The 37th America's Cup kicks off in Barcelona
The British team INEOS to try and take away the coveted 'Auld Mug' from the Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand.
News
11 october 2024
The 37th America's Cup begins on 12 October in Barcelona, with Emirates Team New Zealand (skipper Peter Burling) defending The Auld Mug against INEOS Britannia (skipper Sir Ben Ainslie).
Here's what you need to know about the upcoming finals.
Where: Barcelona
When: 12-21 October (1st to win seven races)
Two races are scheduled for 12, 13, 16, 18, 19 and 20 October and one on 21 October.
Format: each race will be a one-on-one match race between two teams. The winner of each race receives one point, the loser receives zero points.
The first team to score seven points will win and become the defending champion of the 38th America's Cup.
THE TEAMS
Emirates Team New Zealand
Represents the New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Won the Cup in 1995 and retained it in 2000. Lost as a Challenger in 2003, 2007 and 2013. Regained the Cup in Bermuda in 2017 and defended it in 2021 in Auckland.
Played a major role in improving the design of Cup racing boats leading to the current AC75 foiling yachts.
CEO Grant Dalton
Skipper Peter Burling
INEOS Britannia
Representing the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Formed in 2012, the team competed in the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda for the first time. Beaten by New Zealand in the challengers semi-finals.
In 2021 in Auckland, competing as Team UK, beat Italian team Luna Rossa in the challengers finals.
Team director/CEO and skipper Ben Ainslie
THE BOATS
AC75
The 37th America's Cup will feature the second version of the AC75, a 75ft monohull boat with hydrofoils (hydrofoils).
These boats are a huge step up from those used at Auckland in 2021. The boats have been lightened as much as possible, the size and efficiency of their hydrofoils have been increased, and the electronics, hydraulics and software on board have been significantly upgraded. The number of crew on the AC75 has been reduced from eleven to eight to reduce weight and get into surface mode earlier, and all boats are also reintroducing velocipedes.
Teams are only allowed to build one AC75 for racing.
THE CREWS
Helmsmen
Each boat has two helmsmen — one on the port side and one on the starboard side. The helmsmen steer the boat using helm wheels with many additional controls, like those in F1 cars, allowing them to steer as well as trim pitch, cant and angle of the boat at the touch of a button.
Flight controller/trimmer
On board the AC75 there are two flight controllers/trimmers, which are responsible for keeping the boat in the air on hydrofoils and achieving target speed through sail adjustment. They work in tandem with the helmsmen and can also assist with tactical decisions during the race.
Cyclors
Cyclists, or as they are called here, ‘cyclors’, replacing the former grinders who were cranking winches by hands, are the force behind sail control, mast rotation and some additional mechanics. Cyclors are world-class athletes, recruited from the most physically demanding sports such as rowing, long-distance running and cycling. Working on cycling stations, they create the necessary pressure in the yacht's hydraulic system to power various systems.
THE TROPHY
The America's Cup silverware, affectionately called ‘The Auld Mug,’ was made by R&S Garrard & Co. of Panton Street, London, in 1848. The Cup was conceived and paid for by Henry William Paget, 1st Marquis of Anglesey. The oldest continuously contested international sporting trophy, the America's Cup was originally known as the ‘R.Y.S. £100 Cup’, meaning a cup worth £100 or ‘sovereigns’ in value. The cup was first contested in 1851, when the American schooner America arrived in Britain to compete in the Royal Yacht Squadron's annual regatta — and won it. In 1857, the trophy was renamed the America's Cup. The New York Yacht Club, one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, held the trophy for 132 years before losing it in 1983 to Australia. Since then, the Cup has only been won by teams from the United States, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
Here's what you need to know about the upcoming finals.
Where: Barcelona
When: 12-21 October (1st to win seven races)
Two races are scheduled for 12, 13, 16, 18, 19 and 20 October and one on 21 October.
Format: each race will be a one-on-one match race between two teams. The winner of each race receives one point, the loser receives zero points.
The first team to score seven points will win and become the defending champion of the 38th America's Cup.
THE TEAMS
Emirates Team New Zealand
Represents the New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Won the Cup in 1995 and retained it in 2000. Lost as a Challenger in 2003, 2007 and 2013. Regained the Cup in Bermuda in 2017 and defended it in 2021 in Auckland.
Played a major role in improving the design of Cup racing boats leading to the current AC75 foiling yachts.
CEO Grant Dalton
Skipper Peter Burling
INEOS Britannia
Representing the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Formed in 2012, the team competed in the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda for the first time. Beaten by New Zealand in the challengers semi-finals.
In 2021 in Auckland, competing as Team UK, beat Italian team Luna Rossa in the challengers finals.
Team director/CEO and skipper Ben Ainslie
THE BOATS
AC75
The 37th America's Cup will feature the second version of the AC75, a 75ft monohull boat with hydrofoils (hydrofoils).
These boats are a huge step up from those used at Auckland in 2021. The boats have been lightened as much as possible, the size and efficiency of their hydrofoils have been increased, and the electronics, hydraulics and software on board have been significantly upgraded. The number of crew on the AC75 has been reduced from eleven to eight to reduce weight and get into surface mode earlier, and all boats are also reintroducing velocipedes.
Teams are only allowed to build one AC75 for racing.
THE CREWS
Helmsmen
Each boat has two helmsmen — one on the port side and one on the starboard side. The helmsmen steer the boat using helm wheels with many additional controls, like those in F1 cars, allowing them to steer as well as trim pitch, cant and angle of the boat at the touch of a button.
Flight controller/trimmer
On board the AC75 there are two flight controllers/trimmers, which are responsible for keeping the boat in the air on hydrofoils and achieving target speed through sail adjustment. They work in tandem with the helmsmen and can also assist with tactical decisions during the race.
Cyclors
Cyclists, or as they are called here, ‘cyclors’, replacing the former grinders who were cranking winches by hands, are the force behind sail control, mast rotation and some additional mechanics. Cyclors are world-class athletes, recruited from the most physically demanding sports such as rowing, long-distance running and cycling. Working on cycling stations, they create the necessary pressure in the yacht's hydraulic system to power various systems.
THE TROPHY
The America's Cup silverware, affectionately called ‘The Auld Mug,’ was made by R&S Garrard & Co. of Panton Street, London, in 1848. The Cup was conceived and paid for by Henry William Paget, 1st Marquis of Anglesey. The oldest continuously contested international sporting trophy, the America's Cup was originally known as the ‘R.Y.S. £100 Cup’, meaning a cup worth £100 or ‘sovereigns’ in value. The cup was first contested in 1851, when the American schooner America arrived in Britain to compete in the Royal Yacht Squadron's annual regatta — and won it. In 1857, the trophy was renamed the America's Cup. The New York Yacht Club, one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, held the trophy for 132 years before losing it in 1983 to Australia. Since then, the Cup has only been won by teams from the United States, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
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