The America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA) and Race Direction (ACRM) have announced that due to high winds on Friday 26th May, the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Qualifiers and the official opening ceremony of the 35th America's Cup have been postponed to Saturday 27th May.
Forecasts indicate gusts in excess of 30 knots in the afternoon and evening, which will not guarantee the safety of either the sailors or the spectators. On Saturday 27th May, the forecast looks more clement, as it will be for the following days. As a result, the four races scheduled for Friday will be rescheduled over the next two days. There will therefore be six races on Saturday and Sunday (instead of the four initially planned), i.e. three hours of racing instead of two.
"The current conditions, namely the passage of a depression near the United States, are not exceptional. For example, the Groupama Team France team has been training in the zone for four months now and every 3 or 4 days a low passes over them. For the past three weeks there's been a disturbance every 10 days. It's getting rarer and rarer. Tomorrow, we'll have a low passing over Bermuda, with strong, stormy winds of 20, 25, 30, 35 knots... hence some tough conditions. So the organization has decided to postpone the competition for a day. From Saturday, we should find mild and ideal conditions for these AC Class boats" explained David Lanier, Groupama Team France's meteorologist.
The official opening ceremony of the 35th America's Cup will take place on Saturday, May 27th, starting at 8:30 pm, after the performance of three-time Grammy Award winner Wyclef Jean on the main stage of the America's Cup Village at 5:15 pm. The Village will close in the evening at 8:30 p.m. and open at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday with regattas taking place between 2 and 5 p.m.
Russell Coutts, President of CAFS stated " We are very disappointed that this weather has forced us to postpone the first day of the America's Cup; it is a thoughtful and considered decision, but one that will cause a lot of inconvenience for the public and the teams. However, our priority is and will remain the safety of everyone. A one-hour slot on the race timings for Saturday and Sunday has been added to make up for Friday's four races."
