America’s Cup: Update on Artemis Racing and the AC72 Rudder Rule

(July 17, 2013) – Artemis Racing this week completed the structural testing on its second AC72. The team turned the platform upside down, placed it on dollies and then used heavy weights and hydraulic rams to torque it. The current timetable has Artemis Racing hitting the water early next week. If conditions permit, the team could be racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series, the following week.

“Everyone’s taken a lot of confidence out of the very cautious and comprehensive tests they’ve done, not only on boat but every single moving part,” said Regatta Director Iain Murray. “I’ve been over there a number of times late at night. They’ve done a very thorough job. They’ve had the nice situation that the other teams have shared the safe working loads needed on the racecourse.”

One of the questions regarding the team’s participation centered on the rudders, but Murray says they’ve got two sets of rudders. One set complies with the AC72 Class Rule and the other with the regatta director’s safety recommendations. However, last week the International Jury for the 34th America’s Cup ruled that the regatta director didn’t have the authority to change the AC72 Class Rule without unanimous consent of the teams.

Murray and U.S. Coast Guard Captain Matt Bliven, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in naval architecture, have now requested the teams to create a team management plan and onboard “playbook” that defines how they sail their yacht and how they manage their yacht. The playbook would be a supplement to the safety plan filed last month with the coast guard for the regatta permit.

Click here for full report, photos, and video of the Artemis Racing testing.