The 36th America’s Cup Hits Auckland in March 2021.
Here’s everything you need to know.
The 36th America’s Cup takes place in Auckland in March 2021. Racing is scheduled to start March 6 and be completed by March 21. The America’s Cup will be contested between Emirates Team New Zealand and the Winner of The Prada Cup, a race series to determine the best of the challengers, only one of whom will win the right to take on Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup.
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Where will the America’s Cup races take place in Auckland?
The race courses have been set with land based spectators in mind. They are closer to shore than any previous America’s Cup courses which promises to make the action accessible to the widest possible audience. As usual the best views will still be had from out on the water. Expect Aucklander’s to be out in the Hauraki Gulf on pretty much anything that floats. However for those without access to a boat. Vantage points on Mt Victoria and North Head should offer spectacular viewing as well. Bastion Point, and The Torpedo Bay wharf should be magnificent vantage points for Race Course C. While the East Coast Bays (particularly Castor Bay) should offer great views of Race Course A. Browns Island and the look out at St Heliers will offer incredible viewing spots for Race Course D, as will Rangitoto Island.
Race Courses have been set to offer options for any wind direction and sea conditions. The races are scheduled between 4PM and 6PM local time to allow for the ever reliable Auckland sea breeze, hopefully minimising disruptions due to lack of wind. While the variety of courses available should minimise disruption from too much wind. Course lengths will be varied to suit the conditions with race organisers aiming to keep the races to around 35 minutes duration.
What kind of boats will contest the 36th America’s Cup?
Racing should be spectacular with the boats being 75 foot foiling monohulls. As always boat designs from the teams are radically different. The team that can get their boat foiling the quickest and keep it there the longest is likely to have an advantage, but once on the foils the aerodynamics of the hull shape look to be important as well. The mix of needing to being fast with the hull in the water, combined with the need to be aerodynamic once foiling should make for some unusual hull designs.
How fast do the America’s Cup AC75 yachts go?
Team New Zealand say their simulations predict the new boats to be able to hit 50 knots (93km per hour) in the right wind conditions. If experiments with super cavitating foils work out expect speeds of over 100km per hour. Supercavitation was developed by the Russian Navy to dramatically increase the speed of torpedos, so it’s use in racing yachts is unprecedented, and could result in some dramatic, catastrophic gear failures if teams don’t get it right. These will undoubtedly be the fastest yachts ever raced, this will increase both the danger and the excitement, making the 36th America’s Cup an event not to be missed.
Where to stay during the America’s Cup
Hotel Accommodation in Auckland is likely to be more expensive with very low vacancy rates in the lead up to the Cup. Teams have already started snapping up high end houses in and around Auckland and with sailors and support staff arriving in Auckland from mid 2020 expect a lot of pressure on Auckland’s hotel room stock. Several new hotels are scheduled to open in Auckland prior to the America’s Cup but these will do little to help with the expected accommodation crunch from December 2020 to April 2021.
See our picks for the best accommodation to stay at during the America’s Cup. Or just see our America’s Cup 2021 top 5 hotels.
