Pensacola Welcomes American Magic Back By Julie B. Connerley

By Julie B. Connerley

The City of Pensacola and its maritime community were delighted to welcome back, for winter training, New York Yacht Club American Magic, Challenger for the 36th America's Cup.

We reported on their first visit in the May 2019 issue of SOUTHWINDS. At that time they brought their 38-ft half scale prototype nicknamed The Mule, to test the innovative design and performance of the full-scale AC75 foiling monohull then being built. They have executed dozens of test runs on The Mule since its launch in 2019. Two years and 76,000 combined man-hours later, a 150- person team comprised of design, fabrication, shore and sailing teams produced the first America's Cup AC75 Challenger boat of its type to both sail and foil. Built in a dedicated facility in Rhode Island, it has been over 16 years since an America's Cup team has represented New York Yacht Club. The team christened the AC75 Defiant, on September 14, 2019 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

Their decision to return to Pensacola for winter training in 2020 was “Easy for us because of the fantastic bay, our familiarity with the area and the hospitality of the community here,” said Terry Hutchison, Skipper and Executive Director of American Magic. The Mule and American Magic team members returned to Pensacola in November 2019. Defiant arrived on December 3rd and was photographed by local sailing enthusiasts during her first sail on December 16th. The Port of Pensacola, Defiant's temporary home, enjoys a diverse mix of tenants including international companies such as CEMEX and local aquaculture breeding operations, Pensacola Bay Oysters. Historically the port handled import/export of bulk materials including paper, lumber and fertilizer. “More recently the port has seen an extensive increase in the handling of wind energy generation components,” said M. Clark Merritt, Jr., Deputy Port Director.

“The Port of Pensacola is ideally suited for the type of temporary compound the American Magic Team has set up,” continued Merritt. “Different this year than last was construction of a much larger hangar for the boats and operating spaces for the Team all housed in containers and double stacked on almost the same footprint they used in 2019.’

Defiant arrives at the Port of Pensacola after a journey from Rhode Island of more than 1,300 miles. Photo courtesy of American Magic

Overall impacts on Port staff and operations have been minimal. The Port undertook improvements while the team was in Newport including enhancing the telecommunications and internet infrastructure to their location on the port and ensuring adequate water and electrical service was in place. “They did bring an additional tent located off the berth for their gym equipment and physical training facility. Also, they leased additional shop space, a larger sail loft and increased storage space in one of our warehouses,” he said.

Besides the launching of the AC75, much has happened since the team‘s last visit. The rules set parameters for teams to develop and race the fastest sailing monohull on earth. Strict limitations on the number of components that can be built including hulls, masts, rudders, foils, and sails was mandated to encourage teams to do more research and development in simulation, thus reducing physical construction and testing costs. Foil arms and cant systems are being supplied, as well as rigging, to save design time and construction costs. The rules also call for a one design mast tube.

For sailing art aficionados, a slice of American Magic's history can be purchased. Since 1851, the America's Cup has captured the spirit of competition with original artwork. Illustrator David Doran has completed two of four planned Defiant themed pieces chronicling American Magic's journey to reclaim the Cup. The newest one includes Penscola's famous Blue Angels Navy Flight Demonstration Team and is confirmation of the team's association with this Gulf Coast community.

To purchase artwork, apparel and accessories, visit their website at https://americanmagic.americascup.com. In March, the American Magic team heads to Calgliari, Italy for the first America's Cup World Series event as American supporters cheer them on in their campaign for the oldest trophy in International sports.