COUNTDOWN TO THE CUP
Sue Pelling reports from the unveiling
ceremony of the Mouton Cadet Special Cuvée America’s Cup wine, plus an interview with Russell Coutts, ACC CEO about the recent proposed rule changes
he countdown to the 35th America’s Cup is underway. With just over a month to the first four races of the Louis Vuitton qualifying series Round Robin 1 and the grand opening ceremony scheduled for Friday 26 May, the festival atmosphere in Bermuda and around the world, is beginning heat up.
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Sailed in new generation, super-fast hydrofoiling ACC catamarans that feature some of the most sophisticated control systems ever developed, the 35th America’s Cup is likely to go down in the record books as one of the best yet. The finely tuned ACC teams will push these state of the art lightweight, solid wing-sailed 15m loa rocket ships to the limit, to reach mindboggling speeds of up to 50kts.
All racing in 2017, from the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers to the America’s Cup Match, presented by Louis Vuitton, will be match racing in ACC boats.
TV THUMBS UP FROM RUSSELL COUTTS “There is no doubt the vast majority of people following this event will be watching it on television. This will probably be the most fun, and probably the best event ever; and I am not saying that lightly. Those who are fortunate enough to be there are going to have a fantastic view of the racing and a spectacular experience. Bermuda is a special place; it is beautiful island with such a natural harbour that acts as a natural amphitheatre.
As well as the ACC racing, there is going to be a significant superyacht fleet competing, so all round, it is going to be fantastic.”
FACE TO FACE WITH RUSSELL COUTTS At the recent announcement of the Mouton Cadet 35th America’s Cup Special Cuvée as the official wine of the 35th America’s Cup, Sue Pelling on behalf of ONBOARD magazine, caught up with Russell Coutts – ACC CEO, and five times winner of the America’s Cup.
Given the huge developments in the America’s Cup over the last 10 years or so, it was interesting to find out from Coutts what further developments were in the pipeline. “ I think the platform is there now to build on, to attract more teams particularly teams from China, Germany, Italy to name a few. I think it is in a really good place now and we have a formula to move forward. The aim therefore, is to get more competitive teams especially in key countries. We obviously have good team from Japan, but if we could have a good team from China, a competitive team that was capable of winning events and even the overall cup, that would be fantastic. Similarly, Germany, another key market we would like to have representation.”
The recent, probable changes announcement to the America’s Cup (where five of the six teams signed a framework agreement) including changes to the format of the regatta such as shortening
ONBOARD | SPRING 2017 | 103
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