So, It’s finally here. The America’s Cup World Series has reached the shores of Oman and is hosting some of the fastest sailors on the water for two days; Saturday, February 27th and Sunday, February 28th.
What is most exciting for me during this event is seeing the AC45F foiling catamarans in action. The last world series events took place between 2011 and 2013 and featured a displacement AC45, leaving the foiling to the AC72 boat at the main America’s Cup regatta. So, the AC World Series is featuring a foiling boat for the very first time, and it’s exciting. The AC45F boat can reach speeds of 50 knots, but I don’t expect to see these extreme speeds here in Muscat because the winds are so light. But we will see insanely fast, winged, foiling catamarans for sure. Finally, the AC45 boat is a one-design boat, meaning all the boats are strictly controlled and exactly the same. So having the best machine is not an option, winning will be all down to boat handling and skill.
Three America’s Cup World Series events have already been completed in Portsmouth, Gothenburg, and Bermuda. Coming into this event Emirates Team New Zealand is leading with 122 points, Oracle Team USA with 112, Land Rover BAR with 109, Artemis Racing with 105, SoftBank Team Japan with 100, and Groupama Team France with 82. It’s all very tight with only 12 points separating 2nd place and 5th place. And another 12 point separating 1st and 2nd.
The ranking positions from the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events determine the seeding and bonus points for the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers, so this event is very important in determining the challenger of the America’s Cup.
I really don’t know what to expect from this event in terms of results. All the teams are good enough. I will, however, be rooting for the Yankee team, even though the skipper is an Aussie.
Are you heading down to see the racing? Leave me a comment below.
America’s Cup World Series Oman Schedule of Events
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