America's Cup update, less than 24 hours to go till start of the America's Cup final Emirates Team New Zealand versus Oracle Team USA

America's Cup update, Emirates Team New Zealand article and the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series press conference video

From the following article on the Emirates Team New Zealand website:

 

http://etnzblog.com/2013/08/old-rivals-square-off-for-lv-cup-final-series/

 

The Louis Vuitton Cup challengers’ series final gets underway in San Francisco on Saturday.

Emirates Team New Zealand meets old rival Luna Rossa in a best of 13 match – the team to win seven races first will win the cup.

 

Luna Rossa has had more race preparation, having beaten Artemis a 4-0 in the semi-finals round last weekend. Dean Barker and crew have not raced since the end of the round robin which gave them a ticket straight to final.

 

The New Zealand boat has been in the shed for modifications and the team  has not sailed a great deal, although recent practice sessions have been very pleasing to skipper Dean Barker

read more here

and a video of the Louis Vuitton finals press conference with Dean Barker of Emirates Team New Zealand and Max Sirena of Luna Rossa:

America's Cup update, Artemis Racing Team exit Louis Vuitton Challenger series gracefully

All sorts of obstacles faced Artemis Racing in their attempts to proceed to the final against Emirates Team New Zealand but props to them for battling on and getting an AC72 catamaran up to compete, a real credit to them.

From the following Sail-World article submitted by Chuck Lantz

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Louis-Vuitton-Cup:-Crowd-favorite-Artemis-exits-the-LVC-gracefully/113114

Despite the overwhelming odds against them, Artemis stuck with their program and fought hard until the very end. That team spirit, coupled with the loss of team member Andrew Simpson, made Artemis a crowd favorite in San Francisco.

At the finish line in each match race Artemis contested, and lost, the cheers for the Swedish blue boat were louder and longer than for the winner, Luna Rossa. It's not that the spectators didn't like the Italian team, they did. But they loved Artemis. Part of that had to do with the team being led by local racer, Paul Cayard, and an even larger part by the tragic loss of popular Artemis team member Andrew Simpson in a training accident.

read more here 

America's Cup update, Artemis Team getting up to speed on AC72 catamaran #2

America's Cup update, Luna Rossa video on sailing the AC72

Luna Rossa have released a video on sailing on the AC72 catamaran.  Narrated by skipper Max Sirena.

America's Cup update, NYTimes article on the America's Cup

It's a bit lightweight this article but take from it what you will, the video and the timelapse section of the launching is quite interesting.

From the following article on the NYTimes website:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/magazine/a-sea-change-for-the-americas-cup.html?ref=magazine&_r=1&

There is a moment when the yachts racing in this year’s America’s Cup go from being mere boats to something more like flying machines. It happens at around 17 knots, or 20 miles per hour, when both hulls of the carbon-fiber catamarans rise out of the water and the entire craft skims over the surface on a thin hydrofoil beneath the downwind pontoon. Free of the water’s drag, the vessels accelerate to speeds as great as 50 miles per hour.

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America's Cup update, AC Uncut talk to Nathan Outteridge re: Artemis Racing's progress on their new AC72 catamaran

America's Cup update, Luna Rossa suffer damage in latest race but go on to claim points

In the latest race Luna Rossa paused to do a spot of fishing before continuing on to claim a point towards their score in the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series.

From the following article on Sail-World submitted by Bob Fisher:

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Louis-Vuitton-Cup:-Luna-Rossa-hits-fish,-breaks-rudder,-takes-point/112440

Luna Rossa sailed alone around the five-leg course in her scheduled fourth Round Robin match with Artemis for ten minutes.

Then the Race Committee hoisted a black flag, indicating that Artemis had not crossed the start line within the allotted time and the race was awarded to the Italian team, who could add another point to its scoreline.

Maybe just as well, since the rest of the race was not all plain sailing for the Italian team. As skipper Max Sirena put it: 'we were foiling downwind close to top speed when the boat stopped dead in its tracks.' Luna Rossa had hit a big fish. 'It broke the rudder this far from the bottom,' he said, spreading his hands about 45 cms, 'and we took it slowly from there.'

read more here