Cup-aches and a weekend report—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 24 Jun 2013 Several days of Mediation meetings with two senior members of the International Jury have failed to resolve all of the looming issues (both public and private) regarding the proposed changes to the racing rules/format/safety precautions for this summer’s Louis Vuitton Cup (LVC; July 5-August 30) and for the 34th America’s Cup (September 7-21) in the wake of Artemis Racing’s tragic accident on May 9. This comes as tough news to fans who are still largely in the dark as to what has been agreed upon, and what points are still sticky wickets. Furthermore, there still isn’t an ironed-out starting date (or determined format) for this summer’s initial LVC racing, as Artemis Racing-the Challenger of Record for AC34-likely will not be ready for any on-the-water action until late July (at the earliest).

'I want to thank the mediators for their work, as the process was beneficial,' said Iain Murray, regatta director of the 34th America’s Cup. 'It was useful to hear the teams’ perspective on safety from a competitive viewpoint. But as Regatta Director, I have a clear task. For me, safety means safety for everyone. Full stop. I stand behind all of the original recommendations to increase safety for all of our sailors this summer.'

Get the full AC report (including some spectacular ‘Am Cam’ footage of Emirates Team New Zealand executing a gybe while staying aloft on their foils), inside this issue, and stay tuned for the latest AC and LVC updates, as they become known.

Meanwhile, in Stateside sailing, Cleveland Race Week, hosted by the Edgewater Yacht Club, in Cleveland, Ohio, just wrapped up after many days of great racing on Lake Erie. Sixty-eight big boats participated in various different PHRF classes, with each class getting in at least seven or eight races. More, inside.

And at the Wayzata Yacht Club, in Wayzata, Minnesota, the racecourse action was hot at the J/24 Nationals, which just wrapped up after three days of competition. Mike Ingham and his crew aboard 'USA 5443' took home top honors, followed by Rolf Turnquist ('USA 3577') and Randy Gould ('USA 5136'). Check out this issue for the full details.

Meanwhile, for fans of large multihull racing, the Route des Princes has been offering up some great racing and some spectacular sights. Yann Guichard’s MOD70, 'Spindrift', capsized over the weekend, thus dropping the fleet size down to just three MOD70s for the last two legs of this stage-race event.

Especially unfortunate for the 'Spidrift' team is the fact that they had been leading this event prior to capsizing. According to the latest reports, the 'Spindrift' team plans to bring their now-damaged MOD-70 back home to France for repairs. Get the full story, inside, and stay tuned to the site for the latest updates from the Route des Princes, as they unfurl.

Also inside, don’t miss the latest reports from Kieler Woche, the ORCi World Championships, and the Danish Open Ladies Cup.

And finally, start out your week in style with a scroll through Ingrid Abery’s great photo gallery from the J-Class’ final day of racing at the Superyacht Cup, which just wrapped up in Palma, Mallorca. Enjoy!

May the four winds blow you safely home,