America's Cup - Artemis Racing take to the water with new AC72 wing

by Jennifer Hall on 16 Mar 2012 America's Cup - The culmination of more than 35,000 man hours and a tremendous amount of hard work on the part of the entire team came to fruition today when Artemis Racing sailed with the team’s first AC72 wing.

While the Defender and other Challengers for the 34th America’s Cup have chosen to train and test elements for the AC72 catamarans using smaller boats, specifically AC45 and SL33 catamarans, Artemis Racing opted to build a full size wing from the outset.

'We chose the full scale strategy. Our decision was more time consuming, but it allows us to learn how to handle this powerful wing. Before performance, there is the safety of our team. San Francisco Bay in July and August is an unforgiving place' said CEO Paul Cayard.

Towering more than 13 stories high, the AC72 wing is a pure work of art. The 40 metre high structure, predominantly built of carbon fibre, measures 260 square meters yet weighs just over one tonne.

'It was a team effort. It was amazing to see the wing out on the water. It looks great, but at the same time threatening. We will be going through a series of structural tests in the next few days,' said Principal Designer Juan Kouyoumdjian.

This is Artemis Racing’s first entry to the America’s Cup.

Photo Credit: © Sander van der Borch / Artemis Racing

Artemis Racing website