and related services. Barot, who is from Montauban, a small
country city in southwest France known for its interest in rugby and not
sailing, returned to Europe and back to professional sailing in 1998. In
2004, he was offered work back in China and subsequently became involved
with China Team for the 32nd America's Cup in Valencia.

Barot says the new China Team in no way resembles the previous version,
which was run by the former French syndicate Le Defi along with Mr. Wang
Chao Yong, the current China Team investor. Barot received a call last
November from Mr. Wang Chao Yong to see if he would lead a new China Team
program, and immediately began putting together the Team. "Today, it is
really a 100% Chinese program, with just a little outside knowledge," Barot
explained. -- Read on:
http://sailblast.blogspot.com/2011/04/china-team-enthusiastic-funded.html

 

Team New Zealand capsize AC45
http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Americas-Cup:-Emirates-Team-NZ-capsize-AC45-in-Auckland/82653

 

34th AC

From Scuttlebutt tonight:

* (April 26, 2011) - During the first day of a test event in New Zealand
for the AC45s, five teams trialed several race course configurations as
well as the new Umpire system in conditions that ranged up to 25 knots.
Getting their first taste of 'crossing the line' and capsizing was Oracle
Racing. No one was injured and the boat suffered minor damage to the wing
that should be repairable overnight. -- Full report/video:
http://www.americascup.com/blog/flippin-fantastic_113