Emirates Team New Zealand have announced that the 36th America’s Cup, expected to take place in New Zealand in 2021, will be raced in foiling monohulls rather than the foiling catamarans that raced in Bermuda.
As the winners of the 35th America’s Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand are entitled to choose the date, location and format of the next showdown and, in an announcement made last week, revealed their decision to race on high performance foiling monohulls.
A team of designers, led by Emirates Team New Zealand Design Coordinator Dan Bernasconi, are now working on various monohull concepts, which will eventually help shape the AC36 Class Rule.
The statement from the defender said: “Emirates Team New Zealand have been consulting with a number of potential challengers and there is an overall desire to have a spectacular monohull yacht that will be exciting to race, but also one that the public and sailors can relate to as a sail boat that really challenges a full crew of professional yachtsman around the race track.”
This backs up Patrizio Bertelli, head of Luna Rossa, which is the challenger of record for the 36th America’s Cup. He told Italian newspaper La Stampa that the deal to return to monohulls was made several years ago when they agreed to help Emirates Team New Zealand with their challenge for the 35th America’s Cup.
This latest update follows the announcement made in July that there is a possibility of the 36th America’s Cup and preceding Challenger Selection Series being conducted in Auckland in early 2021 during New Zealand’s summer.
Additionally, the protocol is expected to contain a ‘constructed in country’ requirement for competing yachts and a nationality requirement for competing crew members.
A team of designers, led by Emirates Team New Zealand Design Coordinator Dan Bernasconi, are now working on various monohull concepts
However, according to Sir Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR team, they have not yet had any official communications from Emirates Team New Zealand.
When the Kiwis won the 35th America’s Cup in June, all plans to deliver the next two America’s Cup competitions fell apart as they were the only team not to sign up to a new framework, which included racing in multihulls.
The official protocol is expected to be released in late September. Be sure to check back on YachtCharterFleet to keep up to date on all the latest news.
For more details on planning a charter vacation to the upcoming America's Cup, contact your preferred charter broker.
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