America's Cup 2024: Regatta a chance to get ready to race, Peter Burling says (2024)

FAQs

Does America's Cup still exist? ›

The America's Cup is a highly prestigious event, being the oldest continuous competition in international sport, and the fourth oldest continuous sporting trophy of any kind. As of 31 March 2021, a total of 36 cup matches have been held.

Welcome to the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup taking place between August and October 2024 in the beating heart of beautiful Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and one of the most visited cities on planet Earth.

Racing in the 37th America's Cup Match itself, which is a best of 13 (first to seven) format will start on Saturday 12th October 2024 and could run all the way to the 27th October should all the races be needed to pick a winner.

It was originally called the “Hundred Guineas Cup,” and it was renamed the “America's Cup” (named for the winning boat, America, not for the country) after a famous race in 1851 when the New York Yacht Club accepted an invitation by Great Britain's Lord Wilton, the Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron, to send over a ...

The 1997 police mugshot of Benjamin Nathan after he smashed the America's Cup.

In stark contrast to Australia, the loss of the 1983 America's Cup was considered a time of shame in U.S. sailing, as the U.S. had been able to defend the Cup for 132 years in a row. Dennis Conner took the loss hard.

The America's Cup has been contested 36 times with the most successful nations being the United States with 30 wins, New Zealand with three wins, Switzerland with two wins, and Australia with one win.

The high cost of building the AC72 kept many other countries from competing in this year's America's Cup: a single yacht costs $8 million to $10 million, and most teams build two in case one is destroyed in the competition. As a result, an expected field of fifteen teams turned out to be a paltry four.

Typical racing speeds are over 30 knots (55 km/h, 34 mph) with the boats capable of sailing well over 40 knots (74 km/h, 46 mph) in the right conditions.

The America's Cup is currently held by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, who successfully defended the 36th America's Cup in March 2021 using an AC75 foiling monohull called Te Rehutai, owned and sailed by the Team New Zealand syndicate.

Is the America's Cup every 4 years? ›

The America's Cup is the oldest sporting trophy in the world that is still competed for. Every four years the most prestigious sailing clubs compete to determine which boat and crew is the fastest on the seas.

The price of victory

$115 million according to Oracle executives. $250-$300 estimated in the media. $10+ million spent on building the Cup-winning boat.

It was first offered as the Hundred Guinea Cup on August 20, 1851, by the Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain for a race around the Isle of Wight. The cup was won by the America, a 100-foot (30-metre) schooner from New York City, and subsequently became known as the America's Cup.

However, Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton told Morning Report there simply was not enough money invested into holding the event in Auckland to cover costs, and only about a third of what was promised was tangible cash for them.

Emirates Team New Zealand chose Barcelona for its title defense because of the quality of the Port's facilities, the diversity of competition venues, the city's experience in hosting major sporting events, its love of water sports and its educational and leisure offerings.

The America's Cup was held in Newport, RI 12 times from 1930 to 1983, with the 12 Metre as the selected class for nine of those times, from 1958 to 1983.

The reasons for Barcelona

The organizers of the 37th edition of the America's Cup have valued the public-private collaboration demonstrated in the candidacy, the infrastructures that Barcelona already has, plus those that are being put in place for the event, and the strength of the Barcelona brand.