MONTHLY UPDATE: One summer ends, another begins

With three months before the start of the Louis Vuitton challenger series, the Southern Hemisphere contingent is now making the move to San Francisco. And while it has been a mild winter in Northern California, everyone is itching for the potent conditions that the summer will bring. Here’s what the four America’s Cup have planned for April:

Oracle Team USA (USA), Defender –
A lot will be happening both inside and outside of Pier 80 this month. The team opens April with continued testing and training on Boat 1 – the team will sail the first AC72 on San Francisco Bay right up to the start of the ACWS Naples regatta (Apr 16-21). When the big boat doesn’t go out, the crews will be on the AC45s, both in preparation for the upcoming ACWS and on the modified foiling versions. Tom Slingsby and Ben Ainslie will each be at the helm in Naples, and the two crews will be training prior to their mid-month departure for Italy.

The next AC72 wing is on the way from Core Builders Composites in New Zealand and is scheduled to arrive in the Bay Area mid-April. The end of April will see the launch of Boat 2. The team’s second AC72 is nearing completion – the platform has been assembled and systems installation is set to begin. Skipper Jimmy Spithill will remain in San Francisco to assist with the commissioning process.

Artemis Racing (SWE), Challenger of Record –
The team spent the first half of March in the shed modifying our AC72 and turning an AC45 into a foiling AC45. In April, Artemis will continue to train on the foiling AC45, while also sailing Boat One and learning about all of its new modifications. This is a very valuable part of our preparation for Boat Two. Team members are preparing for the last ACWS event of the 2013-2013 season in Naples, Italy (Apr 16-21). Artemis White will be helmed by Swedish Youth sailor and leading Swedish 49er helmsman, Charlie Ekberg.

Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Challenger –
The team concluded their training in Auckland this week and is now packing up the base for the move to San Francisco. The relocation to San Francisco takes place April-May and the team aims to be sailing there towards the end of May, giving themselves a month on the water to become reacquainted with the nuances of the Bay’s breeze and currents. For the AC World Series event in Naples, primary skipper Dean Barker will be leading an AC45 squad that includes Glenn Ashby, Ray Davies, James Dagg, Derek Saward, Adam Beashel, Winston Macfarlane, and Jeremy Lomas.

Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 (ITA), Challenger –
The team reached the end of its training program in New Zealand two weeks ago, with their boats and base gear now in transit to San Francisco. The team’s goal is to start sailing on May 10 in San Francisco. The team will be sending two teams to the AC World Series event in Naples, with one team led by primary skipper Chris Draper and the other by primary tactician Francesco Bruni.

Scuttlebutt will be providing a monthly summary for each of the four America’s Cup teams through to the Louis Vuitton Cup (July 7-Aug 31) and the 34th Match (Sept 7-23).