America’s Cup World Series NY begins today

New York, NY (May 7, 2016) – Today is the day America’s Cup Class racing returns to New York Harbor. Racing for the famed trophy was held off New York from 1870 to 1920, but today the new era of foiling catamarans fly into town with the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series.

The six teams will be racing their AC45F catamarans on the Hudson River, easily within sight of spectators along the lower West Side waterfront of Manhattan. The best vantage points in Battery Park City range from Pier A up to Pier 25. Access to viewing spots is free to the public but get there early if you want a front row seat.

“Here in New York you’re bang in front of arguably the biggest city in the world, and that will create potentially challenging conditions,” said ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. “There are some iconic ballparks and stadiums in New York, but one that is probably under-utilized is the Hudson River. It can host the most people, it’s free, and families can come down and see some of coolest boats in the world tearing around the river.”

Racing is scheduled 2:00-3:30 pm ET and three races are planned. The wind is forecast to blow from the southeast to the south, between 6 and 12 knots. With wind forecast to build early in the afternoon, it is possible there will be a short race delay.

Under the Rules, Regatta Director Iain Murray cannot start racing until the average wind speed is at least 5 knots within the race area. Racing will start as soon as possible with a maximum of three races scheduled within the broadcast window of 2pm – 3:30pm.

Local authorities have granted permission for the America’s Cup to use the race area until 4pm. So there is a possibility of a “substitute race” being sailed at the end of the afternoon. This could be inserted into Sunday’s broadcast and count for points (double points for a Sunday race), should conditions not allow regular racing on Sunday.

Low tide is scheduled at 3:40 pm, meaning the crews will be getting swept southwards down the Hudson.

Watch the racing on NBC Sports Live Extra in the US. You can also watch live by downloading the America’s Cup app, available for iOS or Android (territorial restrictions apply). To stay up to date with all of the activity going on in New York this weekend follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

Crew Lists:

Artemis Racing: Christian Kamp (trimmer), Nathan Outteridge (skipper), Luke Parkinson (wing trimmer), Iain Percy (tactician), Kalle Torlén (trimmer)

Emirates Team New Zealand: Glenn Ashby (skipper/wing trimmer), Pete Burling (helmsman), Ray Davies (tactician), Blair Tuke (trimmer), Guy Endean (grinder)

Groupama Team France: Franck Cammas (skipper), Herve Cunningham, Theirry Fouchier, Devan Le Bihan, Thomas Le Breton, Olivier Herledant (alternate)

Land Rover BAR: Ben Ainslie (skipper), Paul Campbell-James (wing trimmer), David Carr, Nick Hutton, Ed Powys, Matt Cornwell (alternate)

ORACLE TEAM USA: Matt Cassidy (bow), Kyle Langford (wing trimmer), Joey Newton (trimmer), Sam Newton (alternate), Tom Slingsby (Tactics), Jimmy Spithill (skipper)

SoftBank Team Japan: Dean Barker (skipper), Chris Draper (tactics/wing trimmer), Jeremy Lomas (trimmer), Simeon Tienpont (grinder), Kazuhiko Sofuku (bow)

Background: Substitute Racing

For the first time, the six teams in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series may sail a “substitute race” during Saturday’s racing on the Hudson River.

The substitute race can be inserted into Sunday’s race broadcast and scored as an official race if weather conditions don’t allow racing to start on time. With local authorities granting a two-hour window for racing each day, banking a substitute race maximizes the opportunity of a full race schedule.

“Think of it like a provisional shot that you hit in golf. You only count it if you need it. This allows us to have a race that could become part of the broadcast and which would count in the overall series,” said Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller.

Q+A

Q: How does the substitute race work?

A: Following Saturday’s 90-minute broadcast window (2pm to 3:30pm EDT), authorities have granted another 30 minutes for racing. This may be used to bank a ‘substitute race’ for Sunday. If racing cannot start on time on Sunday, the ‘substitute race’ would be shown on the broadcast and scored as a regular Sunday race (with double points).

Report by Event Media

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