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  AC36 updates, Worlds reports—Sailing news from North America & beyond
 | | Emirates Team New Zealand and Oracle Team USA - 35th America's Cup Match - Race 3 Start - Bermuda June 18, 2017 Richard Gladwell |
As North American sailors watch as our greens of summer slowly progress into the reds, golds and yellows of early fall, one could be forgiven for thinking that things are winding down on the sailing stage. Perhaps in North America, at least in the parts that are affected by that four-letter word that starts with “s” and ends in a “w”, there's truth to the fact that the 2017 season is slowly furling itself up neatly, but there's even greater truth to the fact that the northern hemisphere is only half of the earth...and greater truth still to the fact that the America's Cup-the Auld Mug-has once again found itself on antipodean waters, shifting much global attention to the small-but-spectacular nation of New Zealand.
To be clear, what's known about the 36th America's Cup at this point isn't an official Protocol from the Defender and the Challenger of Record (expected this coming Friday, September 29), but rather some snippets of wisdom gleaned from various sources, including Emirates Team New Zealand, the Defenders of the 36th America's Cup, and Luna Rossa, the Challenger of Record for “AC36”. Still, much can be inferred about the next Defense, including a transition from multihulls back to monohulls, a date of early 2021 for AC36 racing, as well as a lead-up series of regattas.
Critically, the new Protocol is also expected to have a heavy nationality clause, which-while clearly playing to the Kiwis' own strengths -comes as celebrated news to many fans (your editor included) who kept getting confused by the number of antipodean accents on an American-flagged Defender.
 | | Simon Koster – foiler - Mini Transat © Jacques Vapillon / Mini Transat |
While the news of a switch to monohulls returns gravity to the Cup in the eyes of many Cup fans, there's no questions that this boldface change is certain to ruffle some feathers, especially amongst those who invested heavily into foiling (although there has been no word as to if the Cup boats will use DSS-style foils, or perhaps even Classe Mini-style foils to lift or partially lift the boats from the brine).
'We have come from the most amazing boats in the world,' said Jimmy Spithill, the former skipper of Oracle Team USA, to RadioLIVE's Andrew Gourdie. Oracle Team USA, it will be remembered, recently lost the 35th America's Cup in a stunning 7-1 upset on the waters of Bermuda's Great Sound that has eclipsed the team's impressive 2013 comeback during the 34th America's Cup to the point that it's now not expected that Oracle Team USA will return for a bite at the AC36's apple.
'It's really tough to think about [not] sailing these things,” continued Spithill. “Whether you win or lose, you feel like you are ready to go into some sort of clinic. How do you beat that adrenaline?”
 | Jimmy Spithill, helmsman Oracle Team USA
Oracle Team USA
Day 4
2017 35th America's Cup Bermuda Daniel Forster © |
For Spithill, who is promoting a new book called Chasing the Cup: My America's Cup Journey, and the other sailors from Oracle Team USA, this may prove to be more of a question of employment contracts than sailing satisfaction, however there's little question that Spithill and the rest of the Oracle squad will be in high demand for AC36, even if they are wearing new livery colors.
Granted, Spithill's war of words with Dalton and the ETNZ squad dates back to at least 2013, but the simple fact remains that Spithill, like everyone else, will have to wait to see what the Protocol says come Friday, while also waiting to see what teams are looking to staff-up their afterguards in light of AC36's Protocol.
Meanwhile, in ocean-racing news, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race teams have all reached their first port of call-Punta del Este, Uraguay-during the 2017/2018 edition of this storied offshore challenge and are gearing up for their next offshore leg, which will take the paying crews to Cape Town, South Africa. This next leg will start on Wednesday, October 4, and will give crews a serious taste of the offshore adrenaline that's sure to follow in the race's Southern Ocean legs.
 | | Day 35, Race 1 – Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Clipper Ventures |
And in Europe, the crews preparing for the 2017/2018 Volvo Ocean Race dropped their steeds off with the race's Boatyard for the official assembly period (September 18 to 30), which is when the boats are officially measured and safety checks conducted before the race's official start on October 22. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, much closer to home, Rossi Milev (CAN) and his Clear Air crew won the 2017 J/24 Worlds, which just concluded racing at the Port Credit Yacht Club, in Mississauga, Canada. Milev and company were joined on the winner's podium by Tony Parker (USA) and his Bangor Packet crew and Ariko Murohashi's (JPN) Lull squad.
 | | Clear Air's Rossi Milev won the 2017 J/24 Worlds Christopher Howell |
And in Annapolis, Maryland, the Severn Sailing Association and Eastport Yacht Club are hosting the 505 Worlds (September 20-29), where Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn are currently sitting in the pole position, followed by Mike Holt and Carl Smit, who are sitting in second place at the time of this writing, and Tyler Moore and Rob Woelfel. Out of the top ten boats, eight are flying the Stars and Stripes, while the entire Top Three (at the time of this writing) all carry the letters “USA” on their sails.
Also on tap this week, the Etchells Worlds (September 22-30) are playing out on the gloriously windy waters of San Francisco Bay, American Yacht Club's Fall Regatta (September 30 to October 1) is set to take place on Long Island Sound, and the J/70 East Coast Championships will be unfurling on the Chesapeake Bay and will be hosted by the Fishing Bay Yacht Club next weekend.
May the four winds blow you safely home,
David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor
A QandA with John Craig about the Extreme Sailing Series San Diego event
David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor, 
Now in its 11th season, the Extreme Sailing Series's calendar features eight different Acts set in Muscat, Qingdao, Madeira Islands, Barcelona, Hamburg, Cardiff, San Diego and Los Cabos. I caught up with John Craig, Race Director of the Extreme Sailing Series, via email, ahead of the San Diego Act to learn more about this high-octane event.... [more]
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