The Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series is a first opportunity to earn points before the next stage of the competition. The position in the overall standings will determine the starting scores for the America's Cup Qualifiers teams in 2017.
Before 2017, six events will take place starting in the summer of 2015. Here are the next ones, the first of which will begin as early as July 23:
- Portsmouth, Great Britain âeuros 23 to 26 July 2015
- Göteborg, Sweden âeuros 27 to 30 August 2015
- Hamilton, Bermuda âeuros 16 to 18 October 2015
Portsmouth, again, and Chicago will each host a regatta in 2016.
A first competition bringing together the best sailors in the world
Six teams of the world's best sailors will gather on July 23 for the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth, UK. The AC45 catamarans will race at Southsea Common until July 26. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be present on the final day to present the final prize. For four days, there will be entertainment on land, but also aerial parades, concerts, a Ferris wheel and many other activities.
This prestigious event will return to the Solent for the first time since the inaugural regatta in 1851. The show is already shaping up to be intense as the crews will compete on multihulls flying several feet above the water on hydrofoils.
THE competition will start on July 23rd with the parade of the sailing boats. The America's Cup Trophy will also be played out through the crowd. Friday, July 24 is known as "Fast Friday", the day the teams begin their tune-up races. At the same time, the crowd will be entertained by the RAF RED Arrows, a Royal Air Force parade.
On Saturday, July 25, things get more serious with the first of two races. It's all about scoring points for the prestigious America's Cup World Series. The 6 AC45Fs will race next to the shore of Southsea Common, just a few meters from the shore. On Sunday, July 26, the last two races will take place to determine the winner of the LVACWSUK.
Six international teams in the running
The America's Cup Defender, Oracle Team USA will be skippered by winning skipper Jimmy Spithill. They will face the home team, Land Rover BAR, skippered by Ben Ainslie, who will be at the helm of the Union Jack and eager to put on a great show in front of their home crowd, as their base is in Portsmouth.
The Swedish team, Artemis Racing, should also benefit from the English support since the skipper is none other than the British Ian Percy. He will be surrounded by Olympic medallists for the competition.
The highly popular Team New Zealand, which came close to winning the Cup in 2013, will be back with an all-star cast that includes Peter Burling, the youngest sailor on the 2012 Olympic 49er. One of the newest on the circuit will be Softbank Team Japan, which also brings a talented squad skippered by Cup legend Dean Barker. Finally, for the first time France will be represented with Groupama Team France, led by the talented Franck Cammas.
The latter has stated "Groupama Team France is now in good shape to tackle the Cup and its competitors, who are among the best in the world. What drives us is to win the most demanding competition, to move from one stage to the next and to seek excellence. In sailing, the ultimate is the Cup!"
