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NEW ZEALAND Match Racing Championships 14-17 November 2024

New Zealand Match Racing Championships

14-17 november 2024.

The 2024 New Zealand Match Racing Championship, hosted the RNZYS, is New Zealand’s biggest Match Racing Regatta.

Four days of intense match racing between some of the best match racers in New Zealand and from overseas and raced in the Elliott 7 fleet right outside the RNZYS!

After an exciting year of Olympic and America’s Cup yachting, this one hints at being a big one.

Expressions of Interest Received

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Sailing News

Photos: 2024 Women’s Day Out

Suellen Hurling 2024-08-27T10:51:24+12:00 August 27, 2024 |

Introducing the Toyota Kiwi Cup Regatta Teams

Suellen Hurling 2024-08-15T13:16:06+12:00 August 15, 2024 |

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2.0 Racing & Waitemata Racing on top of the world

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The sailing yachts racing in the 2021 New Zealand Millennium Cup

Despite being postponed due to an outbreak of coronavirus cases, the 2021 New Zealand Millennium Cup is set to host a standout line-up of some of the most competitive sailing yachts in the world. The regatta, which will take place from March 28-31, is set to be graced by a number of Millennium Cup veterans alongside some new faces too. BOAT takes a look at the sailing yachts hoping to lift the trophy.

A familiar face at the Millennium Cup since her first appearance in 2015, Sassafras will return to do battle this year. The 34.2 metre aluminium yacht, which was launched by Dutch yard Royal Huisman in 2000, will attempt to better her 2020 fourth place finish. With naval architecture by Ted Hood and exterior design by Ted Fontaine, Sassafras can accommodate a total of eight guests with five crew members.

Based in Auckland, Tawera is no stranger to the Bay of Islands. After losing out on the title in 2018 she returned in 2019 to win the regatta and lift the trophy. After a year off, Tawera will be back and looking to secure another win in the 2021 edition of the Millennium Cup. The 28 metre sailing yacht was delivered in 1995 by Alloy Yachts and is currently offered for sale.

More about this yacht

Aschanti iv of vegesack.

Fresh from competing in the Mastercard Superyacht Regatta, the 34.8 metre classic sailing yacht Aschanti IV of Vegesack will demonstrate her competitive edge as she goes head to head at this year's Millennium Cup. Launched in 1954 as Aschanti of Saba, Aschanti IV of Vegesack was built to a design by Henry Gruber . Aschanti IV of Vegesack is a veteran of the world's classic yacht regattas, and has completed several transoceanic journeys

Miss Silver

Previously named Sovereign and sold in 2019, the 36.2 metre sailing yacht Miss Silver was originally built in aluminium by New Zealand yard Alloy Yachts in 1995. Designed by Dubois Naval Architects, Miss Silver features an RWD-designed interior with accommodation for eight guests and six crew. This high-performance sloop is capable to fast speeds and is sure to be a real Millennium Cup contender this year.

The 44.8 metre Vitters -built sailing yacht Catalina has been announced as a late entry to the Millennium Cup and is now the largest in the six sailing yacht fleet. First delivered in 2001, Catalina was designed by Dubois Naval Architects and can accommodate a total of eight guests and seven crew.

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By SuperyachtNews 28 Feb 2024

Perseus^3 wins Millennium Cup

A strong effort in light winds by perseus^3 sees it win the 2024 nz millennium cup on auckland's hauraki gulf….

The 2024 NZ Millennium Cup has crowned its winner. The final day of racing on Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf saw the fleet competing in winds on a course with a 23nm final leg to decide line honors.

The yachts took off from Motutapu, passed the Noises, then D'Urville Rock, Rakino, the Haystack, and returned home. Despite the substantial length of the course, they weren’t able to shake clear of each other. Perseus^3 crossed the finish line first, while Janice of Wyoming , Sassafras , Cat+Ion , and Kotuku dueled all the way to the line.

Sunday’s grey, moody Auckland sky was brightened as Janice of Wyoming unfurled her cowboy spinnaker, but they couldn’t catch Perseus^3 . Having dominated racing on the first day, won line honors on day two to Sassafras ’ win on corrected time, and charged out strongly on day three, Perseus^3 couldn’t be stopped.

“I love being here in New Zealand, but what I love most about our boat is we have these warriors who sail it here. When we race, we bring the greatest,” said the owner of Perseus^3 . "We’ve been fighting the Kiwis in sailing for years. And if you can’t beat them, hire them on your boat. We’ll be coming back every year,” he added.

The multihull division was tightly contested, with outcomes often too close to call. Ultimately, Outnumbered claimed the honors in her first NZ Millennium Cup. “It’s our first time in New Zealand,” said Outnumbered’s owner. “And we’re in love with the country; we love the people.”

“It’s been great to have the boats back and the regatta running, with the additional bonus of having the very impressive sight of Perseus^3 on the course,” says principal race officer Harold Bennett.

“The sight of those three big yachts powering up and crossing together is a sight I’ll never forget. We haven’t seen a finish that close before over successive NZ Millennium Cups. It’s a privilege to work for these boats and a privilege to work for this team,” concludes Bennett.

Sassafras , winner of day two’s racing and a long-term competitor in the Cup, was gracious in ceding victory to Perseus^3 .

With Auckland established as a refit and charter base in the South Pacific, which is proving an increasingly popular charter destination, this regatta provides another drawcard to New Zealand. The Pacific nation is equipped with world-class refit facilities and charter friendly legislation.

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The MRX fleet in Auckland is made up of  of 11 identical 10.3m Bruce Farr designed, NZ made purpose-built racing yachts.

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Ranking Regatta

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Anzac Bay - Waiheke Island Radio Yacht Club

Awatea Lake, Paraparaumu - Kapiti Radio Yacht Club

Best Island - Nelson Radio Sailing Club Inc

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Lake Dunstan - Cromwell Radio Yacht Squadron

Lake Manuwai - Kerikeri Radio Yacht Squadron

Lake Pegasus - Pegasus Radio Sailing Club

Lake Rotomanu - New Plymouth Radio Control Yacht Club

Lake Rotoroa, Hamilton - Waikato Radio Yacht Club

Lake Rua, Harewood - Christchurch Model Yacht Club

Lake Taurikura - Tauranga Radio Sailing Club

Orakei Basin - Oarakei Yacht Club

Quarry Lake - North Shore Radio Yacht Squadron

Regency Lake - Gulf Harbour Radio Yacht Club

Southern Reservoir - Otago Radio Yacht Club

St Mary's Bay, Westhaven, Auckland

Vauxhall Yacht Club

Victoria Lake, Hagley Park - Christchurch Model Yacht Club

Wattle Farm - Northern Marine Model Society

Whitby Lower Lakes - Wellington Radio Yacht Club

Winstones Lake, Otaki - Kapiti Radio Yacht Club

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august 2024

2024 sat 31 aug All Day sun 01 sep Taranaki Classic IOM Regatta Class IOM Event Type Regional Event Organized By New Plymouth Radio Control Yacht Club Lake Rotomanu - New Plymouth Radio Control Yacht Club , Clemow Road, Fitzroy, New Plymouth

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August 31 (Saturday) - September 1 (Sunday)

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Clemow Road, Fitzroy, New Plymouth

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september 2024

2024 sat 07 sep All Day sun 08 DF95 South Island Championships Class DF95 Event Type Regional Event Organized By Pegasus Radio Sailing Club Lake Pegasus - Pegasus Radio Sailing Club , Lake Pegasus, Kaiapoi, South Island, New Zealand

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september 7 (Saturday) - 8 (Sunday)

Lake Pegasus, Kaiapoi, South Island, New Zealand

2024 sat 14 sep All Day sun 15 Northland IOM Championships Class IOM Event Type Ranking Regatta, Regional Event Organized By Kerikeri Radio Yacht Squadron Lake Manuwai - Kerikeri Radio Yacht Squadron , Sandys Road, Northland

september 14 (Saturday) - 15 (Sunday)

Sandys Road, Northland

2024 sat 21 sep All Day sun 22 2024 Kapiti IOM Classic Class IOM Event Type Club Event Organized By Kapiti Radio Yacht Club Winstones Lake, Otaki - Kapiti Radio Yacht Club

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september 21 (Saturday) - 22 (Sunday)

2024 sat 28 sep All Day sun 29 Canterbury IOM Championships Class IOM Event Type Ranking Regatta, Regional Event Organized By Pegasus Radio Sailing Club Lake Pegasus - Pegasus Radio Sailing Club , Lake Pegasus, Kaiapoi, South Island, New Zealand

september 28 (Saturday) - 29 (Sunday)

october 2024

2024 fri 04 oct All Day sun 06 IOM National Championships Class IOM Event Type National, Ranking Regatta Event Organized By Cromwell Radio Yacht Squadron Lake Dunstan - Cromwell Radio Yacht Squadron , Partridge Road, Cromwell 9310, New Zealand

october 4 (Friday) - 6 (Sunday)

Partridge Road, Cromwell 9310, New Zealand

2024 sat 19 oct All Day sun 20 DF65 Nationals Class DF65 Event Type National Event Organized By Kapiti Radio Yacht Club Winstones Lake, Otaki - Kapiti Radio Yacht Club

october 19 (Saturday) - 20 (Sunday)

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• New Zealand’s Thrilling Win Gets the America’s Cup Off to a Rip-Roaring Start

The 2021 Cup champs sprayed the victor's Champagne at the end of yesterday's round-robin series, following four days of thrills, spills, and even a few good match races.

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The America’s Cup, after years of talking and months of practicing, is officially on.

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But this four-day round-robin, only good for bragging rights, is just the start of the three-month series of yacht-racing. The Louis Vuitton Cup starts Thursday and runs through October 5, when the overall winner faces New Zealand in the 10-day America’s Cup Match, ending on October 21.

If it sounds like a long season, it is. But the America’s Cup has slowly evolved from an often boring, elitist “sport” held offshore in very slow boats, into something of a tech spectacle with fast, foiling, 75-foot monohulls, called AC75s, that all have the same specs, with some modifications allowed. But not much. The idea is to make the event a more level playing field, technically and financially. Previous America’s Cups have favored the wealthiest teams that could afford technical modifications often executed in days to give an edge over competitors.

“New Zealand and Italy look really strong this year, with both strong boats and teams,” Dave Reed, editor-in-chief of Sailing World, tells Robb Report. “But the American team is also a contender. They have a really fast boat and some of the best sailors in the event.”

The teams are now projecting competitive scrappiness rather than erudite sophistication, with a racecourse that encourages close encounters at speeds reaching 58 mph. But the dangers are mitigated this year, since there’s an electronic boundary around each boat that dishes out penalties to competitors that wander into their opponents’ territories.

Last week’s series, which pitted one team against another in head-to-head match races, showed flashes of brilliance and many self-inflicted errors, but also how fast and nimble the AC75s are.

The New York Yacht Club’s American Magic team, which took third place overall because of a broken rudder early in the series, beat the New Zealand Defenders soundly on the last day of racing, showing the world it was a serious contender. American Magic’s AC75, called Patriot, outdistanced the Kiwis by more than nearly 700 yards on the final stretch.  “It’s hard not to be happy, but we still got third in the series,” says Terry Hutchinson, skipper and president of American Magic. “You may win a couple of battles but don’t win the war, so you’ve got to keep the bigger picture in mind. That’s what we will do.”

The pundits seem to be favoring Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and American Magic as the top contenders of the Defenders, with the Swiss Alinghi Red Bull Racing, with its team of young sailors, the U.K. team INEOS and France’s Orient Express Racing, on the second tier. The Kiwis are generally seen as the Cup favorites, helped by the fact that they won’t be racing any other teams until they meet the Louis Vuitton Cup winner in the America’s Cup finals.

But the dynamics could change over the next few months as the teams become more familiar with their boats and racing conditions in the Med. Beyond a team’s racing prowess, a mechanical failure could end the hopes of any team at a critical juncture. That happened to American Magic in the 2021 Louis Vuitton series.

Last week’s round-robins gave a glimpse of how the next races could unfold as the five Challenger teams compete against each other. For the most part, the boats performed well through the four days, with the final day being particularly challenging, with unstable winds and a confused sea state. Most were worried about boats breaking, something that could’ve been disastrous just days away from the Louis Vuitton Cup. But the teams soldiered on with only minor technical problems, looking forward to what should be a great three months of racing.

Read More On:

• American Magic
• Emirates Team New Zealand
• Luna Rossi Prada Pirelli

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The Marvelous AC75s On Deck

• By Dave Reed
• August 20, 2024

April began with new-boat reveals that highlight the innovations of the second-generation AC75s for the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup . While similar in size and scale, no one boat is alike. 

Alinghi Red Bull Racing, of the Swiss camp, was first to show its AC75, BoatOne , in a theatric soiree, giving observers and other teams a peek at the boat’s design traits. Its straight and narrow bow profile transitions to a long and tapered bustle that goes all the way to the stern. The walls of BoatOne ’s tall crew pods stop sharply before the transom section, leaving what amounts to a long overhang to accommodate the internal rudder elements. Bumps sculpted into the foredeck are said to redirect wind flow into the jib and down the middle of the boat for aerodynamic gains.

America’s Cup defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, was next to reveal, with a soft launch, followed by a foiling session the following day. With a naming ceremony that came a week later, the Kiwis’ AC75, Taihoro , was blessed for action, and they went straight into sailing in Auckland. Unlike the high cockpit walls of Alinghi’s BoatOne , however, those of Taihoro taper down toward to the ­transom scoop, which houses the mainsheet traveler system in a trench, and the rudder assembly.

The following day in Cagliari, the Italians of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli rolled out their metallic silver AC75, a menacing-looking design that has its pronounced curves and a significant bustle which rises toward the stern. The boat’s tall cockpits produce a deep trench through the middle of the boat. 

INEOS Britannia was fourth from behind the curtain with a boat dubbed RB3 . It’s different enough from Alinghi’s and ETNZ’s AC75s to be dangerous. The plumb bow starts sharp and maintains a steep deadrise before flaring out to a flatter bottom. A pronounced ­bustle tapers off near the stern and transitions to a thin skeg that ends short of the rudder.

The New York YC’s American Magic revealed its boat, Patriot , in early May, blessing it and going sailing on the same day. It’s certainly a different look, summarized by the team’s design coordinator, Scott Ferguson. “We followed our own design path with Patriot as we pushed the limits of the AC75 rule while tailoring for the Barcelona venue,” he says. “Our overall philosophy is minimalistic, as we’ve tried to squeeze down our volumes to the base minimum while still fitting the crew and systems into the boat.”

With the French Orient Express Racing Team pulling from Team New Zealand’s design package, there’s an expectation that its ­platform will not be too far off the defender when it comes to light soon enough. It had not yet been launched at press time.

In terms of crew-pod assignments, cyclors have now taken the back seats, mostly concealed and out of the airstream, while ­trimmers and helmsmen take the front seats for a better view of the action. American Magic went to the extreme, positioning three pods inboard, two well aft in the boat, with cyclors on recumbent bikes.

• More: Alinghi Red Bull Racing , America's Cup , America's Cup 37 , American Magic , Emirates Team New Zealand , INEOS Britannia , Luna Rossa Prada ­Pirelli , Racing , Sailboat Racing
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America's Cup sets sail in Barcelona with New Zealand defending the Auld Mug

Spain america's cup preview.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The world's oldest international sports trophy, best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology will come together in Barcelona when the 37th edition of the America’s Cup starts on Thursday.

Five boats – from Italy, the United States, Britain, Switzerland and France – will spend the coming weeks racing in the Mediterranean waves to decide which will earn the honor of trying to dethrone the almighty Emirates Team New Zealand for the Auld Mug.

As the two-time defender, the Kiwis chose Barcelona’s choppy waters as the venue and helped establish the rules and boat design for this edition. They also get a guaranteed spot in the final to be held in October.

The results of three years of work and massive investment will now be put to the test.

“It is starting to get serious in a hurry. We are now racing for keeps,” Ben Ainslie, skipper of British team INEOS Britannia, said Wednesday.

Here is what else you need to know about the equivalent of the World Cup of sailing.

Sci-fi Boats

For anyone who has not followed the foiling revolution in sailing over the past decade, America's Cup yachts look more like something designed to fly through outer space in a sci-fi film than a traditional sailboat.

The only parts more or less recognizable are the rudder, mast, mainsail and jib on the foiling 75-foot monohull that the champions chose as the boat type for these regattas. This AC75 is an evolution of the 2021 monohulls, which were a radical leap from the catamarans that the same New Zealand team sailed to victory in 2017.

If you are looking for a skipper standing tall at the helm while sailors scamper around the deck, then forget it. The helmeted crew members are tucked into cockpits, keeping them out of the wind and favoring the boats' aerodynamics.

But the most remarkable feature of these boats are the two hydrofoils, attached to winglike appendages port and starboard, that make these boats look like giant water strider insects. The foils enable these wonders of nautical engineering to spend more time with the bottom of their hulls above the water than submerged while racing. Their “T” shape resembles the inverted tail of an orca whale, and their 4.5-meter span sustains the more than six-ton boat as it rockets over the water at 50 knots per hour (92 kph/57.5 mph).

All the teams have two helmsmen for this race – copying a move made by the Italian Luna Rossa team three years ago. The two helmsmen take turns steering and watching the other's blind spot since each one has half his visibility cut off by the sails. Behind them there are two trimmers.

Gone this time are the grinders. Instead, each boat has four cyclists, called “cyclors” — many of whom are world-class rowers — who pedal away to power the hydraulic mechanisms needed to trim the sails and rotate the mast.

The Defender

Emirates Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup in 1995 and 2000 before winning the last two editions.

They are without a doubt the team to beat.

The team led by Grant Dalton has earned the respect of their rivals for their daring boat designs and flawless execution. They will participate in the opening round, but their points won’t count. They will then sit out the next two rounds while the remaining teams duke it out to see which will meet them in the final.

Peter Burling is back at the helm after helping the team win in 2017 and 2021. He is joined by fellow Olympic medalist Nathan Outteridge in steering their super-sleek Taihoro yacht.

The Challengers

— Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team reached the last final in 2021 — and lost 7-3. The team representing the Sicily Yacht Club is steered by helmsmen Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni.

— INEOS Britannia is hoping to end Britain’s painfully long search for a title. No team has challenged as many times as the British, a losing streak which started back in 1851 when they were bettered by the schooner America in a race around the Isle of Wight. INEOS is led by helmsman and Olympic great Ainslie and is supported by the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

— NYYC American Magic is back after its 2021 campaign ended shortly after its Patriot boat capsized and almost sank. The New York Yacht Club draws on the history of having won the first edition and then successfully defending the title 24 times until that incredible 132-year run ended in 1983. It's helmed by Tom Slingsby, the sailor of the year, an Australian who has an American passport thanks to his American mother, and Englishman Paul Goodison, a fellow Olympic gold medalist.

__ Alinghi Red Bull Racing is backed by the sports drink giant and its F1 team. The Swiss outfit is seeking a title after the landlocked nation won the cup in 2003 and 2007. It has been training in Barcelona the longest after setting up base here two years ago.

__ Orient Express Racing Team comes with a boat based on a design it purchased from the New Zealand team. The last team to arrive in Barcelona, the French face the extra challenge of having less on-site practice time.

A round-robin stage will eliminate the weakest challenger by Sept. 8. The remaining four will have two playoff series to decide which boat will take on New Zealand in a best-of-13 series starting on Oct. 12.

This year’s event also includes a new Women’s America’s Cup and a youth competition.

The Race Course

The racing will take place in the same stretch of water used for the sailing events at the 1992 Olympics.

Boats zigzag back and forth across a rectangular race course located in waters just off the Barcelona beachfront, within view of fans on the shore. Boats have to pass through a pair of buoys – called a gate – and perform hairpin turns by shifting from one foil to the other.

Several teams have said that Barcelona’s waters can produce trickier race conditions than, for example, Auckland, since there is no natural bay to stop the wave action that comes from far offshore and often goes in a direction off-angle from the wind.

Race starts are crucial as boats maneuver to be in a leading position when they hit the starting line.

In choosing Spain, New Zealand broke with its tradition of picking Auckland as this edition’s venue because of the need to ensure a big payday. And what better place to ensure people would flock to see the event than one of Europe’s major Mediterranean destinations?

The last regatta in New Zealand was held when the world was still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. That meant there were scant crowds and little of the glamor – think superyachts and wealthy sailing amateurs — who are expected to be back en masse at Barcelona. Fashion and luxury goods designer Louis Vuitton has returned as the official sponsor of the race, and the trophy is secured in a custom Louis Vuitton case when it travels.

Barcelona calculates the event will attract some 2.5 million tourists and leave over a billion euros in the city. It is being held during an upsurge in citizen complaints against what they consider “overtourism” and skyrocketing rents .

AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson contributed from San Diego.

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America's Cup sets sail in Barcelona with New Zealand defending the Auld Mug

NYYC American Magic's AC75, left, and Luna Rosa Prada Pirelli Team's AC75 boat sail during America's Cup Preliminary Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race at the Barcelona's coast, Spain, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The world's oldest international sports trophy, best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology will come together in Barcelona when the 37th edition of the America's Cup starts on Thursday. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort

BARCELONA, Spain — The world's oldest international sports trophy, best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology will come together in Barcelona when the 37th edition of the America’s Cup starts on Thursday.

Five boats – from Italy, the United States, Britain, Switzerland and France – will spend the coming weeks racing in the Mediterranean waves to decide which will earn the honor of trying to dethrone the almighty Emirates Team New Zealand for the Auld Mug.

As the two-time defender, the Kiwis chose Barcelona’s choppy waters as the venue and helped establish the rules and boat design for this edition. They also get a guaranteed spot in the final to be held in October.

The results of three years of work and massive investment will now be put to the test.

“It is starting to get serious in a hurry. We are now racing for keeps,” Ben Ainslie, skipper of British team INEOS Britannia, said Wednesday.

Get stories, photos and videos about your favorite New York teams in your inbox every morning.

By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy .

Here is what else you need to know about the equivalent of the World Cup of sailing.

Sci-fi Boats

For anyone who has not followed the foiling revolution in sailing over the past decade, America's Cup yachts look more like something designed to fly through outer space in a sci-fi film than a traditional sailboat.

A spectator watches the race as Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team's AC75 boat sails during the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race off the coast of Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The world's oldest international sports trophy, along with the best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology, will come together in Barcelona when the 37th edition of the America's Cup starts on Thursday. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort

The only parts more or less recognizable are the rudder, mast, mainsail and jib on the foiling 75-foot monohull that the champions chose as the boat type for these regattas. This AC75 is an evolution of the 2021 monohulls, which were a radical leap from the catamarans that the same New Zealand team sailed to victory in 2017.

If you are looking for a skipper standing tall at the helm while sailors scamper around the deck, then forget it. The helmeted crew members are tucked into cockpits, keeping them out of the wind and favoring the boats' aerodynamics.

But the most remarkable feature of these boats are the two hydrofoils, attached to winglike appendages port and starboard, that make these boats look like giant water strider insects. The foils enable these wonders of nautical engineering to spend more time with the bottom of their hulls above the water than submerged while racing. Their “T” shape resembles the inverted tail of an orca whale, and their 4.5-meter span sustains the more than six-ton boat as it rockets over the water at 50 knots per hour (92 kph/57.5 mph).

All the teams have two helmsmen for this race – copying a move made by the Italian Luna Rossa team three years ago. The two helmsmen take turns steering and watching the other's blind spot since each one has half his visibility cut off by the sails. Behind them there are two trimmers.

Spectators watch the race between Ineos Britannia's AC75 and Alinghi Red Bull Racing's AC75 boats during the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race off the coast of Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. The world's oldest international sports trophy, best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology will come together in Barcelona when the 37th edition of the America's Cup starts on Thursday. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort

Gone this time are the grinders. Instead, each boat has four cyclists, called “cyclors” — many of whom are world-class rowers — who pedal away to power the hydraulic mechanisms needed to trim the sails and rotate the mast.

The Defender

Emirates Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup in 1995 and 2000 before winning the last two editions.

They are without a doubt the team to beat.

The team led by Grant Dalton has earned the respect of their rivals for their daring boat designs and flawless execution. They will participate in the opening round, but their points won’t count. They will then sit out the next two rounds while the remaining teams duke it out to see which will meet them in the final.

Peter Burling is back at the helm after helping the team win in 2017 and 2021. He is joined by fellow Olympic medalist Nathan Outteridge in steering their super-sleek Taihoro yacht.

The Challengers

— Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team reached the last final in 2021 — and lost 7-3. The team representing the Sicily Yacht Club is steered by helmsmen Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni.

— INEOS Britannia is hoping to end Britain’s painfully long search for a title. No team has challenged as many times as the British, a losing streak which started back in 1851 when they were bettered by the schooner America in a race around the Isle of Wight. INEOS is led by helmsman and Olympic great Ainslie and is supported by the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

— NYYC American Magic is back after its 2021 campaign ended shortly after its Patriot boat capsized and almost sank. The New York Yacht Club draws on the history of having won the first edition and then successfully defending the title 24 times until that incredible 132-year run ended in 1983. It's helmed by Tom Slingsby, the sailor of the year, an Australian who has an American passport thanks to his American mother, and Englishman Paul Goodison, a fellow Olympic gold medalist.

__ Alinghi Red Bull Racing is backed by the sports drink giant and its F1 team. The Swiss outfit is seeking a title after the landlocked nation won the cup in 2003 and 2007. It has been training in Barcelona the longest after setting up base here two years ago.

__ Orient Express Racing Team comes with a boat based on a design it purchased from the New Zealand team. The last team to arrive in Barcelona, the French face the extra challenge of having less on-site practice time.

A round-robin stage will eliminate the weakest challenger by Sept. 8. The remaining four will have two playoff series to decide which boat will take on New Zealand in a best-of-13 series starting on Oct. 12.

This year’s event also includes a new Women’s America’s Cup and a youth competition.

The Race Course

The racing will take place in the same stretch of water used for the sailing events at the 1992 Olympics.

Boats zigzag back and forth across a rectangular race course located in waters just off the Barcelona beachfront, within view of fans on the shore. Boats have to pass through a pair of buoys – called a gate – and perform hairpin turns by shifting from one foil to the other.

Several teams have said that Barcelona’s waters can produce trickier race conditions than, for example, Auckland, since there is no natural bay to stop the wave action that comes from far offshore and often goes in a direction off-angle from the wind.

Race starts are crucial as boats maneuver to be in a leading position when they hit the starting line.

In choosing Spain, New Zealand broke with its tradition of picking Auckland as this edition’s venue because of the need to ensure a big payday. And what better place to ensure people would flock to see the event than one of Europe’s major Mediterranean destinations?

The last regatta in New Zealand was held when the world was still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. That meant there were scant crowds and little of the glamor – think superyachts and wealthy sailing amateurs — who are expected to be back en masse at Barcelona. Fashion and luxury goods designer Louis Vuitton has returned as the official sponsor of the race, and the trophy is secured in a custom Louis Vuitton case when it travels.

Barcelona calculates the event will attract some 2.5 million tourists and leave over a billion euros in the city. It is being held during an upsurge in citizen complaints against what they consider “overtourism” and skyrocketing rents.

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