American Magic seeks a permanent base

New York Yacht Club American Magic is back in Pensacola for another winter, and the team is looking to make the Florida venue a permanent winter training location.

Terry Hutchinson, skipper and president of sailing operations for American Magic, told the News Journal that the team hopes to have a permanent brick-and-mortar facility at the Port of Pensacola in the coming years.

“Our goal has to be when we get done with (the America’s Cup) in 2024, we’re coming back to the American Magic High-Performance Training Center or the American Magic America’s Cup base here in Pensacola, Florida,” Hutchinson said. “So, we have a place to return to, we have a place that we can go straight back into our training facility and pick up right where we left off, win, lose or draw.”

American Magic expects to train in Pensacola up until next summer, when it will move its operations to Spain to prepare for the 37th America’s Cup.

The team selected Pensacola as a winter training base during the last America’s Cup because the geography and wind conditions in Pensacola Bay made it “a perfect spot” to train, Hutchinson said.

“The sailing is really, really good, and then put on top of it, how welcoming everybody here has been to us,” Hutchinson said. “It’s a perfect spot for us to come and train and develop.

“But the goal has to be that for (the 38th America’s Cup) that we’re building at our own facility here in Pensacola, and then we’re manufacturing or finishing off our own sails here in Pensacola, and that the engineering and the design is being done by people here in Pensacola and the surrounding community,” Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said a major vision of the team’s owners is to boost the marine industry in the United States in aspects of engineering, design and manufacturing while also driving interest in the sport of sailing.

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period opened December 1, 2021 and runs until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup may be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the venue reveal, confirming it would be Barcelona on by March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup will be held in September/October 2024.

Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)

Noticeboard: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Additional details: www.americascup.com/en/home