America’s Cup Countdown


Above: Former residents of Kingswear Phillipa and Nick Hutton and their son Rafa in Bermuda.


“I


Below: Rafa proudly watches his dad in practice.


ncoming!” The Land Rover BAR America’s Cup Class Race boat rounds the mark and heads straight towards


us. It’s late March in Bermuda and we’re out on the water, watching the practice racing ahead of the America’s Cup proper in May. “I think we’re just supposed to stay where


we are and not move,” says our driver, Rich. “Are you sure?” I say, my voice quavering –


right now, not moving seems the worst idea anyone’s ever had. “Reasonably confident.” Reasonably? That doesn’t really cut it


at this precise moment – I might accept ‘very’ but anything with less certainty just isn’t doing it for me. There’s no messing with these enormous and lightening fast catamarans – get in the way of one of the carbon foil boards that push these beasts out of the water and you’ve breathed your last. Bobbing about in the water on our lovely little rib with its swanky red leather seats, clutching our iPhones (but a bit too rigidly with fear to capture the ultimate photo) we don’t stand a chance. In this instant, we really are Bermuda’s answer to the perfect gaggle of Grockles.. Fortunately, at the last minute, the boat


comes out of the gybe (that’s the turn across a following wind by the way – and about as far as my own sailing vocabulary goes) and continues into a bear away (that’s – I’m reliably informed – where the helm steers the boat away from the breeze) and


PART TWO


Philippa Hutton continues her ‘exclusive’ behind the scenes glimpse into Sir Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR team campaigning to win the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda this summer. Her husband Nick Hutton (former resident of Kingswear) is part of the crew.


– relief! – it would seem that this time, we’re in the clear. Whether this bear away was always part of the plan, or whether it became part of the plan in order to avoid wiping out the group of idiots, in the apparently motionless little craft, remains a matter for debate. Still, sail past they did and amidst our cheers for the boys, was a prayer to the Big Man and a unanimous decision that whilst close ups are fantastic, that’s what long lenses are for and perhaps we’d better go and watch the rest of the race alongside the other boats, floating sensibly around the edge of the race track. The practice race window is a new phenomenon; in previous Cups, the challengers and defender were never officially permitted to line up in order to test their metal before the event itself and so this has proved an exciting aspect of the 35th competition. It gives the teams a chance to benchmark themselves more accurately and if you’re way off the pace, an opportunity to make some fundamental changes design-wise before the racing begins at the end of May. Ultimately, the closer the racing, the more of a spectator sport sailing becomes and we’re all in favour of that. Oracle Team usA (the defender – current holders of the America’s Cup), Artemis Racing (swedish challenger), softBank Team Japan (Japanese challenger), Groupama


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