2020 is set to be a bumper year for super-fast sailing on The Solent. Earlier this month SailGP announced that they were bringing their 50′ foiling catamarans back to Cowes Week and now the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) is returning to Portsmouth between 4th-7th June.
The ACWS is the precursor to the 36th America’s Cup event in Auckland in March 2021 with the first ‘Act’ being held in Cagliari, Sardinia between 23-26th April 2020. This will be the first time we’ll see the revolutionary new class of America’s Cup yachts in full racing mode.
These futuristic AC75 foiling mono-hulls will literally be flying at breathtaking speeds never seen before on a single hull! 75 feet in length, weighing in at just 6.5 tonnes and having a mast height of nearly 86 feet, these miracles of modern engineering will be crewed by 11 sailors with a combined weight of between 960-990kg.
The ACWS will test the first generation of AC75s against each other and provide crucial training for the teams that will go on to compete in the Prada Cup in Jan/Feb 2021 that will decide who will challenge the current defenders, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
And for those that like a little history…… The America’s Cup boasts the oldest trophy in international sport and was founded in 1851 when a syndicate of businessmen from New York sailed the Schooner America across the Atlantic for the World’s Fair in England. A gauntlet was thrown down and 15 yachts set out in a race around the Isle of Wight run by the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes and the infamous America wiped the floor with the competition, claiming what was originally named the 100 Guineas Cup. The cup was renamed the America’s Cup after the yacht that first won it and donated to the New York Yacht Club under the terms of the Deed of Gift, which made the cup available for perpetual international competition.
Solent Events will be providing hospitality on the water for the ACWS in Portsmouth using yachts, power boats and Ribs so get in touch or click if you would like further information.
