The 37th
America's Cup will be raced between a yacht representing the
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is a New Zealand yacht club, and the club behind New Zealand's America's Cup campaigns, under the guises of New Zealand Challenge and Team New Zealand. It held the America's Cup from 1995 until 2003, bec ...
and a yacht representing the yacht club that wins the '' Challenger Selection Series'' (
Prada Cup). It will be held in
Barcelona, Spain in September and October 2024.
The
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is a New Zealand yacht club, and the club behind New Zealand's America's Cup campaigns, under the guises of New Zealand Challenge and Team New Zealand. It held the America's Cup from 1995 until 2003, bec ...
will be the defender of the 37th America's Cup, after its yacht ''
Te Rehutai'', owned and sailed by the
Emirates Team New Zealand
Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Team New Zealand became a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cup i ...
syndicate, was the successful defender in the
36th America's Cup, beating the challenger
Luna Rossa
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, originally named Prada Challenge, then Luna Rossa Challenge, is an Italian sailboat racing syndicate first created to compete for the 2000 America's Cup. It won the Louis Vuitton Cup on their first attempt in 2000, but ...
, representing
Circolo della Vela Sicilia
Circolo della Vela Sicilia is a yacht club in Mondello, a northern borough of Palermo, Sicily. The club was the "Challenger of Record" for the 36th America's Cup where they were represented by their team, Luna Rossa Challenge.
See also
* Italy at ...
, 7-3 in a first-to-seven series raced from 10–17 March 2021 in the
Waitemata Harbour Waitemata or Waitematā may refer to:
* Waitematā Harbour, the primary harbour of Auckland, New Zealand
* Waitematā (local board area), a local government area in Auckland, New Zealand
** Waitematā Local Board, a local board of Auckland Council, ...
and
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,[Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...](_blank)
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
Immediately after ''Te Rehutai'' achieved its seventh win in the 36th America's Cup, the Chairman of Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd, Bertie Bicket, issued a pre-arranged, "friendly" challenge to the Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Aaron Young.
[https://www.rys.org.uk/assets/ac37-challenger-of-record-joint-statement-2.pdf ] This made Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd the Challenger of Record for the next America's Cup.
The
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is a New Zealand yacht club, and the club behind New Zealand's America's Cup campaigns, under the guises of New Zealand Challenge and Team New Zealand. It held the America's Cup from 1995 until 2003, bec ...
was founded in 1871 as the Auckland Yacht Club and took its current name in 1902 after receiving a warrant in the name of
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
.
Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd was founded in 2014 and is a private company limited by guarantee without share capital, registered with the UK
Companies House
Companies House is the executive agency of the company registrars of the United Kingdom, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies (as permitted by the Companies Act) are in ...
, and associated with the UK's
Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to w ...
.
History
Origins
The America's Cup is the oldest competition in international sport, and the fourth oldest continuous sporting trophy of any kind. The cup itself was manufactured in 1848 and first called the "RYS £100 Cup". It was first raced for on 22 August 1851 around the Isle of Wight off
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, in a fleet race between the
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...
's ''
America'' and 15 yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron. The race was witnessed by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
and the future
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
and won by the sailing yacht ''America''. This is considered to be the first America's Cup race, and hence originated the cup's name.
On 8 July 1857, the surviving members of the ''
America'' syndicate donated the cup to the New York Yacht Club via the
Deed of Gift of the America's Cup
The Deed of Gift of the America's Cup is the primary instrument that governs the rules to make a valid challenge for the America's Cup and the rules of conduct of the races. The current version of the deed of gift is the third revision of the orig ...
filed with the
New York Supreme Court.
The deed is the primary instrument that governs the rules to make a valid challenge for the America's Cup and the rules of conduct of the races. It states that the cup "is donated upon the condition that it shall be preserved as a perpetual challenge Cup for friendly competition between foreign countries", outlines how a foreign yacht club can make a challenge to the holder of the cup and what happens if they do not agree on how the match should be conducted. The deed makes it "distinctly understood that the cup is to be the property of the club
hat has most recently won a match for the cup subject to the provisions of this deed, and not the property of the owner or owners of any vessel winning a match".
Summary of Previous Matches
As of 31 March 2021, a total of 36 cup matches had been held. The New York Yacht Club won the first 25 matches, once around the Isle of Wight, 13 times off
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and then 11 times off Newport, Rhode Island, and established a 132-year winning record, the longest in international sport. Australia's
Royal Perth Yacht Club
The Royal Perth Yacht Club (RPYC) is a yacht club in Perth, Western Australia. It is the third oldest yacht club in Australia after the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. broke this winning record on 26 September 1983 before losing the cup in 1987 in Fremantle, near Perth, in Western Australia. Since then, the cup has moved around more frequently, and has been won by the USA's
San Diego Yacht Club
San Diego Yacht Club is a yacht club located in San Diego Bay. It is located in Point Loma across from a spit of land known as Shelter Island.
Facilities
The San Diego Yacht Club facility has a main dining room and outdoor deck seating, a b ...
(1987, 1988 and 1992), New Zealand's Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (1995, 2000, 2017 and 2021), Switzerland's
Société Nautique de Genève
The Société Nautique de Genève is a yacht club based in Geneva (Switzerland). It was founded in 1872 with the goal of developing nautical sports and high level sailors. Currently the club has about 3000 members.
The club held the America's Cup ...
(2003 and 2007), and the USA's
Golden Gate Yacht Club
The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) is a San Francisco, California, U.S. based yacht club founded in 1939.
History
In 1939 the first members built a clubhouse on a barge in the San Francisco Marina. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake severely ...
(2010 and 2013).
Of the 36 cup matches, 33 have been held in the home waters of the defending club. Because Switzerland is a land-locked country, and the deed envisages racing should be held on ocean courses, Société Nautique de Genève held its 2007 and 2010 defences in
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. For commercial reasons, Golden Gate Yacht Club held the 2017 defence in Bermuda, losing to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. When defending the cup in home waters, the defending cup has won 85% of America's Cup matches, losing only in 1851, 1983, 1987, 1992 and 2003. When defending the cup in foreign waters, the defending cup has lost 67% of America's Cup matches, losing in 2010 and 2017.
The 36th match from 10–17 March 2021 was the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's fourth America's Cup victory, following its wins in 1995, 2000 and 2017, making it the most successful club in the competition's history except for the New York Yacht Club. The 2021 win also made the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron the only club to have twice successfully challenged for and then defended the America's Cup.
Terms of Challenge
Background
The challenge by Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron was made on board the 110 foot luxury sailing yacht ''Imagine'' immediately following the completion of the 10th and final race of the
36th America's Cup on 17 March 2021.
The challenge was a pre-arranged "friendly" challenge arranged by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and their respective sailing teams
Team New Zealand
Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Team New Zealand became a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cup i ...
and
Ineos Team UK. The fact of the challenge and some details were made public on 19 March 2021. Both the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd consider the challenge to be valid.
Rules for Issuing Challenge
All challenges for the America's Cup are made under the
Deed of Gift of the America's Cup
The Deed of Gift of the America's Cup is the primary instrument that governs the rules to make a valid challenge for the America's Cup and the rules of conduct of the races. The current version of the deed of gift is the third revision of the orig ...
, which outlines who can challenge for the cup, and what information a challenge must provide to the defender. The deed then allows for most of the arrangements for the match to be made by negotiation and mutual consent, but provides a backstop in the event agreement is not reached. The first valid challenge that is made must be accepted by the defender or it must forfeit the cup to that valid challenger or negotiate other terms.
To be eligible, a challenging club must be "an organized yacht Club" of a country other than the defender, which is "incorporated, patented, or licensed by the legislature, admiralty or other executive department". The club must hold an "annual regatta
nan ocean water course on the sea, or on an arm of the sea, or one which combines both".
The
New York Supreme Court and the
New York Court of Appeals have held that this means the challenging club must in fact "have held at least one qualifying annual regatta before it submits its Notice of Challenge to a Defender and demonstrate that it will continue to have qualifying annual regattas on an ongoing basis" and not merely intend to hold its first annual regatta before the envisaged America's Cup match. The New York Supreme Court has also found that the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...
between the United States and Canada are arms of the sea, allowing clubs with regattas on those lakes to be challengers.
The challenge document must give dates for the proposed races, which must be no less than 10 months from the date the challenge is made, and within date ranges specified for both the northern and southern hemispheres. The challenge document must also provide information on the yacht, including length on load water line; beam at load water line, and extreme beam; and draught of water. If the yacht has one mast, it must be between 44 and 90 feet on the load water line. If it has more than one mast, it must be between 80 and 115 feet on the load water line. These dimensions may not be exceeded by either challenger or defender. The yachts must be propelled by sails only and be constructed in the country to which the challenging and defending clubs belong. Centreboard or sliding keel vessels are allowed with no restrictions nor limitations, and neither the centre-board nor sliding keel is considered a part of the vessel for any purposes of measurement. As long as these rules are met, the New York Court of Appeals has ruled that defender may use a boat of a different category to the challenger, such as meeting a challenge in a monohull with a catamaran.
Under the deed, the defender and challenger "may by mutual consent make any arrangement satisfactory to both as to the dates, courses, number of trials, rules and sailing regulations, and any and all other conditions of the match, in which case also the ten months’ notice may be waived".
Since 1958, the practice has usually been for the defender and challenger to agree that the challenger shall be a Challenger of Record, which then arranges a Challenger Series involving a number of other yacht clubs from countries other than that of the defender. The yacht that wins the Challenger Series wins the
Herbert Pell Cup and also an associated sponsored cup such as the
Prada Cup in 2021 or the
Louis Vuitton Cup
The Louis Vuitton Cup was the name of the Challenger Selection Series sailing competition from 1983, named after its sponsor, Louis Vuitton. The winner of the competition became the challenger to compete with the defender of the America's Cu ...
between 1983 and 2017.
However, if the challenger and defender cannot agree, the deed provides a backstop, requiring a first-to-two match on ocean courses defined in the deed, at a venue selected by the defender, under its rules and sailing regulations so far as they do not conflict with the provisions of the deed, on the dates submitted by the challenger and in yachts meeting the terms of the deed and the challenge notice.
Terms of RYSR Ltd Challenge
The full text and terms of the challenge have not been made public, but a number of areas of agreement have been revealed in media statements by the
Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and their sailing teams, and in subsequent public comments. Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron say they will negotiate and issue a protocol to govern the 37th America's Cup by 19 November 2021, eight months after they revealed initial information about the challenge.
Yacht Class
It has been agreed the America's Cup 75 (
AC75), a foiling monohull class developed and used for the first time for the 36th America's Cup shall remain the class of yacht for the 37th America's Cup. Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron also intend that the AC75 class should be used for the
38th America's Cup, and say that agreement to this will be a condition of entry for any other complying clubs wishing to enter any challenger series for the 37th America's Cup.
Nationality Rules
It has been agreed a new crew nationality rule will require 100% of race crews to either be a passport holder of the country the team’s yacht club as at 19 March 2021 or to have been physically present in that country (or, acting on behalf of such a yacht club in Auckland, the venue of the 36th America’s Cup Events) for two of the previous three years prior to 18 March 2021. There will be a discretionary provision allowing a quota of non-nationals on the race crew for competitors from "emerging nations", although this term and the size of the quota is yet to be defined.
Cost Reduction Programme
To reduce costs, it has been agreed teams will be restricted to building only one new
AC75 for the 37th America's Cup. In addition, Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron have committed to "investigating and agreeing a meaningful package of campaign cost reduction measures including measures to attract a higher number of challengers and to assist with the establishment of new teams".
Venue
Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron planned to announce the venue for the 37th America's Cup by 19 September 2021. New Zealand Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern
Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...
said her Government wanted to see the cup defended in Auckland in 2023, and announced the availability of Government funding to assist Team New Zealand to stay together, subject to a number of conditions, including an expectation the Cup will be defended in New Zealand.
However, on 29 March 2022,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
was announced as the host of the 2024 America's Cup.
Barcelona’s bid saw an unprecedented alliance across public and private entities working together to attract the America’s Cup to Barcelona which included the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, City Hall of Barcelona, Port of Barcelona, Barcelona Global’s investment agency and Barcelona & Partners.
Of the previous 36 cup matches, 33 have been held in the defender's home waters. The
Deed of Gift provides for the defender to name the venue if they and the Challenger of Record cannot reach agreement.
Dates
The dates for the 37th America's Cup will be announced either in the event protocol to be published before 19 November 2021 or earlier.
The deed requires the match to be held in summer or summer-shoulder months. If the match is held in Auckland or elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, it must be held between 1 November and 30 April. If it is held on The Solent or elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, it must be held between 1 May and 31 October.
2021
*November 17, 2021: AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule V2 Published
*December 1, 2021: Entries for Challengers Open
2022
*March 31, 2022: Defender to announce Match Venue and approximate event dates
*June 17, 2022: New competitors may sail Version 1 AC75s for 20 sailing days
*July 31, 2022: Entry Period Closes
*September 17, 2022: Competitors may sail an AC75 Yacht
*November 30, 2022: ACE to announce race schedule for the Match
*November 30, 2022: ACE to announce racing area for CSS and Match
*December 31, 2022: ACE to publish Brand Manual
2023
*May 31, 2023: Final cut off for late Challenger entries.
*June 30, 2023: ACE to publish Youth and Women’s AC Agreement
*June 30, 2023: COR/D to publish Match Conditions
*November 30, 2023: COR/D to publish CSS Conditions
Event Management
Wherever and whenever the event is held, Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron say a single Event Authority will be appointed to be responsible for the conduct of all racing and the management of commercial activities relating to the 37th America's Cup.
Challengers
The
Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd is the Challenger of Record for the 37th America's Cup.
Their team,
INEOS Britannia, previously lost to
Emirates Team New Zealand
Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Team New Zealand became a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cup i ...
in the 2017 Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals, and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the
2021 Prada Cup
The 2021 Prada Challenger's Trophy was a sailing competition held to determine the challenger in the 2021 America's Cup who would challenge Emirates Team New Zealand. The races were held from January 15 to February 21, 2021 in Auckland, New Zeal ...
final. The Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd's challenge will be the first time a British team has competed in three consecutive America's Cup cycles since 1930.
Circolo della Vela Sicilia
Circolo della Vela Sicilia is a yacht club in Mondello, a northern borough of Palermo, Sicily. The club was the "Challenger of Record" for the 36th America's Cup where they were represented by their team, Luna Rossa Challenge.
See also
* Italy at ...
, represented by
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, have indicated their interest in returning for the 37th America's Cup. Luna Rossa previously lost to Emirates Team New Zealand in the
2021 America's Cup final. In a statement, the team said that they looked "forward to returning to racing on the
AC75s in the next edition of the America's Cup".
The
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...
(NYYC) had indicated interest in returning for the 37th America's Cup. American Magic previously lost to Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the 2021 Prada Cup semi-final. The NYYC submitted a challenge to the
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is a New Zealand yacht club, and the club behind New Zealand's America's Cup campaigns, under the guises of New Zealand Challenge and Team New Zealand. It held the America's Cup from 1995 until 2003, bec ...
on May 6, 2021, alongside an Evolutionary Draft Protocol for the 37th America's Cup. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron released a statement in response, where they said they were "delighted to hear that the New York Yacht Club" were interested, but questioned, "their motives for such a presumptuous statement when entries
id notopen for some time."
The Royal Yacht Squadron and Ineos Team UK also released a statement in response to the New York Yacht Club's challenge, stating that they were "working collaboratively with the Royal Yacht Squadron and Team New Zealand".
The NYYC has since dropped
American Magic and announced a tentative partnership with Stars & Stripes. Subsequently, the NYYC announced they would no longer pursue the 37th Americas Cup and then on 7 January the Club opted back in with American Magic.
In December 2021
Alinghi founder
Ernesto Bertarelli
Ernesto Silvio Maurizio Bertarelli (born 22 September 1965) is an Italian-born Swiss billionaire businessman and philanthropist.
The 2017 edition of the Sunday Times Rich List estimated the family's wealth at £11.5 billion, an increase of £ ...
and two-time Olympic champion
Hans Peter Steinacher announced the launch of the new Alinghi Red Bull Racing challenge. Bertarelli will continue to represent the
Société Nautique de Genève
The Société Nautique de Genève is a yacht club based in Geneva (Switzerland). It was founded in 1872 with the goal of developing nautical sports and high level sailors. Currently the club has about 3000 members.
The club held the America's Cup ...
, the yacht club that won the
2003 Louis Vuitton Cup
The 6th Louis Vuitton Cup was held in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2003. The winner, Alinghi, went on to challenge for and win the 2003 America's Cup.
The teams
The Yacht Club Punta Ala was the challenger of record.
Alinghi
Founded by Swiss busi ...
, the
2003 America's Cup
The 31st America's Cup was contested between the holder, Team New Zealand, and the winner of the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, Alinghi.
Build Up
The 2002–2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, held in the Hauraki Gulf in Auckland, New Zealand saw nine teams fro ...
, and the
2007 America's Cup
The 2007 America's Cup was the thirty-second challenge for the America's Cup and was won by Alinghi in the 7th race. The Cup is the most famous and most prestigious regatta and '' Match Race'' in the sport of sailing.
As per the Deed of Gift o ...
.
On 3 January 2023, the organisers of the 37th America's Cup announced that
K-Challenge Racing would challenge for the 37th America's Cup, after previously challenging for the
32nd America's Cup
The 2007 America's Cup was the thirty-second challenge for the America's Cup and was won by Alinghi in the 7th race. The Cup is the most famous and most prestigious regatta and ''Match Race'' in the sport of sailing.
As per the Deed of Gift o ...
in 2007. Led by
Stephane Kandler and
Bruno Dubois, the team will represent the
Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez.
Boats
References
External links
Americascup.com the official website of the competition
{{America'sCup
America's Cup regattas
Amer
Amer may refer to:
Places
* Amer (river), a river in the Dutch province of North Brabant
* Amer, Girona, a municipality in the province of Girona in Catalonia, Spain
* Amber, India (also known as Amer, India), former city of Rajasthan state
** Am ...