Fresh talk of rival Cup series using foiling catamarans
Speculation of a series using the foiling America’s Cup catamarans from Bermuda and involving several of those teams continues to mount.
Hints of a way to keep the remarkable cats active following Emirates Team New Zealand’s win of the Auld Mug and decision to return to monohulls for 2021 first surfaced last October.
Now the respected Sailing Illustrated, edited by Cup veteran Tom Ehman, suggested things were firming for a United States contest.
The well-connected Ehman, whose predictions are usually on the money, said ‘‘highly reliable’’ sources indicated Oracle Team USA boss Larry Ellison was aiming for a San Francisco regatta to link in with his annual Oracle Open World convention in late October.
There could be additional regattas in Bermuda and Chicago using the AC50s.
Ehman tipped that as many as six teams could be involved – Oracle Team USA, former Cup holders Alinghi from Switzerland, an Austrian outfit backed by Red Bull, Sweden’s Artemis Racing, Japan and Team France.
There was also a hint that Louis Vuitton, replaced as a major sponsor for the next America’s Cup by Italian fashion giant Prada, could back the series.
Official entries for the next America’s Cup likely to be sailed in Auckland opened on January 1 though confirmation of submissions that must come with a US$1m fee aren’t likely to be revealed by host club the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron until the middle of the month.
Alinghi and Artemis Racing have both expressed reservations about the return to monohulls, though Team New Zealand’s radical design for a 75-foot foiling monster they claim is fully capable of faster speeds than the catamarans could ultimately be persuasive.
The New York Yacht Club, Britain’s Ben Ainslie Racing and Italy’s challenger of record Luna Rossa, will be involved in the next America’s Cup.
Team France had indicated a willingness to continue though they are looking for new sponsorship and an easier option to retain a high profile could be to stay in the catamaran game.
Team New Zealand will be confident that the history and intrigue of the America’s Cup will keep it the premier event in the sport.
There have been hints of a second challenge from Italy and strong interest from Australia to return.
Official entries for the next America’s Cup likely to be sailed in Auckland opened on January 1 though confirmation of submissions aren’t likely to be revealed until the middle of the month.