On the edge

Watching from 'court side' seats

Posted on 22 July 2011

Course Marshall Instructions for the America's Cup World Series - Cascais have been released. These will be of interest to anyone wanting to get up close to the action on the water.

For fans of America's Cup racing, the America's Cup World Series events will provide an incredible opportunity to see the best sailors in the world plying their trade. Previous America's Cup courses, due to their size, made it difficult for on the water observers to get close.

But with shorter races, and smaller race courses, the AC World Series events will change all that.

As in the past, spectator craft will be restricted from getting too close to the race course or start/finish area, so as not to interfere with the racing.

"The big difference with the AC45 catamarans compared to Cup boats in the past is the speed," said Harold Bennett, Director of On-Water Operations. "When a race boat is moving at close to 30 knots (55kph, 35mph), there is no time to get out of the way, so we have to keep the spectator craft off the race course."

However, just outside the race course area, spectator boats will be able to follow the action from 'court side seats'. Security boats will be on hand to assist in keeping everybody in position.

The first day of racing in Cascais is Saturday August 6th.

The Course Marshall Instructions can be found here.