America’s Cup: Bits and Pieces

The clock is ticking as the six America’s Cup teams prepare for the competition to begin on May 26. Here are a few stories that are defining the landscape in Bermuda.

Official Hater’s Guide to America’s Cup
The Comeback of 2013 seems so yesterday, with the 35th America’s Cup now swallowing all the oxygen from the fans that follow this exhibition of design and drama. As for the rest of you rum sluggers, Dylan Cleaver from the New Zealand Herald offers this humorous guide for guidance. Full report.

Sidelined
Team New Zealand will likely miss the rest of this week’s America’s Cup practice racing as the shore crew put in massive hours to get the damaged Kiwi boat back out on the water. The team’s preparations for this month’s America’s Cup went from bad to worse on May 16, when they were rear-ended by British team Ben Ainslie Racing in a pre-start collision during practice racing. The hull of the Emirates Team New Zealand boat was punctured during the incident – a setback the team could ill afford with racing set to soon get under way. Full report.

Pedaling
Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton believed their radical cycling approach to grinding was providing the big gains they hoped for, delivering a net gain of about 30 per cent of hydraulic power. However, it’s how the Kiwis use that added power that is the key. They have looked one of the best teams in terms of foiling stability and being able to maintain speed and height during turns, either tacking or gybing. Oracle Team USA is also experimenting with the cycling option. Their tactician, Tom Slingsby, who also grinds, has moved to pedals at certain points in the race behind skipper Jimmy Spithill. Full report.

Promotion
Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, the hosts for the popular NBC morning show The Today Show, are scheduled to film two one-hour shows on Bermuda to be aired Friday at 10am on Thursday, May 18 and 19. The Today show is coming to Bermuda to assist in the promotion of the America’s Cup in which NBC is broadcast partner. Full report.

Progress report
Whenever a new class is introduced for the America’s Cup, there will teams that get it right and teams that get it wrong. Jack Griffin, who provides America’s Cup analysis for Seahorse magazine and his Cup Experience website, and Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck offer this assessment. Full report.

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