New ACWS trophy unveiled to be awarded to Series winner in Newport ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill carries a narrow one point lead into racing in Venice, with Dean Barker’s Emirates Team New Zealand eager to regain top spot. Venice marks the penultimate event of the 2011-12 AC World Series, with the overall winner to be determined in Newport, Rhode Island, next month.
At the skippers’ press conference on Tuesday in Venice, the sailors were shown, for the first time, the newly commissioned AC World Series Trophy. The topic of conversation was the parity of the fleet, and how difficult it would be to post a consistent scoreline in the racing this week. Read more on americascup.com Download the press release in EN, FR, IT, DE, SP, CN Watch the video highlights here.
Monday was called a ‘day off’ but the local organisers in Venice weren’t listening. The day was packed with activities for the teams, some of whom even managed to get in some training.
First up, the Healthy Ocean Project with WWF Italy. Then, Cichettata Osterie – a lunch time street party with food offered by the restaurant association (ASCOM) on Via Garibaldi, near the team bases in the Arsenale. Read more on americascup.com
The America’s Cup family confirmed its commitment to a clean and healthy marine environment through its Healthy Ocean Project in Venice.
On Monday morning, representatives of the teams and the America’s Cup organisation joined the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Italy for an activity aimed at safeguarding the Duna Alberoni. The area is significant for the many species that live there, including a small and rare bird of the family ‘Charadriidae’ which nests on the coast and lays its eggs in the middle of the sand. Read more on americascup.com
Terry Hutchinson’s Artemis Racing crew flew into St. Mark’s Square on Sunday afternoon to claim the invitational Arzanà City of Venice Trophy along with €30,000 in prize money. The two Luna Rossa crews, Piranha and Swordfish, took the other podium positions.
Wind brought wild conditions to Venice overnight and into Sunday, forcing the Race Committee to postpone racing until 1600 and abandon the last two races of the Fleet Racing Series. Racing took place in winds between 16-20 knots, presenting a major challenge to the crews as they navigated down the narrow channel to the finishing line. read more at americascup.com
On the day the AC Village opened in the historic Arsenale in Venice, Luna Rossa Challenge thrilled the home crowd by winning all three races on the day to grab a commanding lead in the Arzanà City of Venice Trophy, a prologue, invitational regatta to the AC World Series next week.
Chris Draper’s Luna Rossa Piranha dominated the day in extremely light, challenging conditions on the offshore Lido race course, where the wind rarely exceeded 5 knots. Read more on americascup.com
Teams trained for the first time on the inside race course area on Thursday, just off St. Mark’s Square.
Both Luna Rossa Challenge boats, along with Energy Team, put on a show during their afternoon session.
China Team trained on the outside race course area.
More pictures can be found here.
Four crews sailed off Venice today as the teams ramp up their preparations ahead of racing next week. Both Luna Rossa crews – Piranha and Swordfish – were on the water as they get ready for just their second AC World Series event.
Also sailing off Lido Island this afternoon was Energy Team and China Team. While neither are new, both teams have different skippers from Naples. Energy Team will be led by the grizzled Loïck Peyron, who returns to the crew after missing the San Diego and Naples regattas. And China Team will have New Zealander Phil Robertson as skipper. At 25, he is the youngest in the fleet. Read more on americascup.com
Invitational regatta will open nine-day celebration of America’s Cup World Series
AC World Series crews have the opportunity to compete for €50,000 in prize money in the City of Venice Trophy on May 12-13. The invitational regatta, organized and announced today by the yacht club Venice Compagnia della Vela, marks the opening of a nine day celebration of the America’s Cup World Series in the historic Italian city. Read more on americascup.com. Download the NOR. Download the press release in EN, IT.
The first blush of San Francisco’s excitement for the 2013 America’s Cup was made evident today as hundreds of fans and dignitaries joined in celebrating the ceremonial signing of the agreement for the City to host the America’s Cup in 2013, complete with popping champagne corks, the America’s Cup itself and a digital competition between Mayor Ed Lee and four time America’s Cup winner Sir Russell Coutts. Read more on americascup.com. Download the press release in EN, FR, ES, IT.
Fresh from record crowds and success in Naples, Italy, the America’s Cup World Series heads to Venice, Italy, for the penultimate regatta in the inaugural AC World Series. Racing takes place from May 15 to 20 and is part of a festival of sailing over nine days from May 12 to 20. The race course is one of the narrowest and most challenging in competitive sailing. Read more on americascup.com
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Download the press release in EN, IT, DE, ES, FR, CN.
With the AC World Series Naples in the rear view mirror and the next event in Venice under a month away, this is a good time to take a breath and reflect on what happened over the past week. Quite simply, the AC World Series hit a new level in Naples. On and off the water. On the water, the racing was phenomenal. There were nine crews competing, the same as in the first three events, but the addition of the two Luna Rossa crews raised the competitive bar considerably. Read more on americascup.com
Chris Draper led his Luna Rossa crew to a thrilling win in the final fleet race in Naples, Italy, collecting 50 points for his efforts to vault up the leaderboard and win the AC World Series Naples Fleet Racing Championship. The victory kicked off celebrations among the tens of thousands of Italian America’s Cup fans lining the Naples waterfront to catch a glimpse of their heroes. Download the press release in EN, IT, FR, DE.
Heavy seas pounding into the breakwaters along the Naples sea front on Saturday morning, along with a forecast for winds that could exceed 30 knots, meant racing was suspended on Saturday. The match race semi finals and finals will now be sailed on Sunday. Fleet races seven and eight have been abandoned and won’t be sailed, shortening the Fleet Racing Championship to seven races. Read more on americascup.com Download the press release in EN, IT, DE, FR, CN.
Naples offered a new challenge to the nine crews competing in the America’s Cup World Series on Friday as light, shifty offshore winds battled an onshore swell, resulting in a race course where gains and losses were often measured in the hundreds of yards. Read more on americascup.com. Download the press release in EN, IT, DE, FR, ES, CN.
April 13, 2012 – Moët & Chandon announced today its partnership as the official champagne of the 34th America’s Cup, reinforcing the Maison’s long-standing history of sportsmanship and savoir-faire in the glamorous world of sailing. The 34th America’s Cup is a dynamic and world-class international sailing competition that challenges the best sailors in the world in both match and fleet racing skills. Moët & Chandon will be present at all key moments throughout the unparalleled competition, from the starting signals to the closing ceremony. Download the press release in EN, IT, ES, FR, DE
America’s Cup World Series leading skipper Dean Barker showed his Emirates Team New Zealand remains the class of the fleet by winning both fleet races on Thursday. In scoring two victories, Barker now sits clear ahead of his rival James Spithill by a whopping 9 points on the Naples leaderboard. The local favorites, the two Luna Rossa Challenge crews, also had a good afternoon in the beautiful sea breeze conditions just off the sea front of Naples, with each crew earning a second place finish. Read more on americascup.com Download the press release in EN, IT, ES, FR.
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