Team boss Vincenzo Onorato's valedictory letter implies that he had expected to see a significant part of the Cup circus feature in Italian waters. Perhaps he'd even been hoping for the Cup itself, although we'll never know. "Larry [Ellison, head of Oracle] deeply loves Italy and he was excited about this idea. The Cup in Italy would have been the greatest worldwide promotion for our beautiful coasts. There have been some very high level and important meetings that made us believing in this dream, but the things went in a different way." Without an Italian stage, Onorato must have been struggling to convince his two Italian sponsors to sign on the dotted line.
Onorato continues: "As Challenger of Record, we have worked with humility next to Oracle and I am satisfied of the result we have reached: a new Cup, spectacular, with new boats, the catamarans, that will launch on the international scene a new generation of sailors." The idea of a Challenger of Record working "with humility next to" the Defender will stick in the craw with Cup traditionalists. While there is much in the new direction of the America's Cup to get excited about, surely the role of the Challenger of Record is to challenge, not to become a co-signatory to, the Defender's plans.
This all sounds very reminiscent of the aftermath of the 2007 America's Cup, when a day after retaining the Cup, Alinghi published a protocol endorsed by a brand new yacht club from Spain, the Club Nautico Español de Vela (CNEV), Alinghi's Challenger of Record. The CNEV signed up to a protocol that was widely judged to be one of the most one-sided documents we have seen in the America's Cup.
The subsequent discrediting of the CNEV's status as a bone fide yacht club in the New York Supreme Court, and now Mascalzone Latino's failure to even make it past first base of this America's Cup cycle, raises interesting questions for the future of the Cup. Does the failure of the two most recent Challengers of Record point to the need for a ‘health check' of future aspirants to the role?
While it is not yet officially confirmed, the rules of the America's Cup state the Challenger of Record role is then moved on to the next team to have entered. In this case, the next entrant is Artemis, the Swedish challenged headed up by Paul Cayard.
Just over four years ago, Russell Coutts and Paul Cayard announced the launch of a new professional racing circuit, called the World Sailing League. The competition would take place in 70-foot, state-of-the-art catamarans. It was a grand and exciting vision, but when nothing of substance followed from that announcement, Coutts and Cayard were dismissed as being out of their league, and that they should stick to the sailing. But now it looks like the World Sailing League's happening after all, just that it's changed its name to the America's Cup.
ell Coutts bitten off more than he can chew? His spectacular capsize in an AC45 shows just how challenging these new catamarans are. But of greater concern for the Kiwi is the diminishing number of challengers prepared to take on the might of Oracle Racing in 2013.
Fourteen teams have paid $25k to say they're serious about challenging Oracle Racing for the next America's Cup. However, these teams are going to have to spend a lot more than that in the coming months if they're going to mount any kind of credible challenge, with the first America's Cup World Series regattas due to be contested in Portugal and England this summer.
st team to capsize an AC45 multihull goes to Swedish challenge Artemis Racing. These are frisky beasts, and no mistake, a far cry from the sedate 12-Meters of yesteryear, or the AC keelboats that ruled the roost for the past 20 years...
As a sailor, Russell Coutts could do no wrong. As the architect of the next America's Cup, however, the Kiwi is making plenty of enemies as he forges ahead with his radical vision for a more media-friendly America's Cup.
Mitch Booth, a double Olympic medallist and former skipper of China Team, explains the challenge of racing AC45 multihulls on short courses...
Having done the tactical job for a few years, Terry Hutchinson found it hard to relinquish control of the decision-making habit when he started steering the TP52. Now when he's helming the AC45 multihull in the America's Cup World Series, more than ever it's vital to be absolutely clear with his communication. Things happen fast and communication needs to be heard and understood first time, every time...
In Part 2 of our exclusive interview with Nathan Outteridge, the Artemis Racing skipper reveals where he things the big gains are likely to be made in the 2017 America's Cup.... "I think the big design battles are going to be in foil design, picking the area required for the foils based on when you want to take off and when you want top speed...." More from Nathan inside...
One of the enduring themes of all our conversations with top sailors is their ‘Never Say Die’ (NSD) attitude. No matter how bad things get, you just do whatever it takes to get the job done. Because you never know how things might work out. The America’s Cup World Series racing in Bermuda saw Artemis Racing deliver a perfect example of NSD.
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, then maybe your name is Russell Coutts. If it’s not, then read what the three-time America’s Cup winner has to say about keeping calm in a crisis.....
Justin has been racing on the 90ft canting keeler Genuine Risk in the Caribbean, and talking to Dean Barker about flipping grand prix catamarans like the VX40 and AC45. Andy says he'll eat his hat if the multihull doesn't make it in for the Rio 2016 Games, but not much else is certain in the build-up to next week's controversial ISAF mid-year meeting in Russia....
