Format and function
Posted on 01 February 2012
Organizers and race crews are considering the way America's Cup racing will be conducted in 2013, once teams switch from the AC45 catamarans currently being raced in the America's Cup World Series to the enormous AC72 cats that will be screaming around San Francisco Bay in the summer of 2013.
During the latter stages of the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup Finals, teams could find themselves racing up to three matches a day in order to win the day's point, adding more races to what is expected to be an exhilarating, but exhausting schedule.
Regatta Director Iain Murray says the changes are being considered in an effort to maximise the action on the water and to create a fair series of racing.
"This is one of the scenarios we're considering in consultation with the teams," Murray said from San Francisco, after arriving overnight from a meeting with teams in New Zealand. “It has come out of our learnings from the America’s Cup World Series where we’ve been able to experiment with different race courses and event formats.
"The 'three for one' plan we’ve been discussing would allow for more starts, more mark roundings, all of the exciting parts of the race, on each day,” he said. “Essentially every day would be a best-of-three to earn the point. It adds excitement, but also adds an element of fairness, as where one mistake might put you out of a particular race, you still have a shot to comeback strong in the other matches to take the point on the day."
In 2013, the challenging teams will race each other in the Louis Vuitton Cup (July 4th - September 1st) with the winner going on to face the defender, ORACLE Racing, in the America's Cup Finals (September 7th - September 22nd).
Currently four teams, including ORACLE Racing, are actively building AC72s for the 2013 finale. Additional teams may join them, with a summer deadline for entry on the horizon.
"Our challengers are currently at different stages of preparation," Murray said. "For the first time, the America's Cup has provided a consolidated design package to allow teams a jumpstart on the process that will save them hundreds of hours and considerable money.
“And I know several challengers are working very actively and very hard to secure the commitments they need to press the 'go' button on building their AC72. It takes approximately 8 months to build and assemble an AC72, so we will know by summer which teams will make it to the start line of the Louis Vuitton Cup."
Building the AC72 is just the first step in the process however. Sailing a boat that is projected to reach speeds of up to 40 knots (45 mph / 75kph) is expected to be among the biggest challengers many of the crews will have taken on in their careers.
"These boats are going to be absolute beasts to sail," Murray said. "They are massively overpowered, they are very light and fast, and with 11 crew, the challenge is immense. As a sailor, I have the highest respect for what these guys are taking on. At the end of a day on the water, I expect to see the crew needing a lot of fuel and a lot of sleep to get ready for the next day. I don't expect to see too many Cup sailors with a beer in their hand - not until it's all over!!"
In the meantime, the racing program for 2012 is focused on the America’s Cup World Series. The next ACWS event is in Naples, Italy, from April 7th to 15th.