Cup crowds will enjoy view from beach sands
The race course for the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona has been revealed ahead of the preliminary regatta in August.
Action will take place just a few hundred metres off the shoreline from late August till the end of October when Team New Zealand will defend the Auld Mug. With 4km of beachfront in Barcelona, fans will be able to see the racing from a beach towel.
Dedicated areas for spectators include the official Race Village situated along the Moll de la Fusta, which will feature big screens, restaurant and bar facilities, and a range of exhibits and stands.
It will also include the “House of AC37”, where a press release said spectators could enjoy an “immersive hospitality experience which features Michelin-quality dining experiences while being entertained on the terraces with sailing commentary from some of the most experienced names in the America’s Cup in a chic nautical-themed environment”.
Emirates Team New Zealand will this month ship their AC75 Taihoro from Auckland to Barcelona to begin event preparations.
Chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge last month said they would end their current spell of AC75 sailing in early May and ship Taihoro mid-month.
Peter Burling, helmsman on the vessel’s starboard side, said it had been a steep development curve from the moment they put Taihoro on the water.
“To be able to put it in the water, have it reliable and to be putting it through its paces as quickly as we have been, it shows really good things for the development,” Burling said.
“It’s really allowing us to get through our testing list before we’ve got to put it on a ship to Barcelona. It’s been an amazing period so far, we’re looking forward to continuing that push.”
Burling said the testing list was “pretty long” and something the entire operation was lending a hand to.
“There’s so many areas of improvement you can have on something this complicated. Everyone is really trying to balance the workload across the organisation to pick off the right areas.
“It’s very different to Te Rehutai. It’s a smaller boat, the systems are a lot more refined, and things are a lot more intricate onboard in terms of the detail we’ve gotten into in the design. It’s a third iteration, third evolution and we’re really excited by the direction we’ve gone.”
Team NZ will revert to two-boat testing with the AC40S during Taihoro’s six-week trip and move to their Barcelona base to resume AC75 sailing in July before the final preliminary regatta is held at the cup venue in late August.