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Defender United States | |
---|---|
Defender club: | Golden Gate Yacht Club |
Yacht: | Oracle Team USA 17 |
Challenger New Zealand | |
Challenger club: | Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron |
Yacht: | Aotearoa |
Competition | |
Location: | San Francisco, California |
Dates: | September 2013 |
Rule: | AC72 |
Winner: | Golden Gate Yacht Club |
Score: | 9 8 |
The 34th America's Cup was a series of yacht races held in San Francisco Bay in September 2013. The series was contested between the defender Oracle Team USA team representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club, and the challenger Emirates Team New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
The format was changed radically to a best of 17, and Oracle Team USA defended the America's Cup by a score of 9 to 8 after Team New Zealand had built an 8 to 1 lead. [1] Team New Zealand won the right to challenge for the Cup by previously winning the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup. The 34th America's Cup's race schedule was the longest ever, in terms of number of days and number of races, and the first since the 25th America's Cup to feature both teams in a match point situation.
The Golden Gate Yacht Club defeated Société Nautique de Genève in the 2010 America's Cup to become the Defenders of the 2013 America's Cup. The first Challenger of Record for the 34th Cup was Club Nautico di Roma, and a joint press conference was held on May 6, 2010, to plan for the event. [2] The planning process was to include a definition of new rules and an independent management team.
The Protocol for the 34th America's Cup was published on September 13, 2010. [3] [4]
Two new classes of boat were announced. AC72 wing-sail foiling catamarans are being used for the America's Cup races and the AC45 class, a scaled-down one-design version of the AC72, was used for the preliminary training and racing until boats built to the AC72 rules became available. The amended AC72 Class Rule version 1.1 was published on February 22, 2011. [5]
The AC72 can reach speeds averaging about 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) with peaks over 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph); that speed can be as much as 1.8 to slightly over twice the actual wind speed. [6] The previous America's Cup Class (ACC) boats reached speeds of 11 to 13 knots (20 to 24 km/h; 13 to 15 mph). [7]
In order to increase global awareness and hence attract sponsors for the teams an America's Cup World Series was held over the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons. The winner of each annual series was declared the America's Cup World Series Champion for that season. There were three regattas in 2011, five in 2012, and two in 2013. Each regatta lasted for one week and had approximately six days of racing, including official practice. Each AC World Series regatta was a combination of match and fleet racing. AC45 one-design catamarans were used for each World Series regatta.[ citation needed ]
Officials adopted rules for the 2013 America's Cup to reduce costs and thereby attract more challengers: [8]
Despite these measures the cost of mounting a competitive challenge exceeds US$100 million. [11]
In addition to using the AC45 catamarans for the initial world series races they are used in the nationality-based 'Youth America's Cup' (YAC). The smaller scaled down AC45 version of the AC72 with similar characteristics to the AC72 enables younger competition sailors to master the techniques used to sail this style of catamaran before they progress to the AC72 boats. The YAC began in 2013, when both first and second places were taken by New Zealand entries. [12]
The winning team included Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, Jono Spurdle, Sam Meech, Andy Maloney, Jason Saunders and Guy Endean. [13] [14] [15]
On July 8, 2010, Oracle Team USA announced that San Francisco was "the only city in the USA under consideration to host the 34th America's Cup” match. [16] At the time, KGO-TV and Gazzetta dello Sport, an Italian sports newspaper, reported that Rome-Fiumicino, Italy was challenging San Francisco to host the event. [17] Oracle Team USA confirmed that San Diego, Newport [18] and Long Beach were considered earlier as possible venues for this event.
A key parameter in deciding the venue was reliability of the wind and weather patterns so that pre-published television schedules would be virtually guaranteed to show racing rather than suffering endless postponements which was a significant problem for TV audiences watching the 2010 America's Cup. [2] In early December 2010, BMW Oracle Racing became concerned that a full and final agreement with San Francisco would not be completed in time to comply with the requirement to announce the location of the cup venue on December 31, 2010. As a result, negotiations were activated with Newport, Rhode Island, as a potential venue for the cup. [19] However, on December 31 San Francisco was officially awarded the right to host the 2013 America's Cup. [20]
Initially fourteen yacht clubs submitted notices of entry within the deadline, but two were declined and ten withdrew. Club Nautico di Roma was originally named as the Challenger of Record, but after their team Mascalzone Latino withdrew [21] [22] the Challenger of Record became the Royal Swedish Yacht Club, sponsoring Artemis Racing. [23] Other notable teams that withdrew included former Cup holder Alinghi [24] and the Energy Team from Yacht Club de France.
On August 2, 2012, the America's Cup Event Authority announced that four challenging teams would compete for the right to challenge Oracle Team USA, the only team that represented the defending Golden Gate Yacht Club. [25] [26] These teams were Artemis Racing (the Challenger of Record) representing Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet, Emirates Team New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Luna Rossa Challenge representing Circolo della Vela Sicilia and the White Tiger Challenge representing Sail Korea Yacht Club. [27] Luna Rossa, a late entry, formed a partnership with Team New Zealand where they would share design and testing information. [28] Following Sail Korea's withdrawal in March 2013, the number of challengers dropped to three. [27]
The course for the 34th America's Cup was specially designed to take advantage of the San Francisco Bay, to bring the racing within easy viewing of the shore for the first time. [31] [32] [33] The starting area was furthest away from the shore, close to the Golden Gate Bridge. The boats were only allowed to enter the starting box two minutes before the usage of the starting gun. The boat entering on port tack was allowed to enter ten seconds before the starboard tack boat. [34] This was to reduce the danger of having two boats travelling at up to 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) heading towards each other into the starting area.
The length of the course varies, but is around 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) and generally takes about 25 minutes to complete. During the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup on the same course, some races were raced with an extra lap around the leeward and windward gates. This seven leg course is around 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi), taking approximately 45 minutes to sail. [35]
The racecourse was delineated by a boundary. Going outside of the boundary draws a penalty which was indicated by blue lights on board the boats. [36] The green lights on board the boats flashed whenever the boat was within three boatlengths of the boundary, or a mark. Whichever boat entered the three boatlength circle around a mark, had mark rights and was allowed to round without worrying about the other boat. The exception was when there is an overlap between the two boats. If an overlap exists, room had to be made to ensure both boats round the mark safely. The maximum time for a race is 40 minutes after which the race would be stopped. [37]
If a penalty was awarded against a boat, a moving penalty line was calculated and placed two boat lengths behind them, advancing on a direct heading to the mark or the wind (depending which leg). The penalised boat had to slow their Velocity Made Good such that their boat fell behind the penalty line. This was calculated in real time by computers, and indicated to the teams on the water via the lights and direct radio communication. [38]
Alcatraz Island was a unique part of the racecourse for this event. For the first week of the event, San Francisco Bay experienced flood tides during the America's Cup races. As water flowed into the bay, there was a cone close to the Island where the incoming tide was noticeably less than the rest of the racecourse. On the upwind leg, when boats had to sail against the flood tide, tactical use of this cone was crucial. [39]
The challenger was determined in the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup challenger selection series. Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Cup and therefore the right to challenge Oracle Team USA in the America's Cup.
An international jury found Oracle Team USA guilty of cheating during the America's Cup World Series warmup event in 2012 when they placed bags of lead pellets in their 45-foot catamarans to add additional weight outside of allowed areas. [40] [41] [42] Penalties imposed included expelling three team members, [43] a $250,000 fine, and a one-point penalty for each of the first two races of the Match in which they would otherwise score a point. [44] This last penalty meant that Oracle had to win 11 races to retain the trophy, while New Zealand only needed to win 9 races to lift the cup.
The 34th America's Cup was held between challenger Team New Zealand and defender Oracle Team USA on a five-leg course on San Francisco Bay. One point was awarded for winning a race, and a total of nine points were needed to win the cup. Due to the two race penalty assessed on Oracle Team USA, they needed 11 wins to defend the cup.
Wins marked in green |
Postponed or Abandoned races marked in red |
Race | Date | PDT | Oracle Team USA | Team New Zealand | Delta | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 7, 2013 | 1:15pm | 24:06 | 23:30 | 00:36 | 0 | 1 |
2 | September 7, 2013 | 2:15pm | 23:38 | 22:46 | 00:52 | 0 | 2 |
3 | September 8, 2013 | 1:15pm | 25:28 | 25:00 | 00:28 | 0 | 3 |
4 | September 8, 2013 | 2:15pm | 22:42 | 22:50 | 00:08 | 01 | 3 |
5 | September 10, 2013 | 1:15pm | 23:50 | 22:45 | 01:05 | 0 | 4 |
P2 | September 10, 2013 | 2:15pm | Postponed | — | — | 0 | 4 |
6 | September 12, 2013 | 1:15pm | 32:26 | 31:39 | 00:47 | 0 | 5 |
7 | September 12, 2013 | 2:15pm | 25:54 | 24:48 | 01:06 | 0 | 6 |
8 | September 14, 2013 | 1:15pm | 23:09 | 24:01 | 00:52 | 01 | 6 |
A3 | September 14, 2013 | 2:15pm | — | — | — | 0 | 6 |
9 | September 15, 2013 | 1:15pm | 21:53 | 22:40 | 00:47 | 1 | 6 |
10 | September 15, 2013 | 2:15pm | 22:17 | 22:00 | 00:17 | 1 | 7 |
4 | September 16, 2013 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 7 |
P5 | September 17, 2013 | 1:15pm | — | — | — | 1 | 7 |
P5 | September 17, 2013 | 2:15pm | — | — | — | 1 | 7 |
11 | September 18, 2013 | 1:15pm | 23:56 | 23:41 | 00:15 | 1 | 8 |
P5 | September 18, 2013 | 2:15pm | — | — | — | 1 | 8 |
12 | September 19, 2013 | 1:15pm | 23:49 | 24:20 | 00:31 | 2 | 8 |
P5 | September 19, 2013 | 2:15pm | — | — | — | 2 | 8 |
A6 | September 20, 2013 | 1:20pm | — | — | — | 2 | 8 |
13 | September 20, 2013 | 2:33pm | 27:20 | 28:44 | 01:24 | 3 | 8 |
P7 | September 21, 2013 | 1:15pm | — | — | — | 3 | 8 |
P7 | September 21, 2013 | 2:15pm | — | — | — | 3 | 8 |
14 | September 22, 2013 | 1:15pm | 33:47 | 34:10 | 00:23 | 4 | 8 |
15 | September 22, 2013 | 2:22pm | 27:34 | 28:11 | 00:37 | 5 | 8 |
16 | September 23, 2013 | 1:45pm | 30:43 | 31:16 | 00:33 | 6 | 8 |
P8 | September 23, 2013 | 2:15pm | — | — | — | 6 | 8 |
17 | September 24, 2013 | 1:15pm | 24:04 | 24:31 | 00:27 | 7 | 8 |
18 | September 24, 2013 | 2:15pm | 22:01 | 22:55 | 00:54 | 8 | 8 |
19 | September 25, 2013 | 1:15pm | 23:24 | 24:08 | 00:44 | 9 | 8 |
1 Oracle's victories in races 4 and 8 did not award points, due to the penalty imposed by the jury.
2 Oracle used their postponement card after race 5, canceling the second race scheduled for September 10.
3 With Team New Zealand leading during the third leg, the second race on September 14 was abandoned by the race committee due to the wind exceeding the allowed maximum.
4 September 16 was on the schedule as a reserve day and would have been used to make up for races already missed. However by agreement of both teams it was treated as a lay day.
5 Both races on September 17, and the second races on both September 18 and September 19, were postponed due to the wind exceeding the allowed maximum beyond a reasonable start time.
6 With Team New Zealand well ahead in light winds near the end of the fourth leg, the first race on September 20 was abandoned by the race committee due to the race exceeding the 40-minute time limit.
7 Both races on September 21 were postponed by the race committee due to the wind direction not permitting a fair laying of the race course.
8 Due to the late start of race 16, a second race was not sailed on September 23 due to the 2:40pm cutoff time for racing.
Role | Name | Races |
---|---|---|
Principal Backer | Larry Ellison | |
CEO | Russell Coutts | |
Skipper | Jimmy Spithill | |
Tactician | John Kostecki | 1-5 |
Ben Ainslie | 6-19 | |
Strategist | Tom Slingsby | |
Wing Trimmer | Kyle Langford | |
Jib Trimmer | Joe Newton | |
Off-side trimmer | Rome Kirby | |
Grinders | Shannon Falcone, Joe Spooner, Jono MacBeth, Gillo Nobili, Simeon Tienpont |
Emirates Team New Zealand [46]
Role | Name | Races |
---|---|---|
Managing Director | Grant Dalton | |
Skipper | Dean Barker | |
Tactician | Ray Davies | |
Wing Trimmer | Glenn Ashby | |
Trimmer | James Dagg | |
Bow | Adam Beashel | |
Pit | Jeremy Lomas | |
Pedestal 1 | Chris Ward | |
Pedestal 2 | Rob Waddell | |
Pedestal 3 | Grant Dalton | 1–3, 5–7, 9–12, 17, 19 |
Winston MacFarlane | 4, 8, 13–16, 18 | |
Pedestal 4 | Chris McAsey | |
Float / Grinder | Derek Saward |
The 34th America's Cup began in stark contrast to the one-sided races that dominated the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup. Team New Zealand, skippered by Dean Barker, led at the first mark, and held the lead for the second leg, which was the first leg to be facing downwind. Oracle Team USA was 4 seconds behind Team New Zealand at the bottom mark, and during the upwind third leg the lead changed several times. Team New Zealand led at the top mark by 25 seconds, and kept the lead until the finish line, winning by 36 seconds. [47]
Race two began as the previous one ended, with Team New Zealand in front, despite the aggressive prestart by Oracle's skipper Jimmy Spithill. Team New Zealand led the whole race, and completed the victory by 52 seconds to lead 0–2 in the overall scoreline. [48]
Oracle Team USA had better luck in the initial stages of Race three, as Spithill luffed Team New Zealand at the reach mark to successfully draw a penalty. Oracle held the lead for the first downwind leg, and were 18 seconds to the good heading into the upwind third leg. The pivotal moment of the race occurred when Barker brought the New Zealand boat back on port tack within three boat lengths of the boundary. Oracle was forced to tack away due to the boundary rights, even though they were on starboard, which would have otherwise have had right of way. The 29 second lead at the top mark was held by Team New Zealand all the way to the finish. They ultimately crossed the finish line 28 seconds ahead of Oracle, making the scoreline 0–3 to Team New Zealand. [49]
Race four again started well for Oracle, leading around the reach mark by 6 seconds. Although Barker pushed hard for the whole race, Spithill was able to hold off Team New Zealand, resulting in a finish 8 seconds ahead of Barker. Due to the penalty imposed by the International Jury, Oracle did not score a point, leaving the New Zealand remaining 3 points ahead. [50]
Oracle's defeat in race five by one minute and five seconds was so emphatic that the Americans played their one and only Postponement Card to call off the scheduled second race. [51] Team New Zealand had once again been behind from the start all the way to the bottom of the race course. Once heading back upwind however, the New Zealand boat was noticeably faster and gained the lead with ease. A top mark delta of 1:17 effectively ended the race, and gave Spithill plenty of time to consider his options. [52] The score at the end of the day was 0–4, to Team New Zealand.
Day four opened with the news that Oracle had changed their tactician. John Kostecki, who had raced on San Francisco Bay for decades, was dropped, and Sir Ben Ainslie, the skipper of Oracle's backup boat was brought on in his place. Another change was the noticeably lighter winds compared to the earlier days of racing. [53]
Race six followed a familiar refrain, with Oracle ahead at the start and holding that lead to the bottom of the downwind leg. After rounding the mark 12 seconds behind, Team New Zealand once again took over sailing into the wind. The highest number of tacks seen thus far was unable to prevent Team New Zealand from gaining 55 seconds during the third leg, and the 44 second lead at the top mark was extended to 47 seconds at the finish. [54]
Team New Zealand led from start to finish in Race 7. After a run of being behind at the start, Barker was strong in the windward position off the line and was able to beat Oracle Team USA by a substantial amount at the reach mark. Along with another substantial gain during the third leg, Oracle Team USA could not counter Team New Zealand's progress and finished a 1:06 behind. Team New Zealand closed the day in a dominant position of 0–6. [55]
Race eight brought Team New Zealand to the brink of disaster. Leading from the start to midway up the third leg, Team New Zealand was tacking back to starboard to once again cover Oracle. However, a lack of hydraulic power at a crucial moment during the turn meant that the large wingsail did not move in time. The boat's starboard hull rose out of the water and Aotearoa, Team New Zealand's boat, came within a degree of capsizing. [56] [57] To add insult to injury, Barker was penalised for failing to give way to Oracle, who was on starboard tack at the time. The New Zealand boat followed Spithill to finish 52 seconds behind.
Oracle's victory completed the penalty imposed by the International Jury, allowing them to accrue points for any subsequent victories. [58]
Team New Zealand were ahead during the third leg of the day's second race, but it was abandoned by the Race Committee due to the wind exceeding the 22.6-knot (41.9 km/h; 26.0 mph) allowable maximum (23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) minus the 0.4 knots (0.74 km/h; 0.46 mph) tide). [59]
Race nine showed Oracle Team USA at their best. Spithill again won the start, and extended the lead at every mark including for the first time, a notable gain against the Kiwi boat on the upwind leg. Recording consecutive victories for the first time allowed Oracle to obtain a point, with the score at 1–6. [60]
Team New Zealand won race ten by 16 seconds, in what was widely reported as one of the most exciting America's Cup races of all time. [61] [62] Barker looked to have been left behind by Spithill at the startline, but just managed to hold an overlap as the AC72s entered the three boat length circle at the reach mark. Team New Zealand took the 3 second lead, and increased it to 11 seconds at the second mark. Oracle again showed their new competitiveness during the upwind beat, and the lead changed three times. As the boats approached the top mark on split tacks, Barker slowed the boat, and then aimed down to pass under Oracle at speed. The top mark split was only 1 second as Oracle rounded in front of the shore, and Aotearoa rounded the other mark. With the race still too close to call during the downwind leg, Spithill made the call to dip behind Team New Zealand rather than jibe. The gap almost instantly became 100 metres. Barker was able to hold this lead to the finish to take the series to 1–7. [63] [64] [65]
In the post race press conference Barker said “If you didn’t enjoy today’s racing you should probably watch another sport.”
September 16 was scheduled as a reserve day. It would have been used to make up for races that had already been missed, however it was instead treated a rest day by agreement of both teams on the day. [66] The next schedule race day was September 17 however high winds resulted in a postponement. Both teams were keen to race, and headed out to the starting area. However the start time for the first race was pushed back several times due to the 20.1-knot (37.2 km/h; 23.1 mph) wind limit, and with the wind continuing to increase, at 1:31 pm the Race Committee made the postponement official. [67]
Team New Zealand led all the way to win race eleven by 15 seconds, to move to match point in the race for the Cup. During the pre-start, Barker maneuvered in front of Spithill and then delayed both boats from crossing the start line until well after the gun had gone. Oracle performed well on the upwind beat, but Team New Zealand covered well, and the boats rounded opposite marks 17 seconds apart. At the final mark, Barker kept Aotearoa between Oracle and the mark, and the rounding was well below the usual speed. Team New Zealand were able to accelerate away leaving Oracle almost stationary in the water on the sprint to the finish line, taking the score to 1–8. [68] [69]
The second race of the day suffered a 15-minute wind delay postponement. The postponement came at the same as the boats hit the start line. Barker had perfected a time on distance sprint to the line, to obtain a lead on the way to the reach mark. The boats made their way back to the starting area, but the wind and the strong outgoing tide combined to confirm the postponement of racing for the day. [70] [71]
Barker was aggressive in the pre-start phase of the first race of Day 9. It did not pay off, and Spithill was able to get into a position where Team New Zealand was forced to keep clear. From that lead off the start line, Oracle led the whole race to win race twelve by 31 seconds. During the upwind leg, Oracle's performance was excellent. They were able to sail on their foils at speeds approaching 32 knots (59 km/h). Oracle gained their second point to take the score to 2–8. [72] [73]
The start time for the second race of the day was pushed back several times due to the wind exceeding the allowed limit. At one point the teams were able to enter the starting box, but the wind then exceeded the limit again. Racing was then postponed for the day, allowing Oracle to keep alert for another day. [74]
Day ten brought the lightest winds seen in the 34th America's Cup. The start of the first race was pushed back by five minutes, due to the need to shift one of the marks on the start line. Oracle had the better start in the 8-knot (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) winds, and luffed Team New Zealand at the reach mark. The first downward leg was very different from the rest of the racing, as neither boat was able to sail on its foils. Aotearoa appeared to be the stronger boat in the light breeze, and rounded the leeward gate 1:42 ahead of the Americans. The New Zealand boat continued to extend their lead during the third leg and the main concern turned to whether they would be able to cross the finish line within the 40 minute race limit. Unfortunately for them, despite being ahead by more than 1,000 metres in winds of between 7 and 11 knots (13 and 20 km/h; 8.1 and 12.7 mph) near the end of the fourth leg, with 90% of the race complete, the time expired forcing the abandonment of the race. [75] [76]
The resail of race thirteen began at 2:33pm in 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) of wind. Spithill attempted to hook Barker during the pre start to gain advantage, but Barker managed to prevent Oracle from gaining the overlap. Team New Zealand led over the line, and took a 3-second lead around the reach mark. The pivotal moment of the race came towards the end of the second leg. Team New Zealand were slightly ahead and tried to cross in front of Oracle who had the starboard tack advantage. Spithill had to evade the Kiwi boat, and gained a penalty for the infraction. With the boats still close heading into the leeward gate, Barker fluffed his lines, and Aotearoa ended up being forced to jibe twice in quick succession. Oracle sped away to begin the third leg leaving the Kiwis almost non-moving. That effectively caused the result the race, and Oracle confirmed their third point by 1:24 at the finish. The New Zealanders' largest defeat of the Cup to date brought the score to 3–8. [77] [78]
It had rained earlier in the day, with wind from the south, about 90 degrees from the desirable direction, at the time day eleven racing was scheduled to be undertaken. The race committee pushed the start back several times, hoping that the wind would turn enough to allow racing. This did not happen by the start cut off time, and weather again forced postponement of the day's racing. [79] [80]
Racing on the 22nd of September brought the America's Cup into its third week, equalling the previous longest regatta in Cup history, the 31st America's Cup. A whale was also spotted in San Francisco Bay, bringing enough of a concern that it was tracked to ensure it would not affect racing. [81]
Race fourteen was another start-to-end win by Oracle. Starting in the leeward position, Spithill again luffed Barker hard substantially past the reach mark. This set up a strong lead for the first downwind beat. On the upwind leg Team New Zealand were able to close the lead, and at one point had to dip under the American boat. However, they could not utilise the advantage to enough effect, and Oracle led well around the top mark. Team New Zealand once again closed the lead about halfway down the fourth leg, but could not make the pass. Oracle won by 23 seconds, to bring the score to 4–8. [82] [83]
Team New Zealand led off the line for race fifteen, but the leeward position of the Oracle Team USA boat allowed them to round the reach mark first. A huge downwind leg from the American boat saw them round the leeward gate 1 minute ahead of Team New Zealand. Team New Zealand did not give up, and were able to cut Oracle's lead in half by the windward gate, but were unable to make up the rest of the gap. Oracle had their best day in the race yet, winning both races to bring the score to 5–8. [84]
The start of race sixteen was delayed for 30 minutes while the race committee waited for the wind to increase. Emirates Team New Zealand took the leeward position at the start line but Oracle Team USA was able to sail on their foils, and sailed over on top of the New Zealand boat to lead by five seconds at the reach mark. [85] At the second mark, the New Zealand team were 13 seconds behind Oracle and after a tacking duel upwind to the third mark, Oracle was able to obtain the wind advantage for the downwind leg. Oracle sailed conservatively downwind gaining a 21-second lead for the fourth mark, which they extended to 33 seconds by finish line. [85] The score was now 6–8. It was Oracle's 5th straight win. [86]
The earlier delay meant no second race for the day, as it would have exceeded the cutoff time of 2:40pm. [87]
Race seventeen saw two penalties at the start against Emirates Team New Zealand. During the prestart, Dean Barker made his move too early, allowing Spithill to hook Barker. Oracle then took full advantage of their windward-leeward right of way, forcing Barker to attempt to stay out of the way. Due to the extremely low boat speed at the time, Team New Zealand was unable to avoid the American boat, and there was contact between the two AC72s as a second penalty was awarded against the New Zealand boat. [88] By the time the penalties had been completed, Oracle had accelerated away to find themselves ahead by 18 seconds at the reach mark. Oracle built on this to obtain a 29-second lead to leeward gate, although this was trimmed to 19 seconds at the end of the third leg. Oracle went on to win by 27 seconds and cut Team New Zealand's lead to 7–8. [89] [90]
"We're not going to stop--we're going to keep going all the way to the end", said Spithill. "We really want this. You can sense it on board". [91] Barker called this defeat "an absolute shocker" as he ended in "a really dead spot". [89]
In race eighteen the New Zealand boat led at the start and up to the first mark. They set the speed record of the series, reaching 47.57 knots (24 m/s; 88 km/h; 55 mph) as they rounded the mark, to lead by 5 seconds. They kept the lead during the first downwind run, but Oracle took the lead at the first crossing on the upwind leg, after Team New Zealand made a poor tack. Team New Zealand had starboard tack advantage and the lead at the time, but did not properly cover Oracle. The American boat was sailing on their foils, and was able to sail past Team New Zealand without much difficulty. Oracle went on to lead by 57 seconds at the windward gate and kept the lead for the rest of race, winning by 54 seconds. [89] [92]
This result tied the series 8–8 and forced a winner-take-all race. Spithill called this win "very impressive" and said, "It gives us a lot of confidence going into tomorrow", saying that Wednesday will be "the most exciting day in the history of our lives. We wouldn't want to be anywhere else". [89]
The final day of the 34th America's Cup brought only the third winner-takes-all match in Cup history (previous such matches had occurred in 1920 and 1983). Barker and Spithill had also both moved into the top 5 all time America's Cup skippers during this regatta. [93]
Team New Zealand had port entry advantage, and were able to convert this into the leeward position at the start line and a lead around the reach mark. Oracle had a moment where both bows dipped into the water, slowing them to open some separation between the two boats. The first downwind leg saw both boats foiling at around 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph), at times well within 100 metres (330 ft) of each other. Team New Zealand took the lead into the upwind third leg, but were unable to hold it. [94] Oracle once again showed their upwind foiling ability and were able to pass with ease. Team New Zealand and Barker refused to give up, but in the absence of any mistakes from Oracle, they confirmed their victory 9–8 by 44 seconds on the line to the cheers of the crowd. [95] [96]
At the press conference following the race, Barker said his team was "[feeling] pretty smashed, they are feeling it pretty bad", whilst Spithill said Team New Zealand were a "tough team". [97] [98] [99]
The power and speed of the catamarans used in the America's Cup has attracted criticism since the AC72 rule was announced. [100] Oracle's first AC72 pitch-poled in October 2012 after only eight days of sailing. Though there were no injuries to the crew, the yacht was heavily damaged as the tide pulled it outside the bay into the Pacific Ocean. On May 9, 2013, Swedish team Artemis' first AC72 yacht flipped, resulting in the death of Olympic gold medalist Andrew James Simpson. [101] Stephen Barclay, CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority, promised a full inquiry into the events leading to Simpson's death and appointed a review committee to investigate both the Oracle and Artemis accidents, and to make recommendations for increasing the safety of the sailors.
The NBC Sports Group acquired the American television broadcast rights in 2012, making it the first time the race would be on network TV since 1992. [102]
The first two races aired on NBC with subsequent races airing live on NBC Sports Network. The races were also broadcast live and available on demand on the official America's Cup YouTube channel.
To enhance television coverage, America's Cup officials developed LiveLine, a system that inserts graphics into live shots from helicopters similar to the first down line graphics system used on American football broadcasts. LiveLine would be used to show distance between boats, boat speed, course boundaries and marks, boat paths, wind speed and ocean current direction. Race yachts carried military grade GPS tracking and telemetry systems to enhance the accuracy of measurements. [103]
The system, developed by Sportvision, Inc., the America's Cup Event Authority, and NBC Sports Network, won the George Wensel Outstanding Technical Achievement Award at the 33rd Sports Emmy Awards.
Only moments after the win by Oracle Team USA, Hamilton Island Yacht Club in Queensland, Australia issued a challenge for the 2017 America's Cup. The challenge was accepted by the Golden Gate Yacht Club, which remained defender. [105] [106] [107] Australian billionaire Bob Oatley was said to be financially backing the Hamilton Island Yacht Club as the Challenger of Record. [108]
HIYC withdrew its challenge on 18 July 2014 and in November 2014 it was announced that Bermuda would host the 2017 America's Cup. [109]
The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy and the other from the yacht club that is challenging for the cup. The winner is awarded the America's Cup trophy, informally known as the Auld Mug. Matches are held several years apart on dates agreed between the defender and the challenger. There is no fixed schedule, but the races have generally been held every three to four years.
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.
Oracle Team USA is an American yacht racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America's Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd America's Cup regatta in 2010 – representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club. The team also won the 34th America's Cup in 2013.
Sir Russell Coutts is a world champion New Zealand yachtsman. He won an Olympic gold medal and skippered three Americas Cup victories in 1995, 2000, and 2003.
The International Americas Cup Class is a class of racing yacht that was developed for the America's Cup between 1992 and 2007. These yachts, while not identical, were all designed to the same formula to offer designers the freedom to experiment whilst keeping the boats sufficiently comparable to race in real time. The class was established for the 1992 America's Cup because of perceived shortcomings of the 12-metre class, which had been used in the America's Cup since 1958.
Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The team has been branded as Emirates Team New Zealand at America's Cup competitions since 2007.
Christopher Stuart Dickson is a sailor from New Zealand. He was world youth champion three years in succession and later became world match race champion three times. He also skippered several yachts in America's Cup racing, and for New Zealand at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and in numerous other sailing competitions.
The 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup held in Valencia, Spain, from April 16 to June 6 was the event used to select the challenger for the 2007 America's Cup. Eleven potential challengers competed in the competition which consisted of two round robins, two semi-finals and a final. The winner was Emirates Team New Zealand, who challenged the defender Alinghi in June 2007 for the America's Cup.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, originally named Prada Challenge, then Luna Rossa Challenge, is an Italian sailboat racing syndicate first created to compete for the 2000 America's Cup. It won the Louis Vuitton Cup on its first attempt in 2000, but then lost the America's Cup match against the defending champion team, Team New Zealand.
James Spithill is an Australian yachtsman.
The 31st America's Cup was contested between the holder, Team New Zealand, and the winner of the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, Alinghi.
The 33rd America's Cup between Société Nautique de Genève defending with team Alinghi against Golden Gate Yacht Club, and their racing team BMW Oracle Racing was the subject of extensive court action and litigation, surpassing in acrimony even the controversial 1988 America's Cup. Since the two parties were unable to agree otherwise, the match took place as a one-on-one deed of gift match in gigantic, specialized multi-hull racing yachts with no other clubs or teams participating. The Golden Gate Yacht Club swept the two races as their yacht USA 17 powered by a rigid wing-sail proved to be significantly faster than Société Nautique de Genève's yacht Alinghi 5. The litigation leading up to the match included which club would be the challenger, the dates and venue for the regattas, certain rules governing the regattas, and the construction of the boats.
USA-17 is a sloop rigged racing trimaran built by the American sailing team BMW Oracle Racing to challenge for the 2010 America's Cup. Designed by VPLP Yacht Design with consultation from Franck Cammas and his Groupama multi-hull sailing team, BOR90 is very light for her size being constructed almost entirely out of carbon fiber and epoxy resin, and exhibits very high performance being able to sail at 2.0 to 2.5 times the true wind speed. From the actual performance of the boat during the 2010 America's Cup races, it can be seen that she could achieve a velocity made good upwind of over twice the wind speed and downwind of over 2.5 times the wind speed. She can apparently sail at 20 degrees off the apparent wind. The boat sails so fast downwind that the apparent wind she generates is only 5-6 degrees different from that when she is racing upwind; that is, the boat is always sailing upwind with respect to the apparent wind. An explanation of this phenomenon can be found in the article on sailing faster than the wind.
The 8th Louis Vuitton Cup was held during July and August 2013, in San Francisco, California, United States of America. The three contenders were Artemis Racing (Sweden), Emirates Team New Zealand, and Luna Rossa Challenge (Italy). After a preliminary round robin to determine seeding, Artemis Racing was eliminated in the semi-final round by Luna Rossa Challenge by four races to none. In the final, Emirates Team New Zealand beat Luna Rossa Challenge by seven races to one, and went on to challenge Oracle Team USA for the 2013 America's Cup.
The AC72 is a class of wingsail catamarans built to a box rule, which governs the construction and operation of yachts competing in the 2013 Louis Vuitton and the America's Cup races. The class was subsequently replaced by the smaller AC50 class.
The 2017 America's Cup was the 35th staging of the America's Cup yacht race. The challenger, Emirates Team New Zealand, won by a score of 7 to 1 over the defender, Oracle Team USA. It was held on the Great Sound in Bermuda from June 17 to June 26. The races were conducted using hydrofoiling AC50 America's Cup Class yachts, which are slightly larger than the AC45F yachts used in the 2015–16 America's Cup World Series.
The 2017 Louis Vuitton Challenger's Trophy was a sailing competition held to determine the challenger in the 2017 America's Cup.
The America's Cup World Series are match races and fleet regattas used as heats for the 2013 America's Cup and the 2017 America's Cup.
The 2021 America's Cup in March 2021 was the 36th staging of the America's Cup yacht race. It was contested on the inner Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, New Zealand, between the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Circolo della Vela Sicilia of Italy. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's boat was Te Rehutai owned and sailed by the Emirates Team New Zealand syndicate. Circolo della Vela Sicilia's boat was Luna Rossa, owned and sailed by the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli syndicate. Both boats are AC75 class high-performance foiling monohulls, a class designed specifically for this competition. The Cup was won by Team New Zealand, 7–3.
Stephen John Barclay is a New Zealander who has worked in the real estate business as well as the government sector, and who was the CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority for the 34th America's Cup in 2013 during the inauguration of the AC72 wing-sail catamarans. Barclay was a member of the 2010 America's Cup winners, BMW Oracle Racing. Barclay is a former Oracle Team USA chief operating officer and was also a director of Core Builders Composites a 100 per cent-owned subsidiary of Oracle in Warkworth, New Zealand. Core Builders produced the 40m-high wingsails for the AC72 and AC45 boats. Barclay stressed in an op-ed the nature of the event:
The Cup is a medium-size business, employing over 100 people, with tens of millions of dollars a year in revenues and expenses.
DECISIONS ON PENALTIES
105. Bryce Ruthenberg is excluded from further participation in any role in the 34th America's Cup.…
106. Andrew Walker is excluded from further participation in any role in the 34th America's Cup.…
108. Matt Mitchell is excluded from sailing on a Yacht competing in the Match for the 34th America's Cup until 4 races have been completed.…
109. Dirk de Ridder is excluded from further participation in any role in the 34th America's Cup.