Tag: USA 17

DATES FOR THE AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES

The winning America’s cup trimaran USA 17 belonging to Oracle racing is transiting the Panama Canal as I write on it’s way to San Francisco.

America’s Cup World Series Dates Released
With final venue bids under review, the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) released the inaugural America’s Cup World Series (AC World Series) dates. The first half of the AC World Series will consist of five nine-day regattas in 2011, finishing up with three more regattas by mid-2012. The winning host cities for the 2011-2012 AC World Series will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The AC World Series venue assessment process has focused on the ability of prospective host sites to provide the infrastructure and support needed to stage a superior event on and off the water. Tens of thousands of fans are expected to watch in person at each venue.

The 2011-2012 AC World Series will be sailed in the AC45, the forerunner to the next generation of America’s Cup boats.

The 2012-2013 season will be sailed in the larger and faster America’s Cup boats, the AC72, and its champion will be crowned just prior to the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup (America’s Cup Challenger Series) in July 2013. This AC World Series will also enable all teams seeking to compete in the America’s Cup Finals in September 2013 to be race-ready for the AC72.

2011-2012 America’s Cup World Series Schedule*

Event One: 16 – 24 July
Event Two: 13 – 21 August
Event Three: 17 – 25 September
Event Four: 15 – 23 October
Event Five: 10 – 18 December
Event Six: 17 – 25 February, 2012
Event Seven: 14 – 22 April, 2012
Event Eight: 19 – 27 May, 2012

*Dates are subject to change

USA 17 HEADED FOR SAN FRANCISC0

USA 17 heads for San Francisco

Oracle Racing’s monster tri due to arrive on 1 March

Tuesday January 25th 2011, Author: James Boyd, Location: Spain

USA 17 has only ever competed twice, but she sailed the races of her life to dominate the Swiss defender, Alinghi, off Valencia, Spain, last year to win the 33rd America’s Cup.

The extraordinary carbon-fibre trimaran is currently being loaded onto the freighter M.V. Star Isfjord this week for the delivery trip to San Francisco via the Panama Canal. The freighter carrying both USA 17 and her 223ft tall wingsail is scheduled to leave Valencia on 29 or 30th January for the 7,900-nautical-mile passage to San Francisco. Her ETA, dependent upon on-time loading, sea conditions en-route and transit time in the Panama Canal, is 1 March.

The trimaran’s arrival will mark the first time that USA 17 visits the city that Oracle Racing calls home. She was launched in Anacortes, WA, in August 2008, and after initial testing there moved to San Diego, CA, for a further period of training before being moved to Valencia for the 33rd Cup Match last February.

Measuring more than 100 feet long and 90 feet wide and powered by a 20-storey tall wingsail, USA 17 is the fastest yacht to ever win the America’s Cup. It has been in storage in Valencia since winning the Cup on 14 February, 2010.

With the Oracle Racing team fully focused on laying the groundwork for its 34th America’s Cup campaign in 2013, the provisional plan is to continue to keep USA 17 in storage after unloading. An announcement about the vessel’s sailing plans will be made later this year.

“The handful of us privileged to sail on USA 17 would love to sail her again in an instant. I dare say all those who never had this chance would like to as well,” said Oracle Racing skipper James Spithill. “But the stark reality is that every aspect of the boat, every component, was built right to the limit so that for every hour’s sailing USA 17 required 20 hours of painstaking and rigorous maintenance. For the time being the team’s focus will be on the America’s Cup ahead.”