BMW Returns as Event and Team Sponsor

Oracle Team USA to Benefit from Technology Partnership

(July 9) German automaker BMW will return to an America's Cup role, becoming a sponsor of the event itself along with providing engineering expertise to the defender, Oracle Team USA.  The agreement renews a partnership that BMW held with the Oracle sailing team from 2003 to 2010.  The company's new role with the event is termed "event organizer," will bring a BMW branding presence to the race course, including the marks, the racing fleet, and various technology driven aspects of the television broadcast.

Read ACEA Press Release
 

Immersive VR Headsets Meant to Wow VIP Spectators

(July 6) Animation Research Ltd., the New Zealand company that helped make live America's Cup coverage available on the internet via Virtual Spectator, has developed a system to provide a few fortunate fans with 3D headsets that place them onboard a new 48-foot America's Cup Class yacht, and on the historic 1851 schooner America, too.  But you won't be able to try it at home, the setup will be only for onsite visitors to the America's Cup World Series races starting this summer.

Read more at Otago Daily Times
 

Alan Bond, 1938-2015

(Jun 5) Alan Bond, who led the first successful America's Cup challenge in history, bringing yachting's most famous trophy home with him to Western Australia, has died following complications due to heart surgery.  Bond was 77.  Bond's fourth campaign in 1983, centered on designer Ben Lexcen's winged-keel 12-Meter Australia II and skippered by John Bertrand, beat the US defender for the first time in 132 years. Though an irrepressible character, a self-made millionaire many times over, a national hero, and a central figure in the America's Cup for two decades, Bond's life later unraveled in scandal, a billion dollar bankruptcy, fraud convictions, and time in prison.  True to form, however, in recent years Bond was on his way to rebuilding his fortune.
Obituary at Western Australian |  AP Story
The Guardian | NZ Herald
Perth Now Story | Perth Now Tributes
John Bertrand at Daily Telegraph & Western Australian
 

Louis Vuitton to Return as Event Partner for 2017 America's Cup

(May 27) Luxury goods manufacturer Louis Vuitton has signed an agreement with America's Cup organizers to renew commercial sponsorship of the regatta.  In the wake of the lightly raced 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup, along with business and marketing issues, LVMH appeared to have severed ties with the America's Cup that date back to 1983, but will now be sponsoring all the 2017 events from the ACWS through to the 35th Defense itself, which will be titled "The America's Cup Match as present by Louis Vuitton."

“We had told them that they would need to come back to us with a compelling story this time and a compelling proposal so we didn’t have to face those issues again,” said Michael Burke, chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton.
Read Story at NY Times | ACEA Press Release
 

Tom Ehman Pursuing Annual 12-Meter Regatta in San Francisco

(May 7) An annual regatta on San Francisco Bay, raced in 12-Meter yachts, is being explored by Tom Ehman, Jr., Vice Commodore of the Golden Gate YC (GGYC).  Proposed are relatively similar 12-Meter yachts, costing less than $3 million apiece, and regulations bringing a meaningful sense of nationality to the competition.  Ehman, whose involvement with the America's Cup stretches back to the 1980's, included recent senior leadership roles at the America's Cup Event Authority and Oracle Racing, says that the event would not be officially affiliated with either the America's Cup or GGYC.  The focus would be on an accessible, predictable event taking advantage of the same sailing conditions and spectator opportunities that benefited the 2013 Cup match.

"There is obviously strong interest in monohull racing with strong teams, in boats everyone has heard of and loves," said Ehman. "There is a nostalgia and romance with the 12-Meters, and to have those boats racing in a lot of breeze on San Francisco Bay where people can watch it, it will remind people of how great the America's Cup was in Fremantle in 1987 in windy conditions in 12s."

Read AP Story at Island Packet
 

Oracle Team USA Begins Sailing AC45S Catamaran in Bermuda Training

(May 4) Oracle Team USA began sailing their AC45S yacht in Bermuda on Monday, with the defender working up for the 2015 ACWS season by practicing at the venue for the 2017 America's Cup match.  Joining Artemis Racing and BAR already training in Bermuda, Oracle will also sail Flying Phantom multihulls and Moths. The next two months at the venue should be particularly useful for the teams to increase familiarity with local sailing conditions at the time of year during which the challenger selection series and the America's Cup Match are held in 2017.

Read OTUSA Press Release
 

Kansai YC, SoftBank Team Japan, Announced as a 2017 Challenger

Image: SoftBank Team Japan

(Apr 30) “To lead a Japanese challenge for the America’s Cup is a dream come true,” said Kazuhiko Sofuku, known as “Fuku.”  The team is expected to begin competing at America's Cup World Series events this year.

SoftBank Team Japan will also receive "technical assistance" from Oracle Team USA, which was not outlined in detail but may include design and engineering for their America's Cup yacht, similar to that reported to being provided to Team France.

Read Team Japan/ACEA Press Release
 

Kansai YC Challenge, with Dean Barker Involved, is Expected

(Apr 23) A late entry challenger from Japan is expected to be announced shortly.  Led by Masayoshi Son, Japan's richest man, with additional sponsorship from Softbank, the campaign will represent the Kansai YC. Dean Barker, having departed Team New Zealand, is rumored to be involved, though a Japanese skipper will be selected. Reported by Stuart Alexander at The Independent, the Japanese effort may also be the recipient of an America's Cup yacht design from defender Oracle Team USA.

Read story from Stuart Alexander at The Independent
 

Team New Zealand: Not Giving Up  -- on Regattas and Funding

(Apr 20) Team New Zealand and supporters say that they are not giving up on plans to hold America's Cup Qualifiers or a pre-2016 regatta in Auckland.  Both government funding for TNZ and a major sponsorship are tied to Auckland's hosting an America's Cup-related regatta, and the New Zealander's believe that an agreement on the event was reached with the America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA) before an abrupt change in plans for 2017 was announced last month.

Dr. Keith Turner, Chairman, TNZ, says that agreement for an Auckland event was announced to the teams in March, and memorialized in a letter from ACEA to TNZ. The team has applied for the matter to be addressed in arbitration.  The NZ government is adamant that additional funding beyond the $5M NZD already provided would not be contemplated without the Auckland event.

Russell Coutts, quoted at the New York Times, contemplated what might happen in the aftermath of a Team New Zealand withdrawal from the America's Cup.  “Others would put a New Zealand team together because frankly they have the components of a very competitive team, more so under this rule,” he said. “They have a great sailing team, and this rule favors a great sailing team.”

Stories at NZ Herald:
(Apr 20) It's not the end of the Road and
(Apr 21) TNZ to fight on
 

Schiller: Managing the America's Cup in the 21st Century

(Mar 18) Dr. Harvey Schiller, Commercial Commissioner for the America's Cup, was interviewed by Sports Pro Media about how he is dealing with the current event leadership tasks for the 2017 America's Cup.

Schiller, on the process that selected Bermuda as the venue for the 2017 Defense: "I’ve been in the sports business a long time and I always tell everybody ‘don’t have a contest, pick where you want to go’ because you have one winner and a lot of losers, and no city wants to be in a position where they are considered to have lost something – a political convention, a Super Bowl, whatever. Bermuda prevailed for us."

Read interview at SportsProMedia.com
 

Dean Barker is Out as Team New Zealand Skipper

(Feb 26) Despite denials from Emirates Team New Zealand over past weeks, Dean Barker, Skipper and Sailing Director, has been replaced.  Glenn Ashby will become Sailing Director and Peter Burling gets the helm.  Barker told the Campbell Live program he was "gutted" by the news, learning of the move first through media reports and not direct communication from the team.  Barker, who began with the team in 1995 and had been skipper since 2000, has been offered a role in coaching and performance management, plus a position on the Executive Committee. 

Relations appear strained at present and Barker says he wants to sail, not advise.  ETNZ states that though rumors of a change were being hotly reported in the NZ media lately, the team was engaged in a review process and did not feel it was appropriate to comment until that was completed.  A loss of $20M in funding is also cited as a factor in not signing Barker.  ENTZ has cut back on other fronts as well and will field only one AC45 entry (helmed by Burling) for the 2015 ACWS, not two.  Team activities go to full strength in Auckland staring March 2.

Read More:
Barker: "I am absolutely gutted in the way that I've been treated by Team New Zealand" Stuff.co.nz

ETNZ's Grant Dalton: “We’re hoping to retain Dean’s 20 years of America’s Cup experience in Emirates Team New Zealand but we also acknowledge it is time for new blood to be given the chance at the helm of the country’s challenger” ETNZ Team Statement

Dalton on the offer of a management role for Barker: "We hope he accepts it. It is a very senior role, speed-loop related, and suits a guy who can drive as well as understand the process of design, and who can help mould the shape of the speed, and foils and everything that goes with the complete package."  Plus more background on changes afoot at ETNZ: Sail-World
 

Cup Boats in Texas on Way to New Home in Chicago

(Feb 15) Dennis Conner's 1995 America's Cup Class yacht Stars & Stripes and Aloha Racing's 2000 yacht Abracadabra have made it as far as Texas on the trek to their new home in Chicago, sighted in Abilene over the weekend.  Starting this spring Next Level Sailing will offer both ACC's for day sailing, team building match races, sunset cruises, and other waterborne excursions on Lake Michigan. 

The multiple semi-trailer caravan of hulls, masts, and keels will arrive in Chicago later this month.  After receiving refurbishment and restoration, a mid-May launch date is on the calendar.  Aloha's USA-54 was memorably decorated in whale livery by the artist Robert Wyland. USA-55 won the 1995 Citizen Cup, as the defense trials were then known, beating America3's Mighty Mary and Young America's USA-36.
 

Thoroughly Modern Herreshoff

(Feb 12) Sandy Lee has been at the center of a project creating a one-sixth-scale version of the giant America's Cup defender Reliance (1903) for the Herreshoff Marine Museum.  As part of the years-long build, he and his team studied photos, drawings, and other records of the original yacht in great detail, even re-constructing sections of the spars in authentic materials at full-scale. 

The result will be a highly accurate 37-foot-tall depiction of one of the most legendary boats to ever sail. The modeling process has been a revealing exploration of Capt. Nat Herreshoff's design and manufacturing innovations, which employed technologies of industrial mass production that pre-dated Henry Ford's assembly line. 

Sandy will share some the insights gained from the Reliance project in a lecture Thursday, February 19th, with a 6:00 pm reception/7:00 pm presentation, at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, RI.

Read more at Herreshoff Marine Museum:
 Lecture Series and Reliance Project Blog
 

USA Television Deal Reached for 2017 America's Cup

(Feb 9) The 2017 America's Cup will be broadcast on NBC for US television viewers, according to a broadcast deal announced today by event organizers.  Weekend racing for the 2017 America's Cup match will be live over-the-air on NBC, along with some of the Challenger selection races.  Additional racing including the ACWS events will be on the NBCSN channel and all coverage will be streamed via NBC's web platform.

Read ACEA Press Release
 

Fast Smart Machines

(Feb 4) Tactical situations in the modern America's Cup unfold more quickly than ever.  Accurate simulation of the boats and the racing conditions may enable Artificial Intelligence (AI) to evolve better tactics and strategy, equaling and even exceeding unaided human ability to find the fastest way around the course.  Can a computer teach itself better ways to get a foiling America's Cup cat across the finish line?  Yes, with neural networks, millions of virtual match races, and a tough opponent to co-evolve with (or against), namely another cat-sailing AI.

Researcher, engineer, and neuromancer Andrew Mason explores what fast, smart, machine thinking may be able to bring to the America's Cup:
Read More at Virtac Blog

Iain Murray Confirmed as Regatta Director for 2017 America's Cup

(Dec 18) Iain Murray, the Australian veteran of the America's Cup scene, will reprise his 2013 role as Regatta Director for the 2017 edition of the famous yacht race.  Murray initially was the leader of the 2017 Challenger of Record, Team Australia, until the Aussie campaign was folded last summer.  Well-respected and experienced, Murray was perceived to head the shortlist for the job. Although it was not publicly confirmed at the venue announcement December 2, his appointment was reported by most sources to be nearly finalized, and in fact Murray was already working in the position on December 1.

Read ACEA Press Release
 

Russell Coutts Talks About 2017 Plans

(Dec 3) With Bermuda announced as the 2017 host of the America's Cup, and other key aspects about the 35th defense still awaited in the next few weeks and months, Craig Leweck at Scuttlebutt Sailing talked with Russell Coutts about the forces surrounding the event and the thinking behind the strategies organizers are pursuing:

Question: There is a contingent that is critical of the venue now being held outside of the defender’s country. The America’s Cup is draped in tradition, and having the venue in Bermuda is contrary to this tradition. Has the America’s Cup now moved beyond this sentiment that the event should be hosted in front of the team’s club?

Russell Coutts: We clearly think it has moved beyond that. You’re right, we could have considered it, for example, selfishly, and said, “We’re just going to host it in front of our own club” without considering broadcast time zones, without considering where the other teams could be housed. We could have looked at it very narrowly, but this is an international event. It’s got international teams, and those teams have sponsors, and the broadcasters are an important part of that sponsorship. So we looked at some of those things and weighted them very, very highly.

Question: What has been decided in regard to the challenger elimination series? The Protocol indicates a scenario where teams may not advance to the final venue in Bermuda.

Coutts: That’s under discussion now, and frankly, Craig, I’m pretty limited about what I can tell you. What I can tell you is, all of the teams will be going to Bermuda.

Read the complete interview at Scuttlebutt Sailing
 

What to Expect on Dec 2?

(Dec 1) The location and dates of the 2017 America's Cup are to be announced at a press conference tomorrow in New York City, and the island of Bermuda is widely expected to be the choice.  Barring a big surprise, such as a late challenger entry, what else might be on the menu? 

The Protocol for the 35th America's Cup outlines several additional aspects of the event that are yet to be revealed, including the specific race areas (which, like the naming of the host city, are due by Dec 31); plus the dates and venues for one to two Youth America's Cup events (also due by Dec 31).

 The Racing Rules of Sailing for the America's Cup (RRSAC) were due Nov 1, as was the 2015 America's Cup World Series schedule. The ACWS plan is still coming out location by location, with a rumored Lorient, France, regatta possibly being confirmed later this week.

Also possible in NY on Tuesday, though not required until next February 15th, are the venues for the America's Cup Qualifiers, to be sailed about five months before the match.  The America's Cup Playoffs, otherwise known as the challenger semi-finals and final, must be held in the same city as the America's Cup defense, but the dates for the playoffs are not due until February 15 either.

Once the venue for the 2017 America's Cup has been announced, within seven days ACEA is supposed to share relevant weather data with the competitors, and, within 30 days, to set the date when competitors may begin testing their AC62 yachts against each other at the venue.

The dates for these conditions, and other regatta aspects large and small, are prescribed by the Protocol.

See a detailed schedule for America's Cup 2017 including protocol items
 

Gothenburg and Portsmouth 2015 & 2016 World Series Regattas Added

(Nov 26) Three more America's Cup World Series regattas have been announced: Gothenburg Sweden in August 28-30, 2015; and Portsmouth, England, July 23-26, 2015, and July 21–24, 2016.  These join the previously announced Bermuda ACWS in October, 2015. Additional events are anticipated including Cagliari, Italy, in June, 2014, which is as yet unofficial.

Read: Sweden | Portsmouth | Bermuda
 

2017 America's Cup Venue Announcement Coming December 2

(Nov 20) The location of the 35th defense of the America's Cup, to be held in 2017, will be announced at a press conference in New York City on December 2, event organizers said today.  San Diego and Bermuda are the finalists to host the defense, and sailors and fans alike have been hoping to find out where the Cup heads next. A story from the Associated Press names Bermuda as the 2017 venue.  Reports from San Diego via The Independent agree. Despite Emirates Team New Zealand's description of Bermuda as speculation, the island's selection is now regarded as a done deal by most observers.
 

Bermuda to Host a 2015 World Series Regatta

(Nov 5) Still a candidate to host the 2017 America's Cup Match, the island of Bermuda has been announced by ACEA as the site of an America's Cup World Series regatta in October, 2015.  An additional ACWS venue was expected to be named today, also, among six to eight 2015 events in total.

Read ACEA Press Release

2015 America's Cup World Series Events Taking Shape

(Nov 1) Harvey Schiller, Commercial Commissioner for the America's Cup, announced today that two venues for the 2015 America's Cup World Series were set, and would be announced on November 5.  Additional regattas for 2015 are still under negotiation.  Schiller expects an additional team, as a late entry, joining the five challengers and the defender.  Read ACEA Press Release

Portsmouth is one likely venue, Japan or China are possible new teams. Read report at The Independent
 

Japan to Host America's Cup World Series Regatta for November 2016

(June 1) The Louis Vuitton America's Cup World series will stop in Fukuoka, Japan, November 18-20, 2016, extending the schedule of preliminary events building up to the 2017 America's Cup, beginning a year from now in Bermuda. 

The remaining LV ACWS regattas for 2016 are Chicago, USA (June 11-12); Portsmouth, England (July 22-24); Toulon, France (September 10-11); and Fukuoka in November.

 The fall regatta in Japan was widely expected, but not confirmed until now. It is believed that organizers may still be considering an additional ACWS regatta in early 2017, though nothing official has been announced.

Read ACEA Press Release

2016 ACWS Season Starts Feb 27-28:
5 events coming in next 7 Months

Foiling racing in AC45F catamarans continues as the teams work up to the challenger selection races and the America's Cup match in 2017.  The Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series kicks off again at the end of February in Muscat, Oman, followed by regattas in New York (May), Chicago (June), Portsmouth (July), and France (Sept).  Potential additional, though still unconfirmed, events include a regatta in Asia in October and another unnamed location for early 2017.
See 2016-2017 Schedule

Toulon France Announced as 5th ACWS Stop in 2016

(Dec 22) The Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series teams will race AC45F catamarans September 10-11 in Toulon, France, organizers confirmed today.  The regatta joins Oman, New York, Chicago, and Portsmouth as among the announced events for 2016. A sixth regatta, likely in Japan in October, may also be added to the schedule, but is not yet official.
Read ACEA Press Release

New York City Confirmed for May 7-8 America's Cup World Series Regatta

(Dec 7) The New York Times reports that the long rumored America's Cup World Series regatta in New York City is now officially set for May 7-8, 2016.

Read: Story at New York Times | ACEA Press Release
 

Oman to host ACWS Event in February

(Dec 6) AC45 catamaran racing will resume February 27-28 in Oman, for the first Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series regatta of the 2016, organizers said December 6th.  The event will mark the first appearance of the ACWS in the region. The newly announced Oman date joins previously confirmed regattas in Chicago (June) and Portsmouth (July). 

Organizers have been suggesting there will be a total of six ACWS events next year.  Additional rumored but not confirmed dates include France (September) and Tokyo (Oct).  All 2016 events were due to have been announced on December 1, 2015, so the official schedule may become clear shortly.

Read ACEA's Oman Press Release
 

Move is on to Shrink America's Cup Yachts to Cut Costs

(Mar 25) Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller confirmed Wednesday that there is a movement by America's Cup organizers, seeking consensus among the teams, to hold the 2017 event in smaller boats closer in size to the AC45s instead of the 62-foot foiling cats announced last summer, themselves reduced from the 72-foot AC72s raced in 2013.

“We have a responsibility to think of what is best for the long term health of the America’s Cup as well as improving the value equation for team principals and partners," Schiller said.  "Racing a smaller boat in 2017 and beyond is a big step in the right direction. The existing operational costs of teams is much too high with a boat like the AC62."
Read ACEA Press Release

Update Mar 26:  The proposal is being met with objection by Luna Rossa, who threaten to withdraw from the event if the change is made:
Team Statement | AP story at Boston.com

Update 2: Emirates Team New Zealand, after supporting Luna Rossa's position, was reportedly told Auckland has lost their chance to host the America's Cup Qualifiers, a move which in turn would jeopardize government funding for ETNZ, according to the New Zealand Herald.  However, ETNZ disputes aspects of the report: See 3news.com.nz and tvnz.co.nz

Update 3: (Mar 27) Russell Coutts explains to Scuttlebutt

Majority Votes to Switch 2017 America's Cup to Smaller Yachts

Luna Rossa Withdraws from Event,
ETNZ Questions Changes

(Apr 2) America's Cup organizers have adopted a plan to change from the 62-foot yachts announced last year for the upcoming match, substituting new yacht between 45 and 50 feet long, with substantial one-design components.

The changes were made without unanimous agreement of all the currently six entered teams, some of whom agreed with the goals but objected vigorously to the process employed.  The change in yachts, halfway through the design cycle of the AC62 yacht, has the effect of discarding development work already performed. The vote also keeps the Qualifying and Playoff regattas in Bermuda, despite earlier discussions that appeared to commit to Qualifiers in New Zealand. The justification provided for the changes is a lower financial threshold for additional prospective teams, possibly inducing new entries from Europe and Asia to join up.

A new class rule for a 48' multihull (pdf, 907KB) has been posted, with an apparent one-design hull and wing shape, and the amended Protocol is expected to be issued later this week.
Read ACEA Press Release | Peter Melvin on Rule

Emirates Team New Zealand objects to the venue changes that are linked to the rules amendments, which will cancel plans to holding the America's Cup Qualifiers in Auckland in 2017.  Without the Qualifier regatta, the NZ government's funding of approximately one-third of the team's budget is in doubt. ETNZ has applied to the yet-to-be-appointed America's Cup Arbitration panel for review: NZ Herald | Reuters

 Italy's Luna Rossa, a challenger entry five times since the year 2000, as it had previously warned withdrew from the event in protest over the changes:
Luna Rossa Statement | Story at Reuters
 

35th America's Cup is set
for June 2017 in Bermuda

 From NYC Announcement Dec 2. 2014:

- Bermuda will host the America's Cup Match in June 2017.
- Two additional teams are interested in challenging, currently in discussions with organizers.
- Red Bull will again sponsor the Youth America's Cup.
- No new details yet on AC62 events preceding the America's Cup match. Chicago to host an ACWS in 2016.
- There has been "significant interest" from television, based on 90-minute two-race broadcasts.
- Looking for sponsor to support ACWS and challenger selection, announcements forthcoming.

Kevin Shoebridge, CEO, ETNZ: “We worked pretty closely on both options.... [Bermuda] is a fantastic sailing venue, I think there’ll be absolute engagement by all the Bermuda public.... We’re going to go back and work with our sponsors and the government to make sure that we’re there.”

Stories: Bermuda to host Cup: Reuters | AP | NY Times
ETNZ: Funding Questions | Regatta in Auckland?

Bermuda Bound:
Media Presentation Replay (59:55)
Also: See Bermuda video (1:56) from the announcement with renderings of proposed America's Cup Village
 

San Diego's Bid for 2017

(Jan 15) John Laun, now Commodore of the San Diego YC, was at the center of the city's effort to bring the America's Cup home. Laun talked with Diane Swintal about the effort to land the Cup, his experience dealing with ACEA, and the feasibility of hosting foiling catamarans inside the SoCal city's harbor:

“We knew that San Diego was being labeled a ‘light wind venue’ and I suppose next to San Francisco, we are,” Laun said.  “But we had historical weather data from a weather station on North Island indicating that the breeze was very reliable, which is critical for TV broadcast schedules -- more than eight knots 91 percent of the time during the broadcast window.  Jeff Brown put a weather station on a boat in the middle of the race course for two weeks so we had data that could be used to calibrate the years of weather station data to actual course conditions.  Julian di Biase from ACEA and the Oracle weather team analyzed all that data.  From our standpoint, we had everything we needed to host a successful America’s Cup."

Read conversation with San Diego's John Laun