Making History at 36th America’s Cup

Carolijn Brouwer will become the first female at the helm of an America’s Cup challenger, when she leads The Netherlands at the 2021 America’s Cup regatta in Auckland, New Zealand.

Brouwer, a 45-year-old from the Netherlands, is a two-time World Sailor of the Year, three-time Olympian and winner of the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race. Brouwer will be the first female to helm an America’s Cup challenger.

The history of women in the America’s Cup is thin, with the only previous female helm being Kiwi Leslie Egnot among the first all-female entry, Mighty Mary, which lost in the defender series in the 1995 America’s Cup.

DUTCHSAIL, led by two-time America’s Cup winner Simeon Tienpont, was confirmed in December as the sixth challenger for the 36th America’s Cup, joining Italy’s Luna Rossa, US entries American Magic and Stars & Stripes Team USA, INEOS Team UK and Malta Altus Challenge.

Peter van Niekerk, a two-time America’s Cup winner with Alinghi, has been appointed team manager and Dirk Kramers lead designer.

Combined with defenders Emirates Team New Zealand, it is set to be the biggest lineup since the 2007 regatta in Valencia.

Source: www.stuff.co.nz

In addition to Challenges from Italy, USA, and Great Britain that were accepted during the initial entry period (January 1 to June 30), eight additional Notices of Challenge were received by the late entry deadline on November 30. Of those eight submittals, entries from Malta, USA, and The Netherlands have thus far been accepted. Here’s the current list:

Defender:
• Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL)

Challengers:
• Luna Rossa (ITA) – Challenger of Record
• American Magic (USA)
• INEOS Team UK (GBR)
• Malta Altus Challenge (MLT)
• Stars & Stripes Team USA (USA)
• DUTCHSAIL (NED)

Key America’s Cup dates:
✔ September 28, 2017: 36th America’s Cup Protocol released
✔ November 30, 2017: AC75 Class concepts released to key stakeholders
✔ January 1, 2018: Entries for Challengers open
✔ March 31, 2018: AC75 Class Rule published
✔ June 30, 2018: Entries for Challengers close
✔ August 31, 2018: Location of the America’s Cup Match and The PRADA Cup confirmed
✔ August 31, 2018: Specific race course area confirmed
✔ November 30, 2018: Late entries deadline
March 31, 2019: Boat 1 can be launched
2nd half of 2019: 2 x America’s Cup World Series Preliminary Events
February 1, 2020: Boat 2 can be launched
During 2020: 3 x America’s Cup World Series Preliminary Events
December 10-20, 2020: America’s Cup Christmas Race
January and February 2021: The PRADA Cup Challenger Selection Series
March 2021: The America’s Cup Match

Details: www.americascup.com