A January 2015 NEWS BRIEFS
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The Triton
Sailing race goes to Bermuda; NZ OKs charter to two years NEWS BRIEFS, from page A5 investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as well as lawyers and insurance companies.
Bermuda tapped for America’s Cup
The 35th America’s Cup will be raced in Bermuda in June 2017. The race will take place on The Great Sound, a natural amphitheater with room for racing and spectators. The proposed America’s Cup Village will be at the Royal Naval Dockyard. “The 2017 America’s Cup will build on the successful elements that now define the event – close racing in fast, foiling catamarans crewed by the very best sailors in the world and delivered to an international audience by awardwinning broadcasters,” said Harvey Schiller, the Commercial Commissioner for the America’s Cup. At a presentation to the Sailing Foundation of the Lauderdale Yacht Club in early December, Oracle Team USA Skipper Jimmy Spithill told guests that Bermuda beat out San Diego – where he lives – for two reasons: Bermuda is in a better time zone for international television coverage and the race village could be in one place. “Our vision for the Americas Cup in Bermuda is to deliver an unforgettable experience that will be nothing short of spectacular for the teams, sponsors and spectators alike – whether they be with us on-island or watching from around the world,” said Michael Dunkley, the premier of Bermuda. Six teams have so far taken the challenge of racing for the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in international sport. The defending champion is Oracle Team USA. Challengers include Emirates Team New Zealand, Artemis Racing (Sweden), Ben Ainslie Racing (Great Britain), Luna Rossa Challenge (Italy) and Team France. “Racing in Bermuda will be an incredible experience for the spectators, both on-site and for those watching the broadcast, and for the sailors, it’s going to be very challenging,” Spithill said. “I’ve raced there several times and the variety of conditions means you can never let your guard down. We’ll all need to be at the top of our game to have success, and that’s how it should be.” The second edition of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup was also confirmed. The purpose of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is to provide a pathway toward a career as a professional sailor in the America’s Cup. In that, it has already proved successful, after just one edition.
“Sailors on the winning team in the first event, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, are now valued members of Emirates Team New Zealand,” Schiller said. “That’s an impressive proof of concept.” Next year, at least four events are planned as part of the America’s Cup World Series, including the season opener June 5-7 (location undetermined), and races in Portsmouth, UK (July 23-26), Gothenburg, Sweden (Aug. 28-30) and Hamilton, Bermuda (Oct. 16-18). In 2016, as many as six events are expected, including a summer regatta in Chicago and another race in Portsmouth, UK, July 21-24. Portsmouth is a city on the south coast of the UK that is home to the UK team, Ben Ainslie Racing. In 2017, all teams will compete in their new AC62 catamarans, powered by wingsails and designed to fly above the water on foils at speeds near 50 mph. Racing begins for all teams. The top challengers then go on to the America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs and the right to race Oracle Team USA in the finals in June 2017. Iain Murray, regatta director for the last America’s Cup, has been tapped for the position again. The six teams so far registered selected the former America’s Cup skipper, who started Dec. 1 and has already met with teams and Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller. “Leading into the last America’s Cup, there were so many major changes and collectively we learned so much about how to design, build and race these foiling multihulls,” Murray said. “Now we have the chance to fine-tune and make adjustments to make it even better. Murray will work in collaboration with all of the teams and Schiller in setting the competitive parameters for the event. – Lucy Reed
NZ opens to chartering
A change to New Zealand’s temporary import entry (TIE) procedure means private and charter yachts can now stay in the country up to two years. A new process streamlines the process for superyachts chartering in used Zealand waters, allowing them to charter, undertake private cruises and complete refit work. Chartering must make up less than 65 percent of the superyacht’s time in New Zealand waters, and customs requires a declaration from the vessel’s owner that the yacht will not stay longer than 24 months.
See NEWS BRIEFS, page A7