America’s Cup: What have we learned?

The final America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta provided the six teams with their first opportunity to race the new and improved AC75s, with the Barcelona winds beginning in the mid-teens and gradually dropping during the four-day event. What was learned in advance of the 37th America’s Cup?

The changes to the AC75 have made them more maneuverable which allowed the teams to whip them around in the pre-start and facilitate tacking duels upwind. But with this nimbleness came penalties. A frequent topic will be sea-state, as in the steep chop, wiping out was real in moderate winds and teams were struggling to stay foiling in the minimum wind of 6.5 knots.

As for the racing, the results were a fair assessment of the current pecking order, and while the points from the preliminary event have no bearing on the Challenger Selection Series, the reality is that after the upcoming Double Round Robin stage on August 29-September 8, one of the five challengers will be eliminated. Here’s what the bottom half of the fleet had to say:

4th Place – INEOS Britannia (GBR)
Dylan Fletcher, helm: “This Preliminary Regatta has been our first real practice racing in the AC75 so we were trying lots of things in the pre-starts and different options so we will go away and refine those to make gains next week. We’ve built some good momentum and I think we’re in a good place heading into the Challenger Selections Series.”

5th Place – Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
Maxime Bachelin, helm: “We’ve definitely made good progress on our starts this week. Every day we’ve been improving on the pre-start, and it’s a big advantage to have our team of coaches giving us feedback on what they see from outside. I believe 90% of the win is determined by the start. We’ll also be working to make the boat faster during the race and for sure, we’ll be working on our technique as sailors, together with the Driving Group and the cyclors.”

6th Place – Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)
Quentin Delapierre, helm: “We know we have to improve, but we also know a lot more about the pre-start and the start now than we did a few days ago, so we will be really focused on that. We are nearly there; we just have to deliver.”

Viewing details – Race information – Weather forecast

2024 Challenger Selection Series
August 29-September 8: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)

Races start at 14:00 CET (08:00 ET) and run until 16:30 or 17:00, depending on the schedule.

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 was from December 1, 2021 until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the reveal, finally confirming Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 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)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)

2023-24 Preliminary Regattas
September 14-17, 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30-December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August 22-25, 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, Spain

2024 Challenger Selection Series
August 29-September 8: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)

2024 America’s Cup
October 12-21: 37th Match (Best of 13)

For competition details, click here.

Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the 2024 Youth & Women’s America’s Cup.

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