The Royal Yacht Squadron from Cowes has been named Challenger of Record for the second time. Grant Dalton, the head of the New Zealand Defender, wants to organize more regattas. The air is thick between Barcelona and the organizers. For their part, the Challengers are waiting for details on the format, date and venue of the competition.
In Swiss politics, the eve of the Federal Council election is known as the “night of the long knives”. Speculation is rife and the rumor mill is churning. Things are similar in the America’s Cup at the moment, only the night lasts several weeks or even months. Nothing has changed in the last 173 years. It has been a waiting game since the end of October, with uncertainty about how and where the 38th edition will take place. At the time of going to press, neither the date nor the format had been decided. The New Zealand winners first have to get their act together before they start organizing the next Cup.
This organization requires a Challenger of Record. A few minutes after their victory, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron accepted the challenge from the Royal Yacht Squadron of Cowes. The Ineos Britannia yacht club will therefore once again work with the Kiwis to draw up the protocol that sets out the general rules of the competition. The Brits have similar views to the Defender, said Grant Dalton. This should ensure continuity, i.e. a similar format to the 37th edition, and possibly speed up the organization of the next event.
The AC75 is almost fully developed
Emirates Team New Zealand made history with its three victories. Their more agile Taihoro yacht was clearly superior to the more voluminous and highly technical Britannia and inflicted a heavy defeat on it with a 7:2 victory. But how long the New Zealanders will be able to maintain this lead is questionable. In their second competition, it was clear to see that the yachts are getting closer and closer in terms of speed. In the third outing of the AC75, the gaps are likely to shrink further, which will make the Cup more attractive in sporting terms.
Grant Dalton has publicly spoken out in favor of a quick return to the water, with the preliminary rounds scheduled to start as early as next year. The Defender is thus responding to the Challenger’s wish for more teams and more regattas (see Skippers No. 93).
WERE FIERCELY CONTESTED. ©Iam Rome
A question of money and heart
It is not known where the cup will take place. The organizers have only leaked a few hints. In a press release dated October 23, there was talk of “2.56 million spectators between August 22 and October 17, 2024”. A very positive result in itself, but one that is not shared by the public. In fact, the public areas were poorly attended, the number of spectator boats left a lot to be desired and the discontent of the people of Barcelona about overtourism could not be ignored. Under these circumstances, the Cup is unlikely to return to Barcelona. Grant Dalton’s statement also shows that it is likely to remain a one-off guest appearance. “It would be difficult to increase the number of teams with the available infrastructure,” he said. Things are not going well between Barcelona and the Kiwis, and the discord is getting louder and louder. The Catalan authorities and the management of Port Vell are said to be dissatisfied. The criticism is that they did not get what they paid for. There is talk of investments amounting to 70 million francs! Raising such a budget again is unrealistic. However, this will probably be the decisive factor in the choice of host city. Jeddah has strong arguments in this regard. The Saudis are reportedly prepared to contribute 100 million euros. A considerable sum, although the geopolitical situation in the Middle East is not to the liking of all challengers.
Although Auckland cannot keep up financially, it is still calling for the Cup to return to New Zealand. The debate is explosive. Of course, the Defender’s heart beats for Auckland, but at the same time he knows the problems of regattas Down Under: the broadcasting times are unattractive for Europe and the USA, the Defender does not raise the necessary money there and the public is not prepared to make the long journey. So it’s a difficult decision.
At the end of October, a new name emerged in discussions within the America’s Cup community: Valencia. The infrastructure created by the Swiss for the 32nd edition is rumored to be under consideration for the 38th Cup. Ironically, the Kiwis suffered a crushing defeat there in 2008. The Darsena, renamed the Port America’s Cup by AC Management, could resume operations. The canal, harbor and most of the twelve bases from back then are still there. The teams could also be accommodated in the “Marina Sur” outside the port. But here too, a financial agreement would have to be reached with the local authorities.
Swiss team on stand-by
And where does Alinghi Red Bull Racing stand? Like all the other Challengers, the Swiss team is waiting for the protocol to be published. The contracts of most of the employees have expired. In principle, nothing stands in the way of further cooperation with Red Bull, as it has been agreed for at least two editions.
However, the BoatOne is in a poor condition. The foil system and structure were badly damaged when it capsized on September 29. Nothing that can’t be repaired, but the effort involved is huge and the work will take several weeks.
For the Swiss syndicate, the first thing to do now is to learn the lessons from this first participation. It must continue to develop its sporting skills and train more on foilers. Perhaps the best news of this fall comes at just the right time: Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bryan Mettraux and the young Arno de Planta are joining the Switzerland SailGP team under the leadership of SĂ©bastien Schneiter. They will make their debut in Dubai on November 23rd and 24th. We look forward to following the development of this new team at the highest level of international sailing.
Next America’s Cup in three years
Instead of the eagerly awaited protocol, a Notice of Challenge was published on November 8. In it, the organizers specify the framework conditions for the 38th edition, which is to take place “in three years”. The nationality rule will be retained, as will the building regulations for the AC75. The teams are allowed to build one boat each. They will not be allowed to sail for the next twelve months, unless a pre-regatta takes place during this time. The organizers have confirmed their intention to increase the number of competitions through match race and fleet regattas. These are to be sailed on both AC40 and AC75 yachts. The Youth and Women’s America’s Cup will be continued. The venue will be announced no later than eight months after the end of the 37th edition. So we will know more in June.