Sail-World NZ: Editorial - March 7 - America's Cup Hosting and Bust-up, SailGP, Moth Worlds
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World NZ 6 Mar 18:48 PST
6 March 2025
Emirates Team NZ racing in the 36th America's Cup - Day 6 - March 16, 2021, Course C. © Richard Gladwell / Sail-World.com / nz
On a personal note, I had long-awaited shoulder surgery on February 18 and am still essentially writing/typing left-handed, and will be that way for the next three weeks or so. Despite being "short-handed" normal coverage will continue as best we can.
On Wednesday, news finally broke that New Zealand was back in the bidding to host the 38th America's Cup. The story broke in a much more positive manner than the AC37 hosting debacle, which saw salvoes fired via the media.
The only lukewarm response came out of Wellington, with talk of a feasibility study as a pre-requisite. While that is standard practice, one can have little confidence in such exercises based on the ludicrous economic impact assessment produced for the 2021 America's Cup.
The findings of that exercise were in complete contrast to the findings of the University of Barcelona for the subsequent event. The off-site viewership is up substantially, vindicating the move to a largely free-to-air broadcast model - which will become universal for the 38th America's Cup. The 2021 Impact report had it that there was an almost $300 million negative impact in New Zealand and a nearly $ 2 billion positive impact in Barcelona. That confirms criticism of the 2021 exercise, given that both events were turnkey by the same organisation, America's Cup Events Ltd, and with only two more teams in the Cup.
The difference between the two events is that in one, the Cup was conducted in a complete Covid lockdown, with closed borders, and the 2024 Cup had no such restrictions.
Against that backdrop, how could you have any confidence in a 38th America's Cup feasibility study for an Auckland-based event emanating from Wellington unless it comes to similar conclusions to the Barcelona study? Time will tell.
Emirates Team NZ's 7-2 win in Barcelona over British Challenger, INEOS Britannia has been overshadowed by the very public breakup of the Challenger of Record for the 38th America's Cup. We've covered this issue extensively in www.Sail-World.com/nz, with several stories. While the British meltdown is all very intriguing to watch, it isn't particularly significant for the Cup.
What we know is that the Defender, Royal NZ Yacht Squadron, has accepted a challenge. From comments made on a video by Bertie Bicket, Chairman, Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd, we believe a date between August 20 and December 31 in 2025 has been set. Under the Deed of Gift, the 19th-century document that governs the conduct of the America's Cup, "no other challenger can be considered until the pending event has been decided."
Of course when the Royal Yacht Squadron made the challenge with those dates, on October 20, 2024 in Barcelona it was intended to use the Mutual Consent providions of the Deed of Gift to extend to a new set of dates probably some time in 2027, when the Venue and Protocol were sorted.
The issue is that it is not clear which British entity owns the AC75 that sailed in the 2024 Cup, along with other campaign assets such as the team base in Barcelona, AC40s, and chase boats.
Since 1992, three America's Cups have been sailed without the Challenger of Record having a yacht competing in the event, so the Brits' participation on the water is not a requirement for the 38th Match to proceed. They can still negotiate a Protocol and other items covered under the Mutual Consent provisions of the Deed of Gift.
The meltdown is messy, to say the least, and it is beginning to affect the credibility of the America's Cup.
The teams' response has been to circle their wagons and say nothing, leaving the British media, in particular, to speculate on the fortunes of INEOS group controlling shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his various sporting investments, of which the All Blacks are but one.
Outwardly, the Cup appears to be a circus without a ringmaster. Inwardly, we understand that there is plenty going on, but no one will speak on the record.
In complete contrast to the Cup, SailGP has got off to a flying start in 2025, having sailed two events: this year's and its Season 5 opener in Dubai, followed by Auckland in mid-January and Sydney just over three weeks ago.
The Auckland event lifted the bar for SailGP, with a massive grandstand creating the backdrop for the white-hot racing in the sporting cauldron before it. Over the two days of racing for the ticketed event, 25,000 patrons went through the turnstiles, and thousands took up free vantage points around the inner Waitemata harbour.
Yes, the racing for the first lap at least did look like kids on go-carts, but the top teams showed their class and came through onto the podium.
The New Zealand event was marred with the non-appearance of the French team, due to issues with the wingsail on their new F50. Various mechanical issues held back other teams, and the shore support crews were obviously at full stretch and did well in keeping the show on the road. The Jellicoe Harbour and Wynyard Point facilities developed for the 2021 America's Cup made the event and provided a much-needed fill-up for the coffers of the surrounding watering holes.
The event underlined the lack of major events booked for New Zealand in the coming years and the oomph they provide to the New Zealand tourist and hospitality industry, despite the pontifications of the pointy-headed economics naysayers.
It will be interesting to see whether New Zealand has the courage to make a serious play for the only significant and most immediate event on offer, the 38th America's Cup. Having a crack at hosting and making a serious bid are two quite different matters, as we saw in Auckland in mid-2021.
SailGP has lifted its game above the America's Cup, attracting seven Olympic Gold medalists, helming the 12-team event. Four co-helms from the 2024 America's Cup are sailing in SailGP along with several others from the Cup teams - taking advantage of the larger sailing crew numbers in SailGP and a relaxed 50% nationality rule.
Were they of a mind to do so, Cup teams and organisers could put together a comparable event/circuit with similar appeal or more sailed in AC40s and run their already successful Womens, Youths, and Cup team events, sailing in AC40s with the presence of the America's Cup itself underscoring the prestige of the regatta. However, outwardly, there is no sign of that happening.
Starting in early January, the Predictwind Int Moth Worlds in Manly was an excellent showcase for new talent, with Youth sailors from four countries filling the top seven places in the overall standings.
It was also a great showcase for Mackay Boats - 70% of the fleet sailed their Bieker designed Moths, and all but one of the top 20 overall sailed the latest Mackay Bieker V3 Moth. That is Dominance, in a restricted class (ie not a one-design).
As so often happens at New Zealand-hosted world championships, locals put in a big effort at the venue. They came up against some outstanding international sailing talent bouncing back from the 2024 Olympics and America's Cup, which ended a few months before.
Talking to those "name" sailors made it clear that Manly was the base camp for the 2025-2028 professional sailing cycle, while the young Kiwis were at the pinnacle of their 2020-2024 sailing quadriennial.
However, that should not cloud the fact that some outstanding Kiwi talent foiled and dodged the sharks on Kawau Bay. The challenge for the Kiwi America's Cup team will be how they embrace these sailors and incorporate them into the America's Cup program.
The key difference between the foiling generation sailors and their predecessors, the apparent wind sailors, is the speed of their actions, quick thinking, and decision-making under pressure. Mattias Coutts is an outstanding talent. The professional team that picks up the 19-year-old Kiwi will have the buy of the decade.
The decisions made around the last America's Cup do not help would-be pro sailors.
Since the glory days of the Int America's Cup Class when the sailing crew numbered 17 sailors plus one guest, we are now down to four sailing places - and maybe a couple more if the sailors can jump the fence and take one of the four cyclor spots.
The next round of AC40 Preliminary Events is now unlikely to start until sometime in 2026, reducing the AC sailing opportunities even further in what is effectively a closed shop.
Their most likely opportunities look to lie in the Olympic classes, particularly the 49er and 49erFX, and the expanding SailGP—with more teams, more money, bigger sailing crew numbers, no real off-season, plus a very relaxed nationality rule.
So 2025 will be an interesting year to watch the latest cohort of Kiwi sailing talent percolate into the top echelons of Olympic sailing, particularly when the SailGP teams strike to pick up new talent.
When Peter Burling (24 years) and Blair Tuke (25 years) were imported into Emirates Team New Zealand in January 2014, it may have seemed a bold move at the time, but in hindsight, it was a masterstroke.
The clear lesson for other professional teams is to build early for the future, embrace the next generation to work as part of the team and progress them properly.
Too often, we see small "professional" teams running with no substitutes and being in a position where they can't race or sail with someone out of position if there is an injury.
The Canadian SailGP team was a case in point in Auckland. They decided not to race on the final day after their flight controller was injured on the first day, and no super-sub was available from the other teams.
The SailGP Inspire program gave young sailors a great insight into the SailGP world, and pro-sailing generally.
In the RS Feva class 100 sailors from 50 clubs around New Zealand competed in some very close racing off Royal Akarana Yacht Club. The crews were largely pickups - with sailors who often competed against each other in the singlehanded classes, sailed together in crewed boats. The RS Feva is New Zealand's biggest two-handed class and one which has the highest take-up amongst female sailors. The Nationals take place at Murrays Bay Sailing Club from May 10-11, 2025.
Also on show, in front of the grandstand was the Armstrong Foils wingfoiling demonstration, with some amazing aerobatics performed by a group of top young sailors. Sailing ahead of the start of the F50 racing, spectators got a great view of the skills in this form of sailing, which is recognised as being the fastest growing in the world.
If you are under 20 years old and would like to join this elite group - have a read of this story and appply. Armstrong Foils are offering the opportunity to sailors aged 15-20years, who are experienced wing foilers and living close to one of five regions. For more information on this great opportunity click here.
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