america's cup sailboat racing

RACE PACE QUICKENING IN PERFECT BARCELONA

Barcelona’s waterfront was a spectacle today with no less than four teams all taking advantage of near-perfect conditions as the race pace is ramping up and the schedules are getting tight for on-water practise and honing of the vital foiling sailing skills that could, ultimately, seal the fate of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup.

NYYC American Magic put in a full afternoon of two-boating in their LEQ moded AC40s that are both sporting out of class starboard foils and today looked to be bringing new sail tech with an upgraded mainsail foot fairing on ‘America.’ With an offset swell, lingering from recent storms down the Mediterranean, the sailors had a solid 12-14 knots of south-south-westerly breeze to play with and set up a course and start box just off the Port Olímpic to go into a series of starting sequences followed by laps.

Once again, Tom Slingsby and Paul Goodison steering ‘America’ had marginally the better of the day and are the clear helming duo for when the new AC75 arrives at the end of April. Starts were ultra-competitive with the lead boat jostling to kill speed whilst avoiding the hook and it very much looks to be the power-position and enables the helm to decide their position off the line. What appeared to work was starting to leeward and then forcing the windward boat off into an early tack which from a positional and timing standpoint allows the leeward boat to then pick their tack and an optimal sea-state. Slingsby and Goodison looked to be masterful today in the racing against Lucas Calabrese and Harry Melges although the deltas were fine.

Speaking afterwards, Harry Melges, very much the face of America’s new foiling generation and the leader of the NYYC American Magic Youth Team, commented on the session saying: “It was certainly a really nice day, like 12-14 knots out of the south-south-west, typical Barcelona. It was actually quite a tricky day with this sea state, there's been a swell coming from the north-east we've had a bit of a mistral up in the Gulf of Lyon last few days so they got pretty big and challenging for us.”

Asked what it’s like to face Slingsby and Goodison, two of the finest sailors on the planet, and whether it was exciting or nerve-wracking, Harry replied: “I’d probably describe it as a little bit of both, it’s a super-fast pace and we're learning so much every time we do a pre-start and we're trying to run through a few different timings and strategies to learn going forward...More mentally exhausted than physically, these boats are pretty easy physically you're kind of sitting there pressing buttons, but there's a lot of focus that goes in to race one of these boats and yeah today was a tricky day with the waves as well, so pretty tired.”

Stunning session from the Americans once again who are really starting to amp up their training and racing schedule over the next couple of months. More tiring sessions to come.

For Alinghi Red Bull Racing, the breeze was pretty much perfect for their longer form AC75 ‘BoatZero’ and with their new AC75 now en route by truck to Barcelona there’s a real, very infectious, impetus around the whole team. In training today, where a series of pre-starts against a chase boat was observed alongside longer runs, noticeably the ride height was a good deal lower than we’ve seen before, possibly a nod to how the new boat is expected to be moded. We also saw the very flat to slightly leeward heel, with ‘BoatZero’ really standing on its foils and putting maximum pressure down there.

Speaking afterwards, Maxime Bachelin mentioned the swells out on the racecourse area saying: “It was an interesting day here in Barcelona but we enjoy it a lot because the wave was on not on the axis of the wind and quite ‘swelly,’ about one metre swell, so it was quite challenging for the team, as well for the power group making a lot of power because it was needed to trim quite a lot the sails and so yeah interesting day and we enjoyed it a lot.”

Looking at times slow through the manoeuvres, particularly gybing downwind, the team revved-up for the racing with a clear goal as Max said: “We're trying to replicate a bit what we do on the AC40 that we were sailing in Jeddah this winter and trying to do a bit of the same moves with the big boat that's taking a bit more time to do manoeuvre, but it's the goal to be as tight as possible on the sailing and trying to handle the boat as much as we can and for sure we can't we can't wait to have the ‘BoatOne’ to see if it's a way easier than this one - ‘BoatZero.’”

Over in Cagliari, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli recovered quickly from their dramatic AC40 nosedive yesterday and continued their impressive two-boat training in a light, patchy breeze that built and faded through the morning session. The team docked-out early with localised thunderstorms heading for the surrounding hill ranges, sucking the wind in from all directions and leaving flat but swelling waters that were less than perfect but vital for the team’s match-racing playbooks that they are developing fast.

On balance, the AC40 had the best of it today with Marco Gradoni getting valuable training once again alongside the legendary Jimmy Spithill whilst Francesco Bruni was in full coach-mode with the Nacra 17 reigning Olympic Champion, Ruggero Tita onboard the LEQ12. ‘Ruggi’ put it brilliantly in interview afterwards saying: “For sure every day, and in every start, it's a big learning for us and I'm pretty sure the old guys are training us well and they're of course getting training on these small boats too. So, yeah, for us it's every day we go in the water and every start we try to take the best out of it and learn as much as we can. To be honest for me it's twenty years match-racing learning put together in three weeks, so it's a big week and everyday it’s a good learning.”

Off Petrol Beach the shore team put a start-box in and the nimbler, lighter-weight AC40 was quicker to fly and seemed more manoeuvrable but in a straight line and once flying any speed differences were marginal. Plenty of pre-start action was observed with the key idea being to get the other boat off the foils as self-starting was proving difficult and both teams achieved this on occasion. A total of five starts followed by short course racing were completed, the team had planned to do more but in the late morning, the swell picked up and the wind dropped off and they were back at their base before noon. 

‘Ruggi’ Tita summed up the day saying: “It was not an easy day, for sure we had very tricky condition big waves, long swell and the wind coming from everywhere because of this thunderstorm going around, but I think we used the best of the day and we tried also to do some starts and it was a good day, some good learnings...I think AC40 had a bit of an edge today in this big sea-state but more or less we were pretty similar.”

With both Orient Express Racing and the Challenger of Record, INEOS Britannia, also out today sailing their AC40s in one-design configuration, Barcelona was a busy place. The pace in the race for the Louis Vuitton 37 th America’s Cup is noticeably picking up. (Magnus Wheatley)

On-Water Recon Report – NYYC American Magic: American Magic took advantage of a close to perfect afternoon for sailing in Barcelona today for another two-boat practice racing session on their AC40s ‘America’ and ‘Magic’ in LEQ12 mode with custom starboard foils. Both boats were rigged and launched by midday ahead of an ahead-of-schedule dock out at 1255 and had sails up – America MC4 mainsail and J2 C3 headsail, Magic MN5 mainsail and J2 C4 headsail – at the harbour entrance by 1320.

An additional new (we believe) faring was noted on the bottom aft edge of the mainsail on America. The pair left the harbour five minutes later and immediately set off on a close quarters downwind run that ended at the leeward gate of the practice racecourse. After a short windward / leeward free sailing session, the boats rolled into a series of six pre-starts and races. America (Tom Slingsby, Paul Goodison, Michael Menninger, Andrew Campbell) largely had the upper hand in the racing over Magic (Harry Melges, Lucas Calabrese, Kyle Langford, Riley Gibbs).

That said, overall, the pre-starts were generally close with both boats mostly powering towards the line in close formation. The difference between the two boats came down to the ‘America’ crew looking crisper and more consistent through manoeuvres and while in flight – although neither were error free.

Both crews looked to be pushing hard all day with both pulling off high speed single-board round ups at the leeward gate. The final sailing of the day began at 1630 with the boats separating for some free sailing: ‘Magic’ setting off upwind and ‘America’ heading off on a long downwind and upwind return. Time was called at 1700 with both boats back on the dock by 1725.

On-Water Recon Report – Alinghi Red Bull Racing: Alinghi Red Bull Racing's AC75 ‘BoatZero’ was rolled out at 10:00. The boat was prepared and craned into the water by 10:25. When alongside, sailors and engineers checked all the boat's systems, including foil arms, mainsheet systems, mast rotation, and jib sheet systems, to ensure that everything was in top condition before the sailing session.

At 11:10, they prepared two jib sails on one of the chase boats: J4-1R and J3-1R, and at 12:36h, they brought the mainsail M2-2R and the jib J2-2L and placed them on Boat Zero. The boat docked out at 13:00 and hoisted sails then after, replacing the jib J2-2L for J3-1R instead.

The Chase Boat towed ‘BoatZero’ out of the harbour at 13.20 and once out they stopped, and three technicians jumped onboard boat Zero for about 20 minutes. According to Maxime Bachelin, who we interviewed after the sailing session, the problem was due to an issue in the electronic systems that the team quickly solved once detected. At 13:50 they started sailing on a downwind course. At that moment wind was TWD 195º with 9-11 knots intensity and swell coming from a 137º direction so was not symmetrical to the wind. From there, the sailing session was conducted as follows:

Stint 1 (13:50 to 15:40): The session began with a test of the boat in down wind direction performing seven gybes in between the medium to long runs, from which the second and the seventh gybes were clearly touch down. On the last gybe they stop for a while to perform some quick checks. A racecourse with up & down wind doors was already set and when they continued sailing, five minutes after they stopped, they went for a full lap at the racecourse, performing five tacks in the upwind and two gybes in the downwind. They stopped after doing a radical luffing with both arms down after going through the bottom door of the racecourse. Boat captain and an electronic technician went quickly onboard to make a few checks. From that moment forward ‘BoatZero’ seemed to sail smoother and with better control in their manoeuvres.

Ten minutes after stopping they continued sailing in the racecourse and did two laps. At every lap they take the doors in a different tack so they could train bearing away and luffing from each side. At the up winds they were doing three tacks and on the down winds two gybes.

After sailing these two laps it was 15:12 and they stopped to perform a replacement to the cyclors crew and after they complete the replacement, they went for one lap more to the racecourse.  

Stint 2 (15:30 to 16:37): Wind keeps stable from the same direction TWD 195º with a bit more intensity, 10 to 14 knots. They started with some races in between ‘BoatZero’ and the Chase Boat. Basically, they performed two starts and in both the chase boat and ‘BoatZero’ were trying to protect the right side of the line. It was ‘BoatZero who entered first into the box in both of the starts and then was trying to make close turns without losing the flight close to the line, while the Chase Boat was going for longer turns and not getting too close to ‘BoatZero,’ which was crossing in both times the start line earlier but both Chase Boat and AC75 crossed the line some seconds after ‘second zero’.

After the first start they made one crossing in between them after one tack and then they came back to the line to proceed with the second start.

After the second start they went for three laps with plenty of crossings in between Chase Boat and ‘BoatZero.’ In the first lap they performed seven tacks and ‘BoatZero’ was too short on the lay line when arriving to the top mark. ‘BoatZero’ made five gybes on the downwind and took the right side of the gate at the bottom while the Chase Boat took the left side (looking towards the wind). On the second lap they performed six tacks going upwind and three gybes at the downwind leg. ‘BoatZero’ took the right side of the bottom door and performed a perfect JK when taking the mark to cover the Chase Boat who took the left side gate.

On the last lap they performed six tacks in the up wind and seven gybes on the downwind leg which was the result of many crossings in between them.

After this training race, at 16:30 they went back to port sailing upwind and tacking four times. Docking was completed at 17:05. As a summary Alinghi Red Bull Racing today foiled for 107 minutes, performed 65 manoeuvres: 80 % fully foiling. Jose Piñana AC Recon

On-Water Recon Report – Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli: Luna Rossa rolled out their AC40 (white) at 7:00 and their LEQ12 (red) at 7:25, stepped masts and craned in respectively at 7:20 and 7:40. Dock-out was scheduled for 8:30 and both yachts were towed out of the harbour. M1 and J1 OD were hoisted on white, first main M1-1 was paired to the J1-1 on red. The forecast looked tricky with swell from 115°, about 0.5m, significantly offset to the offshore northerly breeze from 305° 6-8kn.

The first foiling stint saw the yachts execute a series of manoeuvres in the patchy light breeze. Then both yachts lined up for some upwind and downwind runs. In terms of boatspeed the boats looked pretty similar, especially downwind, while upwind perhaps the red boat looked slicker. White definitely looked more stable on the offset swell.

Several shorter stints were sailed by both yachts, which were quickly towed up again once splashed down after unsuccessful manoeuvres. The whole area by the harbour looked quite patchy and main traveller over-sheeting and pumping was seen quite often. As the rain increased both teams came off the foils and took a break.

More pressure was seen offshore of Petrol Beach where the team headed and successfully found some profitable knots to place marks for the starting box. At 9:45 the first pre-start drill was run with red on port entry, chasing down white approaching the line quite aggressively. White managed to start slightly more leeward and forced red to tack bailing out.

During the day, the team conducted some short upwind and downwind races with both yachts eventually engaging if not split. For the second prestart drill, white had port entry and both yachts sailed towards the upper right boundary at first. They converged approaching the line and white managed to force red to windward ending up off the foils.

In the third pre-start, both yachts sailed apart in the box and managed their own time on distance without engaging closely. Red started closer by the committee boat and white further to the pin, seemed like an even start.

Both yachts came off the foils and the pressure had picked up to 10-12kn from 325°, J1-1 was then lowered to hoist the J1.5-2 on red. The starting line was now longer and two additional pre-starts were observed ending pretty even with a decent gap on the line and some closer engagement in the short upwind/downwind leg. The team had planned some further pre-starts but in the following four drills either red or white fell off the foils without enough breeze and increasing swell. The rain increased, the pressure died completely, and sails were lowered with approximately 105 minutes foiling time and approximately 35 tacks and 25 gybes [Michele Melis AC Recon].

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

How to follow the America’s Cup preliminary regatta

• Toby Heppell
• September 11, 2023

The first America's Cup preliminary regatta raced in AC40s will take place in September 2023 in the Catalonian port of Vilanova i la Geltrú

The six competing teams in the 37th America’s Cup are set to get their first chance to line up competitively against one another at the first America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta, from 14-17 September 2023.

The event, which sees the America’s Cup teams move 50km up the coast to Vilanova i La Geltrú from the main event base in Barcelona, includes four days of racing in the AC40 one-design foiling monohull.

Racing begins with official practise on Thursday 14 September, followed by three fleet races on 15 and 16 September, and then two further fleet races on the Sunday before a single match race final. Coverage will be live-streamed via americascup.com as well on The America’s Cup YouTube channel.

The AC40s lined up to test the tech ahead of the Preliminary Regatta, but are yet to officially race. Photo: Ugo Fonollá/America’s Cup

As it is held in the supplied AC40s, rather than the America’s Cup final designs of the AC75 , the Preliminary Regatta will have little direct bearing on the Cup match proper, which takes place 11 months later. However, it is a good opportunity for the teams to bank some foiling race practice, and perhaps glean some indications of whose preparation schedules have been the most fruitful so far.

As with any one-design fleet, the AC40s will put a premium on boat handling, so the one thing the Preliminary Regatta will give some indication of is clues to the sailing teams’ preparation level.

“All the teams are looking forward to lining up in the AC40 against other teams because it’ll give us a good read and a good yardstick on just how our sailors are doing in terms of their technique and the sharpness of their racing skills. It’ll also give us some good feedback on some of the things that we think are fast about the way you sail an AC40; everything from bustle clearance to sail trim. We’ll get a chance to measure those things when AC40s line up against other AC40s,” explains Jeff Causey, INEOS Britannia’s boat operations manager.

Jimmy Spithill explained that even within the one-design there will be variations in set up: “The hardware is exactly the same as the others, and it really comes down to the teams using the controls: cant, ride height, the trim of the boat. Obviously sails and technique, there’s a lot of little things there.”

However, INEOS Britannia’s Leigh McMillan cautioned: “We’re certainly going to put some more time in the AC40s. But the Cup itself, and designing and having a fast boat for the America’s Cup, has got to be our absolute goal. It’s not all about the AC40 for now!”

How do the America’s Cup teams stack up?

Photo: Job Vermeulen/America’s Cup

Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL)

The Defenders moved their team from New Zealand to Barcelona this July. Nathan Outteridge and Pete Burling have been taking the dual helms of their AC75 and two AC40s. The Kiwis have performed consistently in the Practice Racing in Barcelona with a tight-knit team that trust in their process.

Photo: Ugo Fonollá/America’s Cup

INEOS Britannia (GBR)

The British squad moved from their winter training base in Palma, and have been trialing a T6 test boat and AC40. Giles Scott is sailing team manager for skipper Ben Ainslie. But it has not been the strongest display from the team in practise racing so far, with execution of manouvers in the AC40 looking less than polished.

Photo: Alex Carabi/America’s Cup

Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)

Vilanova Preliminary Regatta will be the first time Ernesto Bertarelli’s famous Swiss team takes part in an America’s Cup race since 2010, now skippered by Hans- Peter Steinacher. Combined helms, Arnaud Psarofaghis and Maxime Bachelin have formed a dynamic partnership, rooted in steady progression, and Alinghi Red Bull Racing have surprised to the upside in the practice regattas.

Photo: Paul Todd/America’s Cup

American Magic (USA)

Australian Tom Slingsby and Brit Paul Goodison are among the sailing squad headliners. The US team has secured some of the highest number of hours in the AC40s thanks to a two-boat programme. They chose to sit out the first few days of the recent practice regatta, preferring to complete their aero and foil testing schedule, but when they came to the racecourse, they were sensational and already look ones to beat in the one-design class.

Photo: Ivo Rovira/America’s Cup

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (ITA)

Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni return on the twin wheels of the Italian AC40, though Spithill cautioned they have had less time racing against other boats than some other teams. However, Luna Rossa have been unafraid to ride very different modes to the others and at times have shown unbelievable boatspeed.

Photo: Martin Keruzore/OERT

Orient Express Team (FRA)

The newest team on the block, the French squad were flying on their first AC40 test sail after launching mid-August, skipper Quentin Delapierre crediting the time they put in on the simulator. Whether they can challenge for the title in Vilanova is a tall ask with so little time in the AC40 compared to the more established teams but they should put up a good fight.

America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta schedule

The format of the Regatta will consist of up to 8 fleet races followed by a single Match Race Final between the two highest scoring Competitors in the fleet racing.

Racing will take place on:

• Thursday 14 September Official Practice
• Friday 15 September Race Day 1 – 3 Fleet Races
• Saturday 16 September Race Day 2 – 3 Fleet Races
• Sunday 17 September Race Day 3 – 2 Fleet Races, Match Race Final (1 race).

Racing is scheduled to be between 1530 and 1730 hours each day, though this can be changed if conditions so require.

In preparation for the first preliminary regatta Vilanova i la Geltrú in just 1 month’s time, four teams lined up for the first AC40 races to help test the new RMS and broadcast systems. Photo: Ugo Fonollá / America’s Cup

How to watch the America’s Cup preliminary regatta

The America’s Cup races will be live-streamed across the official America’s Cup website: www.americascup.com as well as available to watch on YouTube in most territories.

This may not be available in territories where broadcast rights have been sold, but as yet there is no information available about broadcast deals, so it is safe to assume most territories will have Youtube access to racing.

The America’s Cup Social Media channels on Instagram , Facebook , and X (Twitter) will also be fully activated and updated throughout the racing with a mix of multi-media. Daily race reports will be available on the America’s Cup website after racing.

You can also follow all of our coverage on Yachting World’s America’s Cup mini site.

For those wishing to watch in Barcelona, the America’s Cup Race Village will offer spectators the chance to experience the unique buzz and atmosphere of the regattas off the water.

The Race Villages free throughout all America’s Cup events, with large maxi screens to view the racing action live with commentary plus event and team activations alongside an array of food and beverage stations.

The Race Village in Vilanova i La Geltrú, will open at 11:00 daily and run through to 20:00 with live racing between 15:00 to 17:30 and sailor presentations and interviews after the racing each day.

When is the next America’s Cup preliminary regatta?

After this first America’s Cup Preliminary regatta, teams head to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for a second regatta between 29th November to 2nd December 2023. The third and last preliminary regatta will be held in August 2024 in Barcelona.

As with the first event, the regatta in Saudi Arabia will have racing in AC40s, but the final preliminary event in 2024 will see all the America’s Cup teams race in their new AC75s for the very first time.

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• The 37th America’s Cup Defense Begins in August: Here are the Important Dates

The America’s Cup holds a special place in the world of yacht racing since, before it was lost by the New York Yacht Club to the Australians in 1983, it was the longest winning streak in American sports history – 132 years!

The 37 th defense of the cup by the current holder Emirates Team New Zealand marks another chapter in this storied event. Not without the usual controversy, this year’s defense will be held in Barcelona, Spain, instead of the defender’s home waters in Auckland, New Zealand, much to the disgruntlement of the whole Kiwi nation.

Five challengers have stepped forward to try to wrest the cup away from the Kiwis from England, Switzerland, Italy, France and the US.  The whole regatta will be broadcast on TV and streamed live, so you can follow every twist, turn, tack and jibe.

Sail Web has published a quick wrap up of the event will all-important dates. Read more here.

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Boat of the Week: Meet the ‘Patriot,’ the New Lightning-Fast America’s Cup Foiling Yacht Representing the US

After being airlifted 9,000 miles from the factory, the 45-foot sailing racer exceeded designers' initial expectations by zigzagging around the auckland waterfront at insane speeds., michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories.

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Patriot , the just-launched America’s Cup racing yacht representing the United States, completed its first week of sailing last week in New Zealand . The New York Yacht Club’s representative team, American Magic, tested the potential of a design that had only been proven by computer simulation. The 75-foot navy-hulled Patriot , which just days before had been shipped by cargo plane 9,000 miles from Rhode Island, streaked across the Auckland waterfront, zigzagging on its foils, videos suggesting it reached its “sound barrier,” or top speed, of an estimated 50 knots (America’s Cup teams don’t like to talk about top speeds), or 57 mph.

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“We went off the dock thinking that if the breeze filled in, we’d have a good sail,” Terry Hutchinson, skipper and executive director of American Magic, said after the sail. “Straight away, we came into 21 knots [of wind pressure], and we were into it. Despite having a brand-new boat that we were all excited about, the whole session felt normal. That’s a great validation of our shore team and all of the work put in since we launched the Mule in 2018.”

“The Mule” was the first prototype that American Magic built to train its crew on at its facility in Pensacola, Florida, and that basic design was followed by Defender , a more complex boat that has been decommissioned since Patriot ’s arrival. Like its competitors Lunna Rossa from Italy, Britannia from the UK and the America’s Cup defender, Te Aihe from New Zealand, American Magic won’t divulge technical details about Patriot , beyond the fact its steering station is more forward than on Defender .

Patriot performed her first week of tests in front of the Auckland waterfront recently, as her team learns the idiosyncrasies of the lightning-fast foiling yacht, and designers figure out how to tweak for maximum speed.  Courtesy Will Ricketson

The 75-footer is clearly fast, even out of the box, and for the next three months, designers and specialists will tweak the carbon-fiber hull and 1560-square-foot mainsail to make it even faster.

The world’s foremost sailing event, the America’s Cup has been around since 1851, though the last three Cups were more like Formula One racing, compared to the stately, slow-sailing monohulls of previous generations. The last three Cups have all been designed around foils, starting in 2013 with the AC72, and then three years ago, the boats became smaller, and much more nimble, 50-ft. catamarans that not only accelerated like an F-22 Raptor, but could nearly pivot on their own axis.

The last-generation cats were a bit too wild, so the powers that be came up with the current AC-72 class using a one-design rule where all competitors had to use common parts. The idea was to level the playing field. Organizers supply some parts of the boat, including the mast, rigging, foil-cant arms and hydraulics. The boats—16 feet wide with a crew of 11—are also built of lightweight composites because they’re designed to fly, rather than plough through the water.

While America’s Cup teams do not release top speeds, it’s estimated that the AC75 boats break the Cup’s “sound barrier” at about 50 knots, or 57 mph.  Courtesy Will Ricketson

Patriot ’s foil-cant arms are also designed to move both under or outside the boat to provide the leverage to keep it upright. If it does capsize, the crews can right the boat much easier than the previous generations of foiling racers. Another new evolution for this America’s Cup is the twin-skin mainsail on the 87-foot-tall mast. The double-sail skins combine with the spar to generate the power the AC75 needs to foil. On the last two generations, the sails were much stiffer sail-wings that many non-Cup racers complained about because there was no trickle-down technology for the rest of the sailing world.

Beneath the water, Patriot also has an interesting breakthrough design. The foil-cant system uses new technology that employs a battery-driven, hydraulic-power unit to raise and lower the strong, but very heavy, foil-cant arms, that give the boat its stability and speed. As the boat changes tacks, the cant system is activated, placing one hydrofoil in the water, and lifting the other one out, where its weight becomes ballast.

Beyond the sail plan and hull design, the foil wings at the end of the arms will be another of Patriot ’s secret weapons. American Magic designers will have the ability to create any design they believe will be most effective to give the boat an edge over competitors, and the next month will be devoted to trying new shapes and sizes.

Patriot was built in Bristol, Rhode Island, by a 50-strong team and then shipped by cargo plane 9,000 miles to Auckland.  Courtesy Will Ricketson

Considering the America’s Cup’s ambitious timetable, and the unexpected time pressures Covid-19 put on design and production of Patriot in Rhode Island, it’s amazing that this yacht came through so well. “This team didn’t exist three years ago, and now we have three boats built and two AC75s launched,” said Marcelino Botin, American Magic’s lead designer. “The first thing we need to focus on next is to make sure the new boat is sailed the way we want it to be sailed.”

Botin said this initial “analysis” phase will be critical to future modifications to the design. “We are all interested in knowing how the boat performs compared to our predictions and compared to our previous boat,” he says.

Hutchinson says that Patriot ’s initial performance was encouraging, especially on its first gybe. “We had a great nosedive, and that was exciting,” he said. “It was nothing that we haven’t seen or done on our other boats, and our familiarity with Patriot will increase rapidly over the coming days.”

The powerful foils allow Patriot to tack and jibe at high speeds, and to self-right if it capsizes.  Courtesy Will Ricketson

Helmsman Dean Barker described the boat’s performance as “lively.”

After the America’s Cup World Series and Christmas Cup from December 17 to December 20 will come the Prada Cup Challenger Selection Series, from January 15 through February 22, 2021, where Patriot will compete against Luna Rossa and Britannia II for the challenger title. The winner of that event will then compete against Emirates New Zealand for the America’s Cup, which runs from March 6 through 15, 2021.

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12 METRE RACING

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

EXPERIENCE THE CARIBBEAN'S ULTIMATE SAILING ADVENTURE

Become part of the crew as you actively take part in manning an authentic sailing yacht that once competed in the prestigious America’s Cup.

VOTED THE #1 SHORE EXCURSION IN THE CARIBBEAN FOR 15 YEARS AND #3  TOP 10 CARIBBEAN ATTRACTION BY USA TODAY  

THE EXPERIENCE

Choose to actively participate – grinding winches, trimming sails, punching a stopwatch – or you can sit back and enjoy the invigorating ride! The choice is yours.

Join our crew and participate in a competitive, head-to-head race between authentic America’s Cup race boats. The most unique and immersive experience in the Carribbean, guaranteed to leave you breathless, exhilarated and feeling like a sailing pro!

Our  legendary 12 Metre Class race boats  are the thoroughbreds of the racing world. Past America’s Cup winners and contenders, each vessel is the culmination of multi-million dollar efforts and years of testing to achieve maximum speed and agility.

ST. MAARTEN 12 METRE RACING

St. Maarten Twelve Metre Racing is a physically and culturally immersive, historic sailing experience that allows our guests to compete against one another as integral working members of the crew.

Except for some guest safety enhancements, all boats in the 12 Metre fleet have been exquisitely maintained in original form. They boast the same caliber of performance and racing experience that they delivered in the 1987 America’s Cup.

Fantastic experience. The crew was friendly and informative, and the competition quite exhilarating.

Boris Pelakh

If you sail it is an experience not to be missed. All of the crew and staff are amazing - I can't praise or recommend them enough!

Eric Bailey

I had a blast racing on Stars and Stripes when I visited St. Martin in 2005. I still have my now 17 year old 12 Metre T shirt!

Craig Ewing

SailGP Christchurch result: Black Foils win, go top of standings as Australia crash out

Christopher Reive

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The Black Foils won the SailGP event in Christchurch. Photo / Brett Phibbs, SailGP

SailGP’s wild weekend on the waters of Lyttelton Harbour was brought to a crowd-pleasing conclusion.

After having to wait a full day for racing after Saturday’s schedule was called off due to dolphin activity on the course, the Black Foils hoisted the event trophy at their home event.

Finishing in second at the global foiling league ’s debut New Zealand stop last year at the same venue, the New Zealand crew went one better this year as they topped France and Canada in the podium race.

“It was absolutely unbelievable; best day, without a doubt, in SailGP, probably one of the best days ever in sailing,” Black Foils wing trimmer Blair Tuke said.

“The support was unbelievable, especially after yesterday. Everyone hung tough today and we’re just stoked we could deliver for everyone today.”

With Saturday’s three-race schedule canned, an additional fleet race was added to Sunday’s two original races, with the 10 teams competing three times before the top three on the leaderboard contested the medal race.

Things got off to a hectic start on Sunday afternoon in “epic” conditions, with Canada, the United States and Denmark all coming in close quarters in the starting box but doing well to avoid a major collision.

The league-leading Australians, however, were not so lucky. Tom Slingsby’s crew didn’t make it through a single leg of the event as they ran over the top of a marker in a bid to avoid colliding with the Canadians. Their boat was damaged as a result and they spent the rest of the race as an obstacle for the rest of the fleet to avoid.

The damage could not be mended quickly and they were unable to sail again in the event.

Harsh as it may be, that was ideal for the Kiwi crew as they looked to close the gap on the Australians on the season leaderboard. Slingsby’s crew went into Christchurch with an eight-point lead on the Kiwis, but took a solitary point for a last-placed finish.

The Kiwis winning the event meant they bagged 10 points for the season tally and took over at the top of the standings.

“It was probably the tight racecourse, especially that first downwind, which caused a lot of issues for the team,” Tuke said.

“We managed to stay clean and the boat was going fast all day. Even when we found ourselves at the back we just hung tough and managed to sneak into the final. A good start in the last one and we stayed in front all the way so it was a really good display from the whole team.”

The Black Foils signalled their intentions early with a quick start in the opening race of the day alongside France. They did, however, find themselves stuck out wide while the French had the inside line.

The French looked set to run away with the opening race, but an impressive fifth leg saw the Kiwis soar through the fleet and take the lead. They held onto it for the remaining two legs and finished fourth in race two.

The Kiwis sailed much of the third race in fourth - behind the other three - but again timed their run perfectly and finished second behind the French, before reversing that in the final.

With four events left in the season, the Kiwis are well-positioned to contest the three-boat Grand Final, in which the top teams on the season contest a one-race shootout for the US$2 million ($3.3m) prize.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.

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Marussia f1 team return to russia for moscow city racing, andy webb, marussia ceo: we have seen the strength of that support again in the last few days following the very pleasing announcement of our new powertrain partnership with scuderia ferrari..

Max Chilton, Marussia F1 Team MR02

Despite the three-week gap between Rounds 9 and 10 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship® the Marussia F1 Team has had little time to draw breath, embarking on a series of promotional events to reward the loyal support of its fans.

This week, while the race team conduct the Young Driver Test at Silverstone, the demonstration team are heading ‘home’ to Russia for their second year of participation in ‘Moscow City Racing’.

The event takes place on 20 and 21 July, with the demonstration runs scheduled for Sunday 21 July on the streets surrounding the Kremlin and the ‘paddock’ located close to Red Square.

Photo by: XPB Images

Visitors will also be given the opportunity to enter the inner-sanctum - the Paddock - to soak up the atmosphere and see for themselves the intricacies of Formula 1 design and engineering.

Aside from his on-track duties, Max will participate in a range of promotional activities, taking time out to mingle with the Russian fans during autograph sessions and photo opportunities.

Supporting the Marussia F1 Team over the weekend are main event partner Liga Stavok along with additional partners Instaforex, QNet and RBC.

Max Chilton: “There have been quite a few ‘firsts’ for me in my debut season in Formula One - new racetracks, new cities, meeting new fans - and Moscow City Racing will be my very first visit to Russia. I can’t wait. From what I hear from previous events, the demonstration runs are a fantastic spectacle and the crowd is huge and very supportive.

That’s nice, because we are the only Anglo-Russian team and it is good to keep building on their love of Formula 1 before Russia gets its very own race next year in Sochi. I’m really excited about making the trip and I hope to meet as many of the Russian fans as possible, when I’m not driving through their streets!”

Andy Webb, CEO: “The Marussia F1 Team are very excited to be returning to Russia to participate in the Moscow City Racing event for a second successive year. As the only Anglo-Russian team in Formula One, this event has become a very important date in our Team calendar, as we continue our determined efforts to bring more of F1 to Russia and more of Russia to F1.

This is our opportunity to get closer to the fans and for them to see our car and drivers right on their doorstep, not just on the TV. Our drivers Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton are enjoying a flying start to their exciting debut seasons and the Marussia F1 Team really is going from strength to strength now, making good progress towards its long-term ambitions.

We look forward to a fantastic crowd in Moscow and to expressing our thanks for all the incredible support we receive ‘back home’ in Russia. We have seen the strength of that support again in the last few days following the very pleasing announcement of our new powertrain partnership with Scuderia Ferrari. It seems the fans share our optimism for the future of the Marussia F1 Team.”

Marussia F1 Team

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