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30 September 2017 By Jack Griffin

Protocol Released for 2021 America’s Cup

America's Cup 2021 - Auckland. Challenger Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of PRADA and head of Luna Rossa.  Image: Getty Photos

Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of PRADA and head of Luna Rossa. Image: Getty Photos

Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa presented the Protocol for the 36th America's Cup on 29 September 2017. 

  • Next America's Cup Match in March 2021 in Auckland
  • 75 foot monohull with 10-12 crew; teams may build two
  • Strictest crew nationality requirements in America's Cup history
  • Prada is title and presenting sponsor
  • Luna Rossa will run all racing except the America's Cup Match

More details about the yachts will be available on 30 November 2019, and the AC75 Class Rule will be released on 31 March 2018. ETNZ CEO Grant Dalton claimed that the yachts will be "spectacular." Design head Dan Bernasconi said the "might" be designed for foiling.

MORE INFO ABOUT THE PROTOCOL​

As of 4 October, the new FREE Cup Experience Club is in pre-launch phase. The Club will feature more detailed information, interactive discussions among members and special content. As an example, we have articles from Seahorse Magazine written by top sailors and designers.

MORE INFO

18 September 2017 By Jack Griffin

Oracle’s Disastrous Gybe in Race 2 – America’s Cup 2017 Bermuda

What Happened??

At the beginning of the second upwind leg of Race 2, Oracle trailed New Zealand by over 500 meters. In the light air they seemed to be on the right side of all the shifts and closed the gap. A poor tack by the Kiwis let Oracle round the right gate mark on New Zealand's transom. But when both boats gybed together on Leg 6, Oracle fell off the foils and confusion seemed to reign on board.

In this ACTV video footage, it's hard to see who's doing what in the aerial and onboard shots, but if you look closely you can see...

  • While on port gybe, Tom Slingsby leads Kyle Langford to the starboard hull to prepare the gybe. Langford then grinds while Slingsby is on the helm. The wing has not yet gybed. The sheet is slack on starboard, and trimmed on port.
  • Number 1 Graham Spence is seen on his knees on the trampoline on the port side. He starts to cross, in front of the wing, hesitates, and takes a step back towards the port hull. In the next aerial shot you can see him cross in front of the wing, to the starboard hull.
  • Number 2 Kinley Fowler starts to step out of his cockpit on the port hull, then steps back.
  • Helmsman Jimmy Spithill is not in view. Normally he would be holding the wing sheet. I assume he releases the port wing sheet and we see the wing gybe. It's not clear why the wing gybes since there is no tension on the starboard wing sheet. Did Oracle have hydraulics to tack and gybe the wing?
  • Spithill crosses to the starboard hull.
  • Slingsby crosses back to the port hull, apparently to grind at pedestal 1.
  • Fowler is grinding on pedestal 2 in the port hull.
  • Number 3 Cooper Dressler is not grinding; he seems to be sitting at the wing trimmer's position, looking up at the wing.
  • In the starboard hull we see Spence, Langford and Spithill. Spence turns the handles a few times, stops and seems to be waiting for something. The onboard mics pick up someone (Slingsby?) saying, "Pressure's coming back." Spence says something including the words "oil build."

What was going on? Did they lose hydraulic pressure during the gybe? Their accumulators should have been fully charged - they had made their last tack, to starboard some time earlier, well before rounding the mark and bearing away. Had they bled off all their pressure with the board rake controls when they tried to engage New Zealand after the Kiwis tacked? It's a bit mysterious! It was certainly disastrous - the Kiwis won the race easily and put their first point on the scoreboard.

19 July 2017 By Jack Griffin

Rolling Stones’ Advice on Protocol for 36th America’s Cup

"You Can't Always Get What You Want"

The Rolling Stones must have been singing about the America's Cup. Opinions are flying about what the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Circolo della Vela Sicilia should put into the protocol for the 36th defense.  It's easy to say, "We should go back to monohulls," or "There should be strict nationality rules for the crew," or "Yacht clubs should be in charge, like the Deed of Gift says," or "We need to keep the great LiveLine graphics." But it's a lot harder to come up with a complete Protocol, since some apparent desiderata are mutually exclusive. And there is the small matter of how to fund the event.

What's the Objective?

Before diving into details, let's think about what we want to achieve. 

  • Do we want to build the America's Cup into a profitable sports entertainment business?
  • Should we return to a "traditional" America's Cup? What does "traditional" mean? The traditions of the Herreshoff era, with tycoon-funded American yachts with a Scottish skipper and a crew of Scandinavian fishermen? Or the traditions of the 12m era, sailed in the smallest yachts ever, until the AC Class catamarans of 2017? Or the traditions of the 1930's with huge, elegant J Class yachts helmed by their owners?

Tradition?

America's Cup Trophy - Photo: Royal Yacht Squadron website

Photo: Royal Yacht Squadron website

From the Royal Yacht Squadron website

America's Cup - Royal Yacht Squadron 1851 poster

America's Cup - Royal Yacht Squadron 1851 poster

RYS Annual Regatta - 1851

J Class racing during 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda

J Class racing during 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda

Popular Topics

  • ​Monohulls or multihulls?
  • The fastest boats (apparent wind always forward) or boats with downwind sails and sail changes?
  • Stadium racing or racing in big waves and strong winds? (NYC ACWS or Freemantle Doctor?)
  • Build a linear TV audience big enough to attract broadcast rights fees equivalent to, say, the Tour de France (about $50M)? Or use a "digital-first" strategy on a freemium model?
  • Help owners build their teams into long lasting, financially valuable "sports franchise" assets? Or continue with varying mixes of patronage and sponsorship?
  • Establish a permanent governing authority? Or give more authority back to yacht clubs? (What staff and funding does a yacht club need to run the America's Cup?)
  • Provide visibility by defining the dates, venues and boats for multiple future editions? Or follow the Deed of Gift and have the defender and challenger issue a Protocol months after the conclusion of each Match?
  • Encourage additional nations to enter?  Or institute 80-100% nationality requirement for the crew? 
  • No racing among the teams before the Challenger Selection Series? No sailing with the Defender before the America's Cup Match?
  • Frequency? Every two years? Every four years? Random, decided by the Challenger in the case of a DoG match; or by the Challenger and Defender under mutual consent? 
  • Branding. (OK, I have not seen any discussion of this - as a businessman it is a special interest of mine.) Stop diluting the brand by holding "America's Cup This or That." America's Cup World Series. Red Bull Youth America's Cup. America's Cup Qualifiers. America's Cup Challenger Playoffs. America's Cup Superyacht Regatta.  Stop it! The America's Cup is the Match, between the Defender and the Challenger. Find other names for all those other events. Go back and look at the 1851 RYS. There was only one event called "The R.Y.S. £100 Cup." All those other events were great, but each had its own name.

What's the Revenue Model?

How much will it cost to run the event? Regatta management, security, an international media center, broadcast production, the LiveLine graphics which require helicopters and a team of engineers to operate the system - who pays for all this? 

Sailing is unlikely to generate much revenue from big sources that some other sports have: TV broadcast rights and ticket sales. As with Formula 1 venues, Valencia and Bermuda paid significant venue fees. Sailing is highly dependent on sponsorship. Merchandise, licensing and commercial hospitality provide additional revenue sources. How much revenue can be generated? Will it cover the cost of producing the event? If not, who makes up the shortfall?

Will We See a New Framework Agreement?​

The RNZYS did not sign the "Framework Agreement." At the time, Team New Zealand said "Emirates Team New Zealand believe the future America’s Cup format should be decided by the Defender and Challenger of Record as it has historically been."

But might RNZYS and CdVS agree to a protocol that requires additional challengers to commit themselves to conditions imposed by the defender and the challenger of record?  

10 July 2017 By Jack Griffin

America’s Cup Brand Identity

When ACEA persuaded Louis Vuitton to return as a sponsor they attached the luxury brand's name to all phases of the competition:

  • Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series
  • Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers
  • Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs
  • America's Cup Match Presented by Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton designed their own logo for the event, which ACEA was not allowed to use on clothing or merchandise, or in association with any other sponsor. 

Louis Vuitton America's Cup logo
ACEA America's Cup logo
America's Cup logo conflict - clothing / backdrop

America's Cup logo conflict - clothing / backdrop

Brand Integrity

Most marketing experts insist on protecting how a logo can be used. Brand identity guidelines specify "clearspace" around a logo to protect its integrity and impact. Hybrid logos with other companies are strictly forbidden, in order to strengthen the value of a brand's identity.

ACEA America's Cup logo integrity & impact

Clearspace spec for the America's Cup logo

It appears the "logo police" at ACEA had a pretty loose idea of brand integrity.

Why anyone thought Snapchat was a good way to build the audience is a separate topic.

America's Cup Jam logo - Oct'15

America's Cup Jam logo

Vineyard Vines America's Cup logo

Vineyard Vines America's Cup logo

Snapchat America's Cup logo

Snapchat America's Cup logo

Presenting Sponsor or Title Sponsor

Who gets top billing - the event or the sponsor?

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifier Logo

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifier Logo

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Match logo

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Match logo

Vuitton's LV symbol was used on the wingsails instead of the traditional America's Cup symbol. Compare the AC72 yachts in San Francisco in 2013 with the America's Cup Class yachts in 2017.

America's Cup 2013 San Francisco - Photo: Abner Kingman

America's Cup 2013 San Francisco - Photo: Abner Kingman

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Yachts

Louis Vuitton America's Cup Yachts - Image: ACTV

30 June 2017 By Jack Griffin

How Good Were Jack’s America’s Cup Predictions?

Before the Match began, I made some predictions. Some were better than others...

  • Neither team will sweep the other - it will be a back and forth battle.
    Not so good. Oracle managed to win one race out of nine - hardly a back and forth battle.
  • The racing will be intense, with frequent lead changes after the first downwind leg. The first boat to Mark 1 - the end of the short blast reach after the start - will almost always be leading at Gate 2, since there are few passing opportunities on the short first downwind leg.
    On target.
  • It will come down to sailing - how well the teams execute their maneuvers.
  • Neither team will have an overwhelming speed advantage.
    Mostly right. New Zealand was faster in the first four races, but Oracle made their boat faster between the two weekends of racing. Oracle's errors - starting, tactics and boat handling - made things easier for the Kiwis.
  • Oracle's Jimmy Spithill will be very aggressive, especially in the pre-starts.
    Wrong. Spithill won only two starts in nine races. He was over early in the Race 1 and Race 5. He gave away the start in Race 7 by slowing unnecessarily. In Race 8 Burling hooked Spithill and forced him head to wind.
  • Very light air will favor the Kiwis.
    On target.
Jack Griffin - Editor, interviewed by Bermuda Broadcasting Company - America's Cup 2017

Jack Griffin - Editor

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Recent Articles from the Cup Experience Newsletter

  • Protocol Released for 2021 America’s Cup 30 September 2017
  • Oracle’s Disastrous Gybe in Race 2 – America’s Cup 2017 Bermuda 18 September 2017
  • Rolling Stones’ Advice on Protocol for 36th America’s Cup 19 July 2017
  • America’s Cup Brand Identity 10 July 2017
  • How Good Were Jack’s America’s Cup Predictions? 30 June 2017
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