The A-Z of the America’s Cup
From Dennis Conner to Peter Burling, ‘‘plastic fantastic’’ to foiling monsters . . . Duncan Johnstone gives you the quirky facts you need to know for Auckland 2020-21.
Ais for the America’s Cup, affectionately known as the Auld Mug. The world’s oldest international sporting trophy was crafted in 1848 and first raced for in
1851. It is sterling silver and originally stood 68 centimetres but is now
1.1 metres after two bases were added for the growing list of winners.
The trophy travels first-class or business class with its own seat. It has two security guards assigned.
When not travelling it is stored in a special security cabinet at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Everyone other than the winners must wear white gloves when handling it.
Bis for Burling as in Peter Burling, the Emirates Team New Zealand ace. Nicknamed ‘‘Pistol Pete’’ for his ability to fire the big shots when they matter most, he’s in his second Cup campaign and will again be on the wheel.
It’s not just his sailing that sets him apart, he also has major input into design and development with his love of engineering.
He’s twice won the world sailor of the year award, once with good mate Blair Tuke, with whom he has shared so much success, including Olympic gold and silver in the 49er class where they are also six-time world champions.
Cis for catamarans. They’ve had their day, but they helped shape the current Cup in terms of foiling. Dennis Conner launched the multihull thinking in 1988 against New Zealand’s ‘‘big boat’’. Alinghi used a cat to defend in 2010 but were out-gunned by Oracle’s trimaran.
There were two cycles where catamarans were compulsory – the
72-footers from San Francisco and the
50-footers from Bermuda, where Kiwi ingenuity excelled on both occasions.
Dis for defenders, as the syndicate that holds the Cup is called. Team New Zealand are making their third defence after 2000 (win) and 2003 (loss). No team outside of the United States has had that many defences.
Eis for the event authority (ACE), that runs the logistics of the regatta in Auckland.
Fis for foiling where the boats lift on their foil wings, clearing them from water resistance and increasing speed.
Revolutionised by Team New Zealand for the 2013 Cup, and advanced even further in Bermuda with their cycle power, the art has progressed so far that the goal is to complete the course without getting your hulls wet.
Gis for Grant, as in Grant Dalton, the Team New Zealand boss. He made his name as a round-theworld sailor with a rare ability to raise funds and motivate.
Dalton took over the sinking Kiwi syndicate in the wake of their gutting 2003 Cup loss in Auckland and his persistence through the heartbreaks of Valencia 2007 and San Francisco 2013 was finally rewarded with success at Bermuda 2017.
His for hydraulics. Fuelled by human-powered grinders, they are key to activating these energy-hungry boats, providing the energy to move the giant wingsail.
I is for Iain Murray, the genial and well-respected Australian who will again be regatta director. Having overseen the mountain of challenges in San Francisco and the aggressive action in Bermuda, he’s just the man to calm the waters for Auckland as a whole new class of boat operates.
Jis for Jimmy Spithill, the former Oracle skipper who won two America’s Cups and is now a key figure in the challenge for Italy’s Luna Rossa. The red-headed Aussie is nicknamed Pitbull for good reason – he’s aggressive and relentless.
Kis for KZ7, New Zealand’s first America’s Cup boat whose spirit lives on after a thrilling 1987 Cup campaign in Fremantle.
Named Kiwi Magic but dubbed ‘‘Plastic Fantastic’’, it showcased Kiwi ingenuity as fibreglass hulls were used for the first time.
‘‘If you want to build a glass boat, why would you do it unless you wanted to cheat?’’ complained American Dennis Conner whose conventional Stars and Stripes boat beat the Kiwis 4-1 in the challenger final and went on to thump Australia in the match and regain the trophy he had lost four years earlier.
Lis for leeward, the direction the wind is blowing towards. Get used to your yachting terms. The leeward foil is the one away from the wind that is slicing through the water, while the windward foil is elevated by the force of the wind and has the bulk of the crew in it.
Mis for The Match ... that’s yachting-speak for the actual sail-off for the America’s Cup, the final between defenders Team New Zealand and the top challenger.
Nis for nautical mile, which equals 1.852 kilometres. The course, chosen from one of five in the Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf, will feature leg lengths between 1.3 and 2.2 nautical miles. The definitive race distance will depend on the wind speed and selected course each day with an anticipated 35-minute race duration, including pre-start.
Ois for overboard, as in losing a crew member off the side of the boat. It happened in Bermuda and don’t be surprised to see it happen in Auckland with the speeds of these boats now going past the 50 knots mark and the g-forces in turns enormous.
Pis for Prada, the Italian fashion empire that backs the challenger of record Luna Rossa and has replaced Louis Vuitton as a major sponsor.
You’ll see plenty of their brand around, particularly during the racing from January 15 to February 22, which they will help run ahead of the America’s Cup match in March.
Qis for the qualifying series, which is the first phase of racing. It involves the three challengers battling it out towards a final that will determine who goes on to race Team New Zealand.
Ris for rudder, the mechanism at the back of the boat used for steering. The has adjustable winglets at the bottom to improve lift and stability. If it breaks clear of the surface the new AC75 has a tendency to leap up out of the water.
Sis for Sir, as in Russell Coutts and Sir Ben Ainslie, the knighted sailors. Coutts has evolved into a Cup legend, winning with New Zealand, Swiss and American syndicates though he has no role in Auckland, the first time since 1995 he will be absent.
Ainslie, the most decorated sailor in Olympic history, won the Cup with Oracle in 2013 but now has his own British syndicate at INEOS Team UK.
Don’t forget Sir Michael Fay, the man who backed New Zealand’s first Cup challenge in 1987.
TUis for time, always regarded the greatest commodity no-one can control when perpetual development is key to success.
is for under control, a crucial element to winning races in these high-speed boats. They are so over-powered for their 11-man crew that’s not always easy, as has been seen in buildup mishaps, resulting in multiple capsizes.
Vis for velocity made good or VMG, a complex equation needed because a boat often cannot, or should not, sail directly to a mark to reach it as quickly as possible. So it’s a matter of working out the quickest and shortest route based around trade-offs between speed and progress via the number of turns.
Wis for wingsail. That’s the giant 135 to 145-square-metre triangle in the middle of the boat that looks more like an airplane wing and acts in much the same way.
This one is different to the rigid wingsails of the catamarans, though. It is double-skinned, effectively two soft sails running down either side of the 26.5m mast.
Xis for X-factor, the ingredient that inevitably sets the winners apart. Will it be pure speed via design genius, will it be efficiency through tricky moves like foiling tacks and gybes, or will it be a tactician’s gamble?
Yis for the Youth America’s Cup, which would have been held in conjunction with the main event but fell victim to immigration restrictions around the Covid-19 pandemic.
An exciting smaller class of foiling monohull had even been designed and built in readiness for Auckland
2021 before it was dashed by government officials not willing to allow the large number of international teams into the country to prepare and race.
It’s a shame in terms of development, which was proven by current Team New Zealand stars Burling, Tuke, Andy Maloney and Guy Endean being part of the successful
2013 New Zealand youth team.
Zis for zero, as in the massive 200sqm Code Zero sail that will feature at the front of the boats if the winds get light enough.