Tag: America’s Cup

America’s Cup Preview

America’s Cup
“Your Majesty, there is no second place.”

Bermuda is abuzz. After all, not many venues get to host yachting’s holy grail. It’s time once again for the 166-year-old America’s Cup (AC) to eclipse the world of sailing and light up the imaginations of sailors and landlubbers alike.

In its 35th running, the often-controversial event has been dubbed the race of millionaires and draws a crowd of enthusiasts and critics alike, each hoping to catch a glimpse of the action and a photo of the silver. Love it or hate it, you certainly won’t be able to ignore it this summer as the defender Oracle Team USA takes on the winner of the 2017 Louis Vuitton Challenger Playoffs.

The action will take place in America’s Cup Class (ACC) catamarans, which are a little larger (nearly 50 feet LOA) than the AC45F yachts (45-foot, one-design, foiling, fixed wing cats) used in the Louis Vuitton World Series. An overhaul of the rules stipulates that the next AC, already set for 2019, will be raced only in ACC boats while the AC45Fs will be retired.

The venue is Great Sound near the city of Hamilton in Bermuda. This summer, Oracle helmsman, Jimmy Spithill, will defend the trophy for the Golden Gate Yacht Club against challenging clubs that hail from seven countries: Italy, Australia, Sweden, New Zealand, Great Britain, France, and Japan.

U.S. enthusiasts can watch the action remotely during waking hours and without much risk of spoiler alerts because Bermuda’s time zone isn’t off by much from the U.S. east coast. The World Series will be raced in late May and early June, followed by the playoffs in the second week of June. The 35th defense will be the best of 13 (or the first to reach seven points) and is expected to take place June 17-27, although these dates are provisional.

Events beyond the qualifiers and the AC races are also planned. The first is the Youth America’s Cup that will consist of up to 16 teams of sailors aged 19-24 years. Another will be the attendance of eight classic J Class yachts, mostly replicas of the refined vessels that raced in the 1930s. Finally, superyachts of 80-plus feet will compete in an invitational just before the AC final matches begin.

Part of the bay has already been staked out for spectating superyachts to enjoy front-row seats. Who among us would pass up the chance to sit on the aft deck behind celebrity-sized sunglasses, sipping a glass of chilled white and cheering on helmeted racers who look more like SWAT team members than sailors?

If you don’t breathe this rarified air, you may still be able to get in on the action in a few ways. Tickets are sold via the official website (americascup.com) and are available for grandstand seating, VIP spectator boats and the America’s Cup village. The Moorings is offering all-inclusive crewed charters on some of their 4800 and 5800 catamarans. A lucky few will enjoy luxury accommodations, the services of a gourmet chef and a fully stocked bar along with a great on-the-water vacation. The Moorings will also be selling tickets to grandstand seating, the village and Gosling’s Dark and Stormy Island Bar. It’s the next best thing to wine on that superyacht deck.

In case all this sounds too crowded and harried, the AC will also be televised. NBC Sports will provide live coverage of the Louis Vuitton qualifiers and NBC National will cover the final match races. The AC marketing team is also active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, or you can download the AC app for the latest news and results.

Ever since the upstart schooner America dared to challenge Aurora of the English Royal Yacht Squadron to a race around the Isle of Wight, the Cup has represented the pursuit of sailing excellence. The trophy, known as “Auld Mug”, was displayed at the New York Yacht Club from just after the first race in 1851 until Australia II of the Royal Perth Yacht Club broke the streak and snatched it away in 1983.

Many of the races weren’t as friendly as the first one watched by Queen Victoria, and subsequent courtroom drama shaped much of AC history. But it has always been a spectacle, and every few years this contentious competition momentarily blocks out the sun, grabs the world by the collar and demands attention like few other grand prix events can. Winner takes all. And as was famously explained to the queen herself, “There is no second place.”

By Zuzana Prochazka Southern Boating May 2017

See the America’s Cup in Bermuda

Cruise or race your way from the Caribbean to Bermuda to watch the America’s Cup. The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers start on May 26th off this British Overseas Territory located 1,000 miles from the coast of the Carolinas. Starting on June 17th, the top Challenge will meet defending champions, Oracle Team USA, in the 35th Cup. Cruisers can take their start north on the Salty Dawg Spring Rally. The rally starts on May 15th out of the Nanny Cay Marina in Tortola, B.V.I., after several days of parties, boat preparation and weather briefings. Ralliers will then head to their U.S. port of choice. Linda Knowles, Vice President of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, says that this year several rally participants are planning to stop in Bermuda for the America’s Cup qualifiers and finale.

Racers can embark on a trip north via the inaugural Antigua to Bermuda Race, which is organized by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Sailors take their start at 12PM on May 12th off Fort Charlotte, Antigua. “Many boats are planning to be in Antigua for our 50th Anniversary Antigua Sailing Week (ASW), April 29th to May 5th. Following this, there will be a week’s grace to make repairs and provision before the start of the 900-nautical mile race to Bermuda,” says Alison Sly-Adams, Commercial Director for ASW. Over 40 yachts are expected to compete, including the magnificent Swan 90, Freya. There are also charters available from companies such as Ondeck, Performance Yacht Charters, Global Yacht Racing and the Bermuda Sloop Foundation. saltydawgsailing.org; antiguabermuda.com

National Marine Suppliers opens at Yacht Haven Grande

Megayacht crews and grand prix race teams now have a new source for everything from provisioning to engineering and deck expertise when in the U.S.V.I. National Marine Suppliers—the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-headquartered yacht suppliers and logistical support group—has opened an office at IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas. The marina here is a 5-Gold Anchor facility that boasts 46 berths for superyachts up to 656 feet in length and up to an 18-foot draft. Located on the east side of the Charlotte Amalie harbor, Yacht Haven Grande is central to many restaurants, shops and the airport, which offers direct daily flights to several destinations in the U.S. nationalmarine.com; igy-yachthavengrande.com

New Poker Run Circuit

Throttle up and get ready for more fun and more winnings in the new Caribbean Triple Crown Poker Run. This year’s first-ever three-legged circuit kicks off on May 28th for the Leverick Bay Poker Run held off Virgin Gorda in the B.V.I. Then on July 2nd the Stars and Stripes Poker Run takes place out of IGY’s Yacht Grande Marina in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. The cup wraps up on July 16th at the St. Maarten Poker Run hosted out of Isle del Sol Yacht Club in St. Maarten. The winner of all three events will take home $20,000 in cash and prizes and earns the title of IGY Triple Crown Poker Run Cup champion. Nick Willis, who founded the Leverick Bay Poker Run in 2001, says he never thought the event would garner so much recognition and response from powerboaters. “It’s one event, three destinations and the chance to give back to multiple charities,” says Willis. The Caribbean Triple Crown Poker Run is an official member of the Florida Power Boating Club & Poker Runs of America. For more information, contact Javier Lopez at (787) 529-8064 or
j.lopez@caribbeanpokerrun.com.

It’s regatta time!

Three of the Caribbean’s biggest regattas take place this month: The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, St. Thomas International Regatta and BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. Sailors and sailing enthusiasts alike come from around the world to race and watch. It’s an excellent opportunity to join in the fun on sea and shore. New this year, all three regattas offer added racing before their main three-day events.

St. Maarten kicks off with its Gill Commodores Cup March 3-6. Like last year, all classes—not just the racers—are welcome to enter. The St. Thomas International Regatta (March 24-27) launches its first-ever Round the Rocks Race on. The course is a beautiful circumnavigation of the adjacent U.S.V.I. of St. John. The B.V.I.’s Sailing Festival (March 28th-April 3rd), as part of its 45th anniversary celebration, offers two days of warm-up racing.

What make these regattas so great, too, are the calibre of talent and the spectacular yachts. For example, Dutch-based Team Brunel aboard their 65-foot Volvo Ocean Racer is entered in St. Maarten. This sleek, canting keel yacht will be on the dock at the St. Maarten Yacht Club, so it’s easy to get a close up and personal look at this amazing racing machine. An entire class of Gunboats will race in St. Thomas, including the U.S.’s Phil Lotz and Robert Alexander on the GB 60s, Arethusa and Fault Tolerant, respectively, as well as Jason Carroll’s GB 62 Elvin. Over a dozen VX One teams from as far away as Australia will be racing in St. Thomas and in the B.V.I. as part of the inaugural two-leg VX One Caribbean Cup. Most exciting is that all three regattas offer a vibe that isn’t equalled anywhere else in the world and the chance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with America’s Cup veterans, Olympic medallists and world champions with free-flowing rum in hand and toe-tapping to a pulsating Caribbean beat. No blue blazers or membership cards required. heinekenregatta.com, stthomasinternationalregatta.com, bvispringregatta.org

Charter by the stateroom in the B.V.I.

If you ever wanted to take a crewed yacht charter in the Caribbean but didn’t have the cash or crowd of family and friends for an entire boat, no worries. The Moorings makes it easy. Now, in the B.V.I. only, you can charter one of three staterooms aboard a Moorings 4600 or Moorings 4800 catamaran. Dates are pre-determined, while meals, beverages (including fully stocked bar), snacks, water sports, Wi-Fi, and housekeeping are included. Prices range from $3,800 to $6,500 for double occupancy, for seven days. “Sail Away Staterooms are still a highly personalized experience, with a professional captain and gourmet chef providing experiences and culinary delights that are designed to meet guests’ preferences,” says Carol Hansen, senior content manager for the Clearwater, Florida-headquartered The Moorings. Another unique advantage is the opportunity to meet new people and experience affordable island-hopping aboard a luxury yacht. moorings.com 

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating Magazine March 2016

Ryan Finn successfully completed over 20,000 miles

Ryan Finn

Ryan Finn grew up sailing with his family on the northern Gulf Coast, but while undergoing treatments for cancer as a teenager he became fascinated and read everything he could get his hands on regarding solo sailing. Now at 36, Finn has successfully completed over 20,000 miles of solo offshore experience as well as three Trans-Atlantic and three Trans-Pacific crossings on boats ranging from Open 60s to Mini Transat designs. Fresh off the European racing circuit, Finn is now attempting his greatest challenge yet and needs your help grabbing the solo nonstop sailing record from New York to San Francisco on the old clipper ship sailing route around Cape Horn.

Finn has teamed with a leading America’s Cup boat designer to build a 32-foot Polynesian-style Proa in New Orleans. The unusual sailboat with only one outrigger off the hull is incredibly fast, especially going upwind, and the team expects the boat and the lone skipper would complete the 13,000-mile journey in less than 70 days using current weather models. While lining up corporate sponsors for the attempt, Finn is also crowdsourcing funding in what may be the first ever Kickstarter campaign used for a serious world record sailing attempt. Racing against himself, the weather, the notorious Cape Horn crossing, and time, Finn is sailing under the 2Oceans1Rock.org banner and if successful, could well join the boating history books alongside the legions of legendary sailors from the Gulf Coast.

 

A giant new species?

The Cajuns of South Louisiana are known to have an affinity for almost any tasty waterborne creature from crawfish to alligator, but their natural seafood diets failed to extend into the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico where a curious pod of whales has been recently discovered. Whales are slightly unusual in the Gulf of Mexico although there are approximately 19 species, including humpback and sperm whales, that will range into the warm waters to feed, but marine biologists have located what may become an entirely new species of whale that calls one deep trench off the Northern Gulf Coast their permanent home.

Numbering only 50, these giants are baleen or great whales-—originally classified as Bryde’s whales—which can grow as long as 55 feet and weigh over 90,000 pounds. Feeding primarily on large amounts of small fish, the northern Gulf of Mexico is an especially productive fishing ground with the giant Loop Current interacting with the large bays and estuaries along the coast. A research expedition located them in the deepwater DeSoto canyon almost due south of Pensacola, and DNA and other testing have revealed that they may be their own species of whale. If so, this unique pod would immediately become the most endangered whale species in the world.

 

 

By Troy Gilbert, Southern Boating May, 2015

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