America’s Cupdate

In America’s Cup news, the NYYC challenger team has released their branding. The team will be called American Magic. Philip Lotz, commodore of NYYC, said, "America was the first boat to win the Cup in 1851. Magic was the first boat to defend the Cup in 1870. American Magic builds on the legacy of those two yachts, and the name embodies the mission of our campaign, which is to win the Cup and in the process build the foundation for a stronger competitive sailing culture in the United States."

American Magic’s design team is at work planning for the first of two AC75 class boats, and preparing for the publication of the AC75 Class Rule, scheduled to be released this Saturday, March 31. Meanwhile, the American Magic sailing team is currently training in Long Beach for April 13-15’s Ficker Cup, the qualifier for the Congressional Cup, at LBYC. The team plans to establish its primary base in Newport, RI, later this spring.

On the other side of the planet, plans to host the next Cup in 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand, have moved forward. Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand, the Auckland Council and the New Zealand government have agreed on the configuration of the event’s base village. A formal signing is expected March 29 (in New Zealand, it’s already Thursday morning as we write this).

To catch up on AC news, go to www.americascup.com.