The sailing world is getting pumped about the return of the 35th annual Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series to New York Harbor on May 6 – 8. The America’s Cup World Series is a succession of racing circuits transpiring over the course of two years featuring the best sailors in the world, competing on foiling wingsailed catamarans traveling at speeds close to 50 miles per hour.
The 35th America’s Cup began in summer 2015 with six teams, including an American team, and will culminate in Bermuda in 2017.
The contenders in this challenging cup are Oracle Team USA, Artemis Racing (Sweden), Emirates Team New Zealand, Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing (Britain), Groupama Team France and SoftBank Team Japan. Oracle Team USA won the America’s Cup in 2011 and 2013 and is dedicated to the task of winning for a third consecutive time in 2017.
The USA sailing team is captained by Jimmy Spithill along with crew Tom Slingsby, Andrew Campbell, Matt Cassidy, Cooper Dressler, Kinley Fowler, Ky Hurst, Tom Johnson, Rome Kirby, Kyle Langford, Joey Newton, Sam Newton, Louis Sinclair, Graeme Spence and Coach Philippe Presti. The crew of 14 ranges in age from 24 to 38 and has a diverse sailing background from around the globe. For more information on the crew visit oracle-team-usa.americascup.com.
The America’s Cup began in July 2015 in Portsmouth, Great Britain. During the course of each year six racing events occur as part of the Cup’s world series, an updated version of the AC45 raced in the last series. In 2016, the America’s World Series began in Muscat Oman on Feb. 27 and the last event is tentatively scheduled for November in Fukuoka, Japan (with the recent earthquakes in Japan, this event has not been confirmed). The American yacht, which is an AC45 catamaran, was designed specifically for the event by Airbus and incorporates hyrdrofoiling capabilities. Land Rover designed the British yacht.
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The race will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, May 8. The World Series uses a high-point scoring system.
The six teams will be racing on the Hudson River for the first time since 1912. The teams will compete head-to-head in New York Harbor and the best places to watch the action will be in Battery Park City Esplanade and the Brookfield Place Waterfront Plaza at 230 Vesey St. All races can be seen off the Battery Park City Esplanade between Pier 25 and The Battery. The event village main stage at Brookfield Place Waterfront Plaza will host the Dock-Out Show where fans can cheer on the teams before heading out to the race course, as well as the awards ceremony.
