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Yeap!

We have a venue for the 35th America's Cup finals.

Bermuda! June 2017!

It will be the first time the USA defender is hosting away from home, but oh what a venue! Simply chosen for its Eastern seaboard TV coverage appeal after most networks said the exciting racing from the 2013 even would've been enhanced further if a suitable time zone was found to slot racing in.

Wealthy and well heeled Bermuda, surprisingly, is a British Commonwealth country, it will be the fourth one to host the regatta.

BUT, still to be decided is where the Challenger finals are to be held. And who will be it's main sponsor.

There is early speculation that Luna Rossa Challenge and Team New Zealand have put forward proposals to provide a venue and tense negotiations are believed to be underway.

Originally, as planned in the new rules, the original Challenger of Record was to host the challenger finals. That was Team Australia...who suddenly pulled out earlier this year. This opened up the possibility of another country hosting. But not necessarily fronting a team.

The challenger and America's Cup finals will be using the new 62foot class catamaran, a compromise to the horrendously expensive 72foot speed demons that were almost too hot to handle in the last event.

What of Louis Vuitton?

Louis Vuitton, the long term sponsor of the challenger series untill 2013 said that it (2013) was their last. Citing difficult working relationships with the defenders committee and the controversy surrounding the previous event. It was hoped that New Zealand would be next host, but history has shown otherwise.

Team New Zealand has remained holders of the Louis Vuitton Cup since 2007 after winning it in 1995 and forfeiting as Americas Cup holders in 2000 and 03. There has been more speculation that LV would return if Team NZ, and Auckland were hosts.

But in the murky world of America's Cup, anything is likely and the idea of Italy hosting the 2017 Challenger Series definitely holds appeal with that top end market well catered for there.

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  • 3 months later...

:wacko::)

Ahh...The topsy turvy world of America's Cup.

It now looks like ALL racing is to take place in Hamilton after a majority vote by challengers turned down Auckland as the Finals qualifying venue and to dump the new AC60 class catamaran for the regular AC45 class.

This was to reduce costs for the event which is now two years away.

Longtime player Team NZ is, unsurprisingly, not happy as NZ govt funding was relient on the challenger qualifyer races being held in Auckland. Strong signals had been sent as late as January that AC35's organizers were going to remove Auckland as the final host of the series.

Oracle Team USA has the power of Veto of any changes but the idea of containing the entire event in Bermuda simply carried more favour as all but one of the challengers are from Europe. The costs of moving container loads of gear around the world and leaving one challenger to hurridly move all the way back to Bermuda seemed pointless ontop of the excitement of the racing. This was one of the reasons for the original Australian COR challengers pull out early. They were going to hold a series in Sydney Habour. (personally I'd rather see it all in Bermuda)

As for the downsizing of yachts, it's almost too late to change as a few teams have already spent millions on the AC60 format in design and testing, some costs already ballooned out into the high $50million mark already for one team.

It is still possible to race in modified AC45s but even Oracle is so far advanced in it's AC60 project, downsizing simply would cost more to do.

Edited by Alexjc
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:( And of the top of that...

Luna Rossa has pulled out of the America's Cup today stating the sudden decision to downsize to the AC45 class boats the final straw after LR had invested millions in developing it's AC60 program. Luna Rossa has been a player since 2000 being the Challenger in that regatta. They have also noted the lack of arbitration and the fact that Oracle has not set up a panel to discuss issues with only two years to go.

What a shame, no chrome covered Prada catamaran gracing the waves anymore.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Am I the only one that thinks the America's Cup is a bit of a joke? There is awesome racing when they actually bother to race, but all the behind the scene legal battles and the arbitrary changes of classes makes the event hard to take too seriously IMO.

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Am I the only one that thinks the America's Cup is a bit of a joke? There is awesome racing when they actually bother to race, but all the behind the scene legal battles and the arbitrary changes of classes makes the event hard to take too seriously IMO.

It's a very strange hybrid. It's really between yacht clubs/syndicates; and then the whole thing is governed by the deeds of the original 1850 competition which was just between UK and US clubs. And all the wrangling, challenges, etc., are all fought in courtrooms. So, yes, the America's Cup is really an extension of boardroom battles. It's really just a rich man's game.

Edited by baron-pierreIV
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  • 2 years later...

America's Cup 2017 underway.

Louis Vuitton races...

If you can figure out how it all works - you're doing better than me.:wacko: 

 

 

Edited by Alexjc
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Day Three. Final races for Round Robin 1 .

Artemis Sweden should feel aggrieved after being wrongfully penalized by the race umpires during their race against ETNZ...and who were well on the way to a spectacular victory. Unfortunately the decision can no longer be overturned by the on shore arbitration process as no physical contact on the water was made. Umpires were under the impression that Artemis failed to give enough right of way to ETNZ at mark five but later revealed to be of no consequence. 

 

 

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Day One of Round Robin 2...Just the three races today.

(Completely reverses the race format of Round Robin 1)

Today's racing went without hitch.

In a re-race of yesterday's Artemis Sweden v Emirates Team NZ, Team NZ won comfortably after trailing and then passing Sweden at leg five. Soon after Artemis were penalized for not giving way the ETNZ...This time the umpires got it right.

Oracle USA easily took revenge on France by over two minutes and Artemis simply couldn't come back from it's earlier defeat to ETNZ to be beaten by BAR Great Britain.

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On 6/4/2017 at 2:22 AM, baron-pierreIV said:

Didn't realize this is even going on.  But it's in faraway Hamilton, so with all the other more important things going on in the world, not on my radar. 

Yeah...Same old same old...5am - 6am start times for New Zealand and the racing is all of 20mins at best. Very fast though. The more manageable AC50 cats can really move but are far more unforgiving with errors. 

Semi Finals have begun with Team NZ choosing BAR UK as it's challenger while Artemis Sweden and Team Japan paired off for their challenger racing.

Weird rules as always in the Round Robins with Oracle Team USA joining in. The top challengers got to choose who they raced against in the Semis. That was Team NZ, so naturally they chose the weakest qualifier. Artemis Sweden was second and had to settle for Team Japan.

Two races each today...The Sweden v Japan series looks to be a dusey...But NZ v UK could be a cake walk unless Team BAR can really up their game.

 

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:D Splat!...What a day out on the water!!!

Team NZ Shore Crew sticking the cat back together overnight...But that's the drama of the america's Cup.

So one race each for Team NZ (winning the first race) and BAR Team Great Britain.

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No racing today, weather still too rough, so Team NZ had an extra day to give their Cat a better going over... All is ready for racing tomorrow.

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Emirates Team New Zealand, as if that capsize never happened a couple of days ago, swept aside Land Rover BAR Great Britain today in Bermuda to secure a Finals spot in the Challengers Series...BAR GB can hold their heads high as a wonderful learning curb...They will be back.

 

However the battle between Artemis Sweden and Soft Bank Team Japan is shaping up to be a cliffhanger Semi Final...Looking like a photo finish. 

 

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Do miss the 72ft Cats...But in all fairness, unaffordable...

:( Sadly...I believe Oracle will be impossible to beat. 

Sweden and New Zealand are evenly matched...As we have found out today, it's human endurance and tactics that will make the difference. Both teams have major weaknesses. Oracle is simply too slick an operation.

I'm not getting my hopes up and most here in NZ sort of feel the same. Also a major Rugby tour is underway and got the country distracted.

19105551_1773393319353760_79259422463466

Edited by Alexjc
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1 hour ago, paul said:

He knows his stuff and should be able to hold a team together for 2020. It took NZ three failed challenges to be successful in it's fourth because of Russell Coutts. And only lost to Switzerland because Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth were bought out with big $$$. Oracle holds the America's Cup because of Russell Coutts.

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