Foto copyright Gilles Martin-Raget-www.americascup.com
Foto copyright Gilles Martin-Raget-www.americascup.com
Foto copyright Gilles Martin-Raget-www.americascup.com
Foto copyright Gilles Martin-Raget-www.americascup.com
Foto copyright Gilles Martin-Raget-www.americascup.com
Fuente info Sailworld
America's Cup: Team New Zealand expected to sail AC45's
At the international media conference held yesterday at the old Team New Zealand base in Viaduct Harbour, it was revealed that Team New Zealand would be one of the four teams having practice sessions in the new AC45 prototype which has been sailing in Auckland for the past 12 days.
The AC45 is expected to be handed over to America's Cup Management early next week, at which point she will be made available for use by teams entered in the 34th America's Cup.
America's Cup skipper, James Spithill when questioned on the order of the teams using the boat said that Oracle Racing and Mascalzone Latino would have the first use, followed by Team New Zealand and Artemis Racing.
The handover of the AC45 is a crunch point in the process of the 34th America's Cup - where teams announced, and otherwise, will have the opportunity to step up to the plate and run a practice session. For those who have been announced it will be a time to show they do have the on the water substance to their program.
America's Cup Regatta Management have been consistent in their stipulation that only teams entered in the 34th America's Cup will will be allowed to sail the AC45, developed as a junior version of the AC72 to be sailed in the Match and Louis Vuitton Cup.
When the first group of entries were announced for the 34th America's Cup, there was one unnamed entry which has always been kept confidential.
However in his column in the authoritative Seahorse magazine's January 2011 issue, World Sailing Team Association's Paul Cayard said 'Artemis Racing was the third team to enter the competition on 1 November and Team New Zealand followed shortly thereafter.'
Then it was revealed that Cookson Boats had taken delivery of a set of moulds for an AC45 and were building their first boat. It has not been confirmed whether Cooksons will build the hulls for the whole initial batch of 10 boats, or if they, in their role as Team NZ's long-standing builder would be building the AC 45's for the worlds top professional sailing team. Sail-World was told that moulds for the AC45 would be made available for other builders, but the project to date has only involved a group of New Zealand companies.
There has been little said officially by Team New Zealand who are undertaking a process of what they term 'due diligence' on an America's Cup entry. It was made plain that they preferred a US venue and CEO Grant Dalton is on the record as being in favour of San Francisco - subsequently announced as the venue,
Their reticence in outing themselves as an America's Cup entry is attributed to the fact that they will not announce a definite entry until funding and key essentials are secure.
Some comment was also made at the media conference by Russell Coutts, CEO of Oracle Racing that if there was sufficient private owner interest, the wing sailed AC45 could be developed as its own class and circuit with a mix of Youth, America's Cup and other professional/amateur/Olympic crews competing.
by Richard Gladwell Share 8:00 PM Fri 28 Jan 2011 GMT
