USA 17 flies and SF ACWS begins—Sailing News from the U.S. and Beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 3 Oct 2012 The eyes of the international sailing world are fixated on San Francisco, where the next America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) event is set to kick off tomorrow with the match-racing qualifiers. The match-racing quarterfinals are set for Thursday, followed by a fast-flying performance by the Blue Angels, before the first of the fleet racing begins that afternoon. Eleven boats from eight teams are competing in this ACWS event, which continues through Sunday and which is the last currently scheduled ACWS event to take place on U.S. waters before next year’s AC72 racing.


'We have a challenging program this week,' said regatta director Iain Murray. 'We have huge expectations for massive crowds that have never really been seen before in sailing to be here on Marina Green, watching our event.'


Competition is expected to be even stiffer on The Bay this week than in previous ACWS events as several teams have been improving since the last ACWS, which also took place in San Francisco this past August, immediately following the London Olympics 2012.


'We have been able to get some training in last week and Ben [Ainslie] and Russell [Coutts] have been pushing really hard, and I think Ben is right up to speed now,' said Oracle Racing skipper Jimmy Spithill. 'He’s ready to go and win. I think we have three crews who can win this regatta, and that’s exciting for us. Personally, I’d love to see all three of us on that podium. But, having said that, everyone’s prepared well and has a chance of winning.'

And speaking of Oracle Racing, the team’s mighty 'USA 17' AC72-class wingsail-powered catamaran took flight for the first time, courtesy of the boat’s finely (re)crafted foils. While images and video of Emirates Team New Zealand foiling have been around for a while, Oracle Racing has been playing catch-up as the team suffered a daggerboard failure at the end of August. Don’t miss the team’s video chronicling their day (and their repair), as well as the various other reports and image galleries, inside this issue.

Meanwhile, in Rovinj, Croatia, the RC44 class is contending its 2012 World Championships, with 15 teams from around the world participating. Team Synergy is leading the pack going into this event, led by American Ed Baird at their helm for the 2012 season. 'I think really the biggest part of why we are leading now is the strength of the team and how they have prepared in the years past,' he said. 'For me the biggest challenge was how to laugh in Russian because they are having a lot of fun on the boat and they are really a great group of guys.' Get the full scoop, inside.

Also inside, don’t miss the coverage of the MOD 70 European Tour, Richard Gladwell’s update on the new One Design 65-footer that will contest the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, as well as ENTZ skipper Dean Barker’s thoughts on the recent 'bombshell' requirement changes for teams participating in AC34.


May the four winds blow you safely home,