AC45s @Newport & 1st Series over: Test Passed

Photos Gilles Martin Raget – Giulain Grenier

What else you can ask for? An excellent ending for a real and definitive change in the history of the sport of sailing. Newport provided a classic scenario, one of the most traditional ACup venues, home of Vandervilt and other American defenders.

Some good races, specially the last fleet race, where Luna Rossa Draper , took the lead from Coutts on the last upwind mark. Also the prestart move by Coutts schooling Spithill.

Taken from Oracle’s press release:
–“Nice work you old bugger. Hey, you still got a few tricks in you. How you feeling, alright?” said Spithill, who turned 33 years old earlier this week and had just been crowned the first-ever America’s Cup World Series overall champion.
“You’re too young to know some of those tricks,” the 50-year-old Coutts shot back with a laugh.–“

I saw Sunday’s action with my father in law, a Navy pilot commander that lived in Newport for two years attending the Naval War College. ” The Fort!.. the Bridge, the Bay…” and of course looking amazed how the AC45s performed in that perfect course.

This new ‘format’ attracts grandpas and kids alike, they can relate with speed, cats dynamics, raw performance and how sailors have some intense physical demand, they don´t need to guess any more than what they are seeing on the screen without being ‘expert’ sailors seeing how too ‘turtles’ “fight” for position and get penalties too few can understand, (if they get close racing) if that is the appeal of the old format, well we can all welcome the new Catracing times.

As always, and I’m not going to get tired repeating it, Nathaniel Herreshoff must be smiling up there.
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More reports later, complete info and results at www.americascup.com.