America's Cup: The most important rules of the 37th edition

The start times

The races are scheduled to start every day from 22 to 25 August from 2 pm CEST and will last between two and three hours, depending on the schedule and weather conditions.

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The warning signal

3 minutes to the start

The pre-start phase

The blue boat will enter the start box from the left no earlier than 2:10 minutes before the start; the yellow boat will enter the start box no earlier than 2:00 minutes before the start

The starting line

The starting line will be around 300 metres long and will be formed by two geostationary buoys

The wind limits

6.5 knots down, 21 knots up

The courses

Up-&-down courses with downwind gates downwind of the start line are planned. There are three possible courses:

• Course no. 4: Start - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate - finish line
• Course no. 6: Start - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate - finish line
• Course no. 8: Start - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate - leeward gate - windward gate - finish line

The validity

For a race to be valid, a boat must have completed at least four course sections

The time limit

• The time limit for completing the first section of the course is 12 minutes
• The time limit for completing the entire race is 45 minutes

The penalties

• There are no penalties if a boat touches a buoy/course mark
• If a boat oversails the virtual course limit, it must slow down until it has lost 75 metres
• If the referees impose a penalty for a breach of the rules, the penalised boat must slow down until it has lost 75 metres
• The penalty must be carried out within 60 seconds of it being imposed, but not before the start signal.

The early start ("OCS")

If a boat starts within 3 seconds of the start signal, it has two options:

1. Crossing the start line again
2. To continue the course and complete a penalty by losing 75 metres
   If a boat starts more than 3 seconds early, it must cross the start line again

The right of way at the turning point:

Within 60 metres of the mark, the inside boat has right of way - regardless of which bow it sails on

Video: The rules explained for fans

Patrizio Bertelli's Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team has produced a nice clip that gives a good overview of the upcoming Cup events, the procedures, the team headquarters, the America's Cup Race Village, the race course and the rules: