America’s Cup rules released

Yacht designers for the next America’s Cup can get to work after the class rules were released yesterday.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Circolo della Vela Sicilia, together with Team New Zealand and the Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa, have published the AC75 Class Rule for the 36th America’s Cup.

The rule defines the parameters within which teams can design a yacht eligible to compete in the

2021 Cup. Highlights of the rule include:

❚ Strict limitations on the number of components that can be built including hulls, masts, rudders, foils and sails, which will encourage teams to do more research and development in simulation, so less physical construction and testing.

❚ Supplied foil arms and cant system to save design time and construction costs.

❚ Supplied rigging.

❚ One design mast tube. In addition, the ‘soft wing’ mainsail concept is expected to have a trickle down effect on sailing in the future.

‘‘The AC75 Class Rule sets the parameters for the teams to develop and race the fastest sailing monohull on earth,’’ Martin Fischer, design co-ordinator for Luna Rossa Challenge said.

Team New Zealand design coordinator Dan Bernasconi said: ‘‘This marks a turning point from developing the rule to developing the boat. Overnight we have to completely change our thinking, from trying to write a fair rule, to doing our best to design the fastest boat within the constraints of the rule.’’

This will be the same for the best minds in yacht design and technology across all of the teams who will begin to reveal their innovations March 31, 2019 when the first AC75 yachts can be launched.