The official announcement of a challenger from South Korea for the 34th edition of the America's Cup in San Francisco brings the number of teams entered to 15. Other entries received shortly before the entry deadline at the end of March come from Team China (already entered in 2007) and Venezia Challenge, the second team from Italy alongside the official challenger Mascalzone Latino. Three teams are not yet officially known and two further entries are currently being checked for validity.
Experience shows that the ranks thin out as the date of the Cup, which is scheduled for September 2013 in San Francisco, approaches. How many teams actually remain will depend on the financial situation. Reported budget figures range between 50 and 100 million US dollars. Even in good times, that's no mean feat. The currently known participants: Cup defenders Oracle Racing (USA), Mascalzone Latino (ITA), Venezia Challenge (ITA), China Team (CHN), Artemis Racing (SWE), Team Australia (AUS), Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Aleph Equipe de France (FRA), Energy Team (FRA) and Team Korea (KOR)
Three venues have now also been announced for the America's Cup World Series, which will be held on the smaller AC 45 catamarans and is mandatory for all AC teams. The series will kick off in Cascais, Portugal from 6 to 14 August, the second stop will be Plymouth, England from 10 to 18 September, followed by San Diego, USA sometime between mid-October and early December. From 2012 onwards, the "full version" will get down to business. These are 72-foot catamarans which, unlike the AC 45, have to be designed and built by the teams themselves.
Stan Honey, world-class navigator (Playstation, Groupama 3) and current Yachtsman of the Year in the USA, has been appointed Technical Director by the America's Cup Event Authority. He is to develop a very precise tracking system that maps the position of the boats with an accuracy of 2 cm, ten times per second. This data will be superimposed as a graphic over the sailing images, which will be recorded live by helicopter. This gives viewers the opportunity to visualise lay lines and the real distance between the boats. You can find more information on this in the official America's Cup Blog
The 34th Cup is the first to be held exclusively on catamarans, a departure from the traditional match racing format on heavy keelboats. The organisers are expecting spectacular sailing, exciting battles for position and dramatic images from this and the venue of San Francisco, a well-known strong wind area. The following video shows what happens when a 30-knot gust surprises an AC 45 catamaran.
Almost too fast in high winds and narrowly missing a headstand
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