Yacht Racing

Spectators had a chance to see the seven competing race boats in Newport.

How two aristocrats, a boatbuilder, a draper and a tech tycoon made a lasting impact on the pinnacle of sailing.

On July 28, Hodgdon’s 100-foot (30.5-meter) racing yacht Comanche and crew passed Lizard Point in the United Kindom after 2,880 nautical miles and 5 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds besting the previous record set in 2003 by Mari Cha IV by over a day.

The next America’s Cup will be raced in Bermuda in June of 2017. The host venue was confirmed at a press conference in New York on Tuesday

Brand-centric gatherings typically offer owners the chance to interact with their peers in social settings, on cruises or on the racecourse. The subtext usually involves builders exposing owners to their latest models to set the stage for future upgrades. If that were the case at the fifth Perini Navi Cup, held in Porto Cervo on the Italian island of Sardinia in late August, no one was saying—or they could not have cared less.

During a press conference, attendees acknowledged that the latest America’s Cup did much to enhance the sport of sailing and brought the event to a broad fan base. Lauding boss Larry Ellison, skipper James Spithill said the success of the event had “silenced the critics,” adding, “There’s no turning back.”

It was, with a nod to Red Sox fans, the sports comeback of all time. Emirates Team New Zealand, the clear leader early in the America’s Cup, was unable to stave off a late charge by Larry Ellison’s Oracle Team USA that suddenly found legs to sweep the final eight races and win the Auld Mug. In each race, the Kiwis were on match point and, for eight races, they lost to a steadily improving Oracle.

The International Jury for the America’s Cup levied multiple penalties on Oracle Team USA for modifications the syndicate made to its AC45 catamarans in 2012. Three members of the American syndicate, headed by software billionaire Larry Ellison, have been excluded from the America’s Cup Finals.

As the chase for the America’s Cup continues in San Francisco Bay, a buildup of bad news could make for an ugly finish to the fabled yacht regatta. On the heels of troubles from a series plagued by soaring boat costs, a scarcity of challengers, a crash that killed a crewmember, intense rules disagreements and one-sided races comes a cheating scandal.

The 2013 Bucket marked the first time in 76 years that five J-Class yachts were in the same place at the same time to compete with one another. The J’s on hand were Hanuman, Lionheart, Ranger, Velsheda and Rainbow. And it is a true testament to a handful of owners’ love of tradition, coupled with insanity, that has led to a resurgence of the J-Class.

Yacht brokerage and management firm Ocean Independence hosted a glittering event April 25 at the Mall Galleries in London to celebrate the America’s Cup and the Louis Vuitton Cup. The event, dubbed “Legends in London,” brought the two most coveted trophies in sailing together.

Check out a regatta that brings a love of boating to a new generation and the new home for A&C Outfitters.

A committee established by the organizers of the America’s Cup to review the recent death of a sailor during a training accident took the unusual step last week of recommending teams suspend sailing their catamarans.

The end of April saw the launch of the second AC 72 to bear the Oracle Team USA logo. After a toast and traditional breaking of the Champagne over the hull at the team’s base at Pier 80 in San Francisco, the boat and the Oracle team took to the water.

The Protector Targa 30, launched earlier in 2012, is fast becoming the tender of choice in San Francisco Bay. Its large cabin and tough demeanor are perfect for the bay’s sunny but cool days and often windy conditions. The Protector’s performance has received high commendation from the organizers of the Louis Vuitton Cup and participants of America’s Cup.

Dockwise Yacht Transport has announced a partnership with the New Zealand Millennium Cup to offer a discount on southbound shipping for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 editions of the popular superyacht event.

British solo sailor Alex Thomson smashed the single-handed monohull trans-Atlantic record by more than 24 hours crossing the finish line July 26 at Lizard Point, off Falmouth in Cornwall, England, reports Soundings Trade Only. The 38-year-old crossed the line at 18:17 British Standard Time, setting the new time at 8 days, 22 hours, 8 minutes.

It’s been almost 30 years since an America’s Cup race has taken place in Narragansett Bay, but for four days—June 28th to July lst, 2012—the community rolled out the red carpet and welcomed home its beloved Cup. In this internationally recognized sailing community, Newport will always be home for the America’s Cup.