Cat’s out of the bag: Monohulls for next America’s Cup

America’s Cup hosts Team New Zealand have confirmed the next event will be sailed in high performance monohull yachts.

Confirmation of the move, first signalled by Luna Rossa head Patrizio Bertelli to a newspaper earlier yesterday, came from the Emiratessponsored New Zealand syndicate last night.

Currently there are a team of designers, lead by design coordinator Dan Bernasconi, working on various exciting monohull concepts which will eventually help shape the AC36 Class Rule,’’ a statement from Team New Zealand read.

‘‘Emirates Team New Zealand have been consulting with a number of potential challengers and there is an overall desire to have a spectacular monohull yacht that will be exciting to match race, but also one that the public and sailors can relate to as a sail boat that really challenges a full crew of professional yachtsman around the race track.’’

More details around the protocol for the 36th edition of the cup will be announced at the end of the month.

Bertelli, who heads the challenger of record Luna Rossa told Italian newspaper La Stampa that the event would move away from catamarans.

It appears the deal was effectively done over two years ago when Luna Rossa agreed to help out Team NZ ahead of the last America’s Cup in Bermuda. Bertelli said the Italian camp loaned Team NZ their test platform and key staff on the con- dition that if the Kiwi syndicate won in Bermuda, Luna Rossa would be instated challenger of record and the event would return to monohulls.

“It was the condition for Luna Rossa to help them with men and means in the last edition,” Bertelli told La Stampa.

He said the new generation monohulls “will be very powerful boats” with foiling capabilities, but did not offer any further details.

Foiling catamarans have featured in the past two America’s Cup regattas under former custodians Oracle Team USA. The move brought about a quantum shift for the event, bringing about high-speed racing, often pitched as Formula 1 on the water.

Five of the six teams competing in Bermuda this year supported sticking with the 50 foot America’s Cup Class catamarans used in this year’s event, signing a framework agreement months out from the regatta agreeing to stick with the status quo if they won the Cup. Team NZ were the only team not to sign the document.