The 2013 the America’s Cup Summer of Racing is well underway in San Francisco, with the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals just a week away. The America’s Cup Finals will take place September 7-12, when the top challenger will battle the defending team, Oracle Team USA, for the oldest and most prestigious trophy in international sport. Three teams are in contention for the position of challenger: Artemis Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand, and Luna Rossa Challenge 2013. New boats, cutting-edge technology, and a close-to-shore venue have transformed the 34th edition of the America’s Cup, making this summer’s exciting series unlike any event of the past.
First awarded in 1851, the America’s Cup is the oldest, continuously contested trophy in international sport. Originally awarded to the schooner America for winning a race around the Isle of Wight in 1851, the trophy was renamed the America’s Cup and donated to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) under the terms of the Deed of Gift, making the cup available for perpetual international competition. The America’s Cup is awarded to the winner of the America’s Cup match races between two sailing yachts, the defender (current trophy holder) and the challenger. Since 1970, the challenger has been determined by the Challenger Selection Series of races, now known as the Louis Vuitton Cup.
The America’s Cup features several firsts this year, most notably the use of the AC72, the wing-sail catamaran capable of sailing its 72-foot length in a single second. An innovative development in the design of the AC72s now allows the seven-ton craft to lift out of the water and “fly” on hydrofoils. This presents unprecedented handling challenges, difficult for even the world’s best sailors to surmount, as evidenced by the tragic death this May of Artemis strategist Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson, when the team’s vessel capsized during training. A similar, but smaller craft, AC45 catamarans, were used in the America’s Cup World Series in 2011-2012, the prelude to this summer’s events.
For the first time, there is a new pathway series for youth sailors, the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. The event, scheduled for September 1-4, presents the opportunity for young sailors to gain the experience they need to contribute to a Cup team. Open to national teams of six sailors, aged 19 to 24 in 2013, racing will take place in the same high performance, wing-sailed AC45 catamarans that are used in the America’s Cup World Series.
Be sure to catch the America’s Cup Superyacht Regatta, scheduled during the off-days of the America’s Cup Finals. A staple companion event of the America’s Cup since 2000, the Superyacht Regatta will take place September 9, 11 and 13, with one race per day. This year, the America’s Cup will host a fleet of some 15 superyachts ranging in size from 85 feet to 300 feet, many of which will be berthed along the eastern seawall of the America’s Cup Park, at Piers 27/29.
While an AC72 catamaran may not be in your future, Atlantic Yacht and Ship has a large selection of new and pre-owned yachts for sale so you can cruise in style. Whether you are interested in purchasing a boat or are thinking about selling your yacht, the experienced brokers at Atlantic Yacht & Ship’s headquarter sales office dockside at Harbour Towne Marina in the heart of the yachting capital of the world, Fort Lauderdale, FL will guide you through every step of the process. Contact Atlantic Yacht & Ship at 954.921.1500 today to find the vessel of your dreams.