AC, J/70s and the Caribbean 600—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 15 Jan 2014 While actual on-the-water America’s Cup racing is likely still another three-and-a-half-plus years away, you can bet your last roll of duct tape that each of the teams is working hard on details ranging from the Protocol that will govern 'AC35', to hiring the sailors who will power the cutting-edge designs around the racetrack. Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) announced two important hires this week, namely Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.

Fans of Olympic sailing will remember Burling and Tuke from the London Olympics 2012, where the Kiwi teammates earned a Silver Medal in the 49er class, finishing astern only to Nathan Outteridge and Iain 'Goobs' Jensen, who served as helmsman and wing trimmer, respectively, for Artemis Racing in AC34 and are expected to keep these same roles for AC35.

'It will be a massive challenge to balance doing an Olympic campaign and this [Cup] campaign, but I believe our Olympic plan is solid with a great team around us,' said Burling about the plan for the duo to sail in the 2016 Rio Olympics while also training for AC35. 'I am really looking forward to helping [ETNZ] bring the Cup back to New Zealand.'

While there’s little question that the next four years will be full on for the 'team within a team', both sailors remain unflinchingly focused on sailing well and representing their country on the world stage. 'To be able to combine America's Cup sailing with our Olympic campaign is fantastic, said Tuke. 'Our expectation is that sailing at the highest level in our 49er as well as with [ETNZ] will complement each other and make us stronger at both types of sailing.'

As for the team’s higher-ups, they also seem delighted with their medal-winning hires. 'We came up short last time,' said ETNZ boss, Grant Dalton, at the press conference announcing Burling and Tuke’s new jobs with the team. 'We have to develop, we want to bring in new talent, and where possible we want to bring in Kiwi talent-particularly into the sailing team. There's no better talent in the country at present, than Blair [Tuke] and Peter [Burling].'

According to reports, Dean Barker is expected to return to ETNZ in a new Skipper/Sailing Director role, while actual driving duties will be determined via team try-outs. For Burling, this could be his big opportunity to drive a (likely) foil-born multihull on the Americas Cup circuit.

Get the full report, inside this issue.

Meanwhile, the J/70 class enjoyed a great Winter Series, which was held at the Davis Island Yacht Cub in Tampa, Florida. According to reports, 39 boats took part in the two-day regatta, which saw much bolder conditions on Saturday than on Sunday. Ultimately, Jud Smith and crew sailed away with top honors, followed by Rob Butler’s team in second place and a three-way tie (involving skippers Rob Britts, Henry Brauer and Mike Dressel) for third place. Get the full report, inside this issue.

And in ocean racing news, reports are emerging of heavy interest in this year’s Caribbean 600 distance race, which kicks off on February 24. According to reports, rivalries are already shaping-up, and skippers and crews alike are getting amped-up for this classic bluewater event, which is on many sailors’ Bucket Lists (mine included!).

'The crew just love blue water racing,' said Tony Brookes, skipper of the 203-foot schooner 'Athos'. 'Our first goal will be to safely finish the race and then we hope to do better than last year. Sadly 'Athos' bowman, 'Cappa' Antony Hussey will not be with us following a fatal road accident last September, and we will be dedicating this race to him.'

Get the full Caribbean 600 report, inside this issue.

Also inside, don’t miss the latest downloads from the Clipper Round the World Race and the Star Midwinter Championship, and be sure to check out US Sailing’s news about their Coach of the Year Awards, which will soon be open to nominations.

May the four winds blow you safely home,