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“We’ve done something slightly different” American Magic tease first look of AC75

• Helen Fretter
• April 25, 2024

American Magic reveal their new America’s Cup boat, with a "slightly different" AC75. Helmsman Paul Goodison told us why he can't wait to see it alongside the other challengers

New York Yacht Club American Magic became the fifth America’s Cup team to reveal – or at least partially reveal – their AC75 when their new ‘B3’ briefly appeared out of the team shed in Barcelona today.

The team kept observers guessing, with no full boat images released in the press release, although the America’s Cup ‘recon’ programme – created to remove the ‘spying’ element which has traditionally been a big factor in Cup preparations – showed the boat more fully and there are whole boat images on the America’s Cup social pages.

First whole boat view of the new American Magic AC75. Photo: Job Vermeulen/ America’s Cup

I spoke to Paul Goodison, who’ll be co-helming the new American Magic AC75 with Tom Slingsby , earlier today, and he hinted that their team had taken a different design approach to the second iteration of the America’s Cup rule. 

“When you look at [the other teams’ boats] and it’s really interesting. The ones we’ve seen so far are very, very similar in concept. 

“I’m not sure how much I can say – but our boat is slightly different and I think it’s going to be really interesting when the world gets sight of it to see what they think. 

“I’m very excited about what the guys in the design office have come up with and what we’ve thought of, and it’s going to be really interesting when we first get to line up with the other guys.”

American Magic AC75

First impressions of the new American Magic AC75 are certainly that it is different to what we’ve seen from the previously launched designs ( Alinghi Red Bull Racing , Emirates Team New Zealand , Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Britannia ). The hull lines are notably smoother and more organic – some observers noted that it bears more than a passing resemblance to the shape of a whale.

Although it’s hard to judge without being able to view the deck, the freeboard appears lower – and it’s not immediately obvious where the cyclors’ pods are sited. W hereas some teams have shrouded their foils or launched their new AC75 with legacy foils, American Magic was first shown with truncated foil arms and no end sections fitted at all.

American Magic’s new AC75, with truncated foil arms. Photo: Job Vermeulen/ America’s Cup

The American Magic ‘B3’ had been built in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, before being flown to its current home in Barcelona on an Antonov AN124 giant cargo plane.  The team report that the two-and-a-half-year development and build process totalled over 108,000 design hours and 65,000 construction hours.

A further phase of commissioning and testing will be completed before B3 has its official naming ceremony and inaugural sail.

The Anerican Magic team limited views of their new AC75 on its first day out of the shed. Photo: AmaliaInfante.com/American Magic

Second boat launch strategy

American boat is one of the later to be unveiled, and three teams – Emirates Team New Zealand, Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli – are already sailing their second generation boats. However, Goodison said he was confident that the team’s earlier practice time in its previous iteration boat, Patriot, would give them an advantage when it comes to getting the complex AC75 up to speed.

“I guess the teams that launched the [first generation] 75s this campaign and have already done a lot of the big boat sailing should hopefully be at an advantage when it comes to sailing. 

“On the [new] 75s, you see both Team New Zealand and Alinghi Red Bull that have launched so far, they’re only a couple of days in and they’re sailing their 75 pretty well. And obviously, I think that’s a testament to the work that they’ve done earlier in the year in their big boats. 

“We spent a fair bit of time at the beginning of this year in the 75. And I think that time, just ironing out a lot of the teething problems from the systems side – some of the new mainsheet systems, some of the new jib systems, some of the new hydraulic systems, the bikes on board – we hopefully have debugged a lot of teething problems. 

“So hopefully, the first couple of days, we’ll get commissioning out of the way and be putting our foot on the gas pretty early.”

Helmsman Paul Goodison. Photo: NYYC American Magic

We’ll have a closer look at American Magic’s AC75, and all the new America’s Cup boats, over the coming weeks.

Pensacola's American Magic yacht racing team competes in America's Cup in Barcelona

by WEAR staff

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- The America's Cup Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta will be getting underway off the coast of Barcelona on Thursday.

American Magic is one of several teams who will be showing off their new AC75 racing yachts for the very first time.

The yacht racing team has established permanent roots in Pensacola, as they signed a 10-year lease agreement with the city.

A new headquarters is being built at the Port of Pensacola.

Mayor DC Reeves says progress is underway on the project.

"They are our home team. As a matter of fact, if you drive by on Bayfront now, you can see repairs," he said. "The repair permit is underway for the existing structure at warehouse ten. So you'll notice if you drive by there now that some of the paneling is off. You can see the bones of the building a little more clear now. So we're very excited. We're getting weekly updates from the contractors on that progress. That's really the first phase is to get the shell, the skeleton of the building, where it needs to be."

Match races will run from Thursday through Sunday.

You can catch the races on the America's Cup Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Click here for more information on the event.

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To watch the New York Yacht Club American Magic Team in action, on this, only their second day of sailing their beautiful AC40 ‘America’, is to watch a team at the apex of the America’s Cup game. It was almost a demonstration sail on perfect Pensacola Bay conditions serving up a 12-15 knot consistent breeze that allowed the sailors to let rip and get more than comfortable with their new charge.

Manoeuvres looked tight and slick, even in the no-stress free sailing that dominated the early part of this near six-hour session. By the time the sailors were dialled into target speeds and the intensity increased in the afternoon, it was almost a stroll in the park. Tom Slingsby and Paul Goodison, two of the finest foiling sailors in the world today, had the bit between their teeth and were pushing harder and harder as the breeze filled in. Riley Gibbs got a turn on the helm in the afternoon, and this is another rare talent that is coming through fast in the America’s Cup world – he looked sharp and very much on it. ‘America’ looked about as good as it gets – frightening to think that they’ll improve further from this very high base of foiling skill.

A couple of small commissioning issues cropped up through the afternoon with a battery shutdown being the most serious, but the Magic shore team were quickly onto a solution and there were several other short breaks through the session for minor adjustments and tweaks to be made. The commissioning phase is all executed with support and know-how provided by the Emirates Team New Zealand design office back in Auckland as the teams seek to get to a baseline of performance in the standard One-Design AC40 set-up before switching, if they want, to LEQ12 testing mode. 

Terry Hutchinson, Skipper and President of Sailing Operations for NYYC American Magic, is looking and sounding increasingly comfortable with what the sailing team are achieving and is more than happy with the boat saying: “Yeah great day…the guys got in about 6 hours of sailing, one battery change so that was all in all a really good day you know we’re going through the teething problems with the boat, not that they’re problems, but I mean like any new boat you have to work through these things, you can’t really give McConaghy’s  and the whole design structure behind this boat enough props because they did a really good job. I mean it’s awesome to be two days into it and basically the guys are out there ripping around Pensacola Bay.”

Asked if the minor issues of today were the same as the teething problems experienced on the maiden outing, Terry responded: “Slightly different. We had a couple of battery shutdowns today and a couple little things there but, you know, the Defender they’ve been very responsive to our requests and they’re working to help us get better and so all in all I mean I think for day two it’s pretty bloody good.”

Ever the leader, Terry is looking to the future and the imminent arrival of the team’s second AC40 and it’s looking like the intensity will go up several levels when that arrives. Speaking about the day’s sailing, which ultimately proved to be highly productive, he commented: “The first part of the day the guys were doing just a little bit of free sailing, getting a feel for the settings of the boat in and around various cant angles and sail set ups, then we got into in the second-half of the day where they focused in a little bit more on setting the boat to a certain target and seeing how they could learn to sail it there be it through cant or trim or sail settings, and then at the end of the day we did we got Riley (Gibbs) on the helm and got Dan (Morris) in trimming and did a little bit of a crew rotation as well so I think we’re looking forward to getting our second boat.”

The agenda for when boat two arrives is clear, as Terry highlighted: “I think when we get the (second boat) we will have two agendas there. One will be obviously foil development and the second one will be racing development so we will follow a logical progression there to set ourselves up nicely for AC-75 foils.”

‘Logical progression’ – the hallmark to date of the New York Yacht Club American Magic programme. Compelling to watch. They could well be sensational in Barcelona.

On-Water Recon Unit Notes:  America was craned in at 10:20, the programmers with their tablets arrived shortly after. A member of the shore crew was observed grinding the small carbon sleeve/ collar that fits around the base of the mast. Dock out was 11:30, America was towed out towards the middle of the Bay where the M1 was hoisted.

The wind was 7k out of the SE and was forecasted to go right and build early in the afternoon. The team towed ‘America’ south towards the approaching breeze, and hoisted the J1. They sailed for an hour and twenty minutes as the breeze increased to 10-12k.

The J3 was hoisted at 13:55 and quickly taken down while the team attended to the head of the sail for 8 minutes. The J3 was sailed on for the remainder of the day. Multiple short breaks in sailing were observed while the crew made jib clew adjustments, changed the batteries, and dealt with the shut-down issues discussed in the interview.

In all, America completed 46 manoeuvres, covered a distance of 82nm, 17 windward/leeward legs, and was on foil for 145 minutes total. Top speeds were approximately 29k upwind and 38k downwind. Sailing ended at 17:14.

No sailing is expected tomorrow (3/5: Sunday).

Total Tacks:  26 – 22 foil-to-foil, 2 touch & go, 2 touchdowns.

Total Gybes:  20 – 16 foil-to-foil, 2 touch & go, 2 touchdowns.

Recon Notes:  America was on foil a combined total of 145 minutes. Flight times ranged from 1 minutes to 23 minutes (10, 10, 2, 19, 1, 19, 23, 7, 5, 23, 23 and 3 minutes respectively).

Take off speed:  17 knots at 100 degrees TWA (True Wind Angle)

Initial take off was self, 12 additional self-up’s, 0 tow up’s

Onboard Today:

Helms:  Paul Goodison / Tom Slingsby / Riley Gibbs

Trimmers:  Lucas Calabrese / Dan Morris

Flight Control:   Trimmers:  Andrew Campbell / Michael Menninger

Conditions:  11:42 SE 7k/ 12:17 S 6k/ 13:14 S 9k/ 13:46 S 10-12k/ 14:57 S 12-14k/ 15:30 S 12-15k/ 16:18 S 8-12k. Wind speed measured 8ft above sea level using a handheld anemometer. Weather AM: 72°c Sunny. Weather PM: 70°c Sunny.

Sails Used:

M1 (AM-MN1): 5 hours 50 minutes

J1: 1 hour 20 minutes

J3: 3 hours 5 minutes

Dock-Out:  1130  Dock-In:  1745

• American Magic
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Published on March 8th, 2022 | by Editor

USA reveals core team for America’s Cup

Published on March 8th, 2022 by Editor -->

New York Yacht Club American Magic, the U.S. sailing team challenging for the 37th America’s Cup, confirmed the initial core sailing team roster: Tom Burnham, Lucas Calabrese, Andrew Campbell, Riley Gibbs, Paul Goodison, Michael Menninger, and Dan Morris.

“We are excited to announce this group of talented sailors,” remarked Terry Hutchinson, Skipper, and President of Sailing Operations for American Magic. “Our goal is to win the America’s Cup and bring the trophy back to United States and the New York Yacht Club. We are confident we are putting together a balanced team of experienced America’s Cup sailors with new blood to help American Magic accomplish this goal.”

“The America’s Cup is the pinnacle of the sport of sailing and our team is hungry.” said Tom Burnham, American Magic Head Coach. “The sailors are actively sailing in other events and regattas around the globe. We are currently planning our sailing schedule for the 37th America’s Cup, per the Rules of the Protocol all of the teams are permitted to start sailing their AC75 this September.”

• Tom Burnham (Newport, RI) – Tom joins American Magic as Head Coach. Tom has sailed on three America’s Cup teams: Young America, and twice with the Italian Team Luna Rossa. Tom was the head coach of the Swedish America’s Cup Challenger Artemis Racing in the 35th America’s Cup. Tom sailed with Quantum Racing’s TP52 program for eight years. Tom is also currently the coach for the Australian SailGP team. Tom is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and won the Student Yachting World Cup. In addition to being a professional sailor and sailing coach, Tom is very passionate about the environment and practicing ways to be more sustainable on and off the water.

• Lucas Calabrese (Fort Lauderdale, FL) – Lucas achieved an Olympic Medal in London 2012 competing in the 470 class. Lucas has won three World Championships in the Melges 20, J70, and Optimist classes. Lucas was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, moved permanently to the United States seven years ago and became a US citizen. Lucas placed 2nd at the TP52 Worlds and 2nd at the Melges 24 Worlds. • Andrew Campbell (San Diego, CA) – Andrew returns to American Magic in his third America’s Cup pursuit; this is his second campaign with American Magic and previously was with Oracle Team USA in the 35th America’s Cup. Andrew is a World Champion Silver Medalist in the Star class. Andrew is a Beijing 2008 Olympian and won a Gold Medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. Andrew is a four time Collegiate All-American, four time National Champion and College Sailor of the Year during his time at Georgetown University. Andrew is a three time US Youth Champion Gold Medalist, and a Youth Laser World Champion.

• Riley Gibbs (Long Beach, CA) – Riley is a versatile sailor and has an impressive resume of successes in a variety of fleets starting at a young age. Riley is on the US Sailing Team and sails with the United States SailGP Team. Riley represented Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the Nacra 17 class and competed at the Red Bull Foiling Generation World Finals. Riley won his first regatta at the Junior Sabot Nationals at the age of fourteen, and has since placed top five at three different World Champions: 29er, Formula Kite, and Nacra 17. Riley is the youngest skipper to win the 505 North Americans.

• Paul Goodison MBE (Lake Garda, Italy) – Paul will continue with American Magic in the team’s second hunt for the America’s Cup. Paul was a sailing team member with Artemis Racing in the 35th America’s Cup. Paul has competed in three Olympic Games, winning a Gold Medal in Beijing 2008, also he placed fourth in Athens 2004 and 7th in London 2012. Paul holds six World Championship Titles: Laser , Melges 32, Melges 20, and is a three time Moth Champion. Paul is a five-time Laser European Champion and a Melges 32 European Champion. Paul grew up in Sheffield, Great Britain.

• Michael Menninger (Newport Beach, CA) – Michael is a former helmsman of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. Michael is a Match Racing World Champion, Team Racing World Champion, and Etchells World Champion. Michael has sailed with 11th Hour Racing Team aboard the IMOCA 60 for a transatlantic crossing. Michael sailed for St. Mary’s College of Maryland, he is a three-time All-American, two-time National Champion, and twice College Sailor of the Year finalist. Michael is a two-time Governor’s Cup winner.

• Dan Morris (Newport, RI) – Dan returns to American Magic in his second America’s Cup quest. Dan is a Match Racing Tour World Champion, a Transpac Race Winner, and a Middle Sea Race Winner. Dan has been a part of the Red Bull Sailing Team in the Extreme Sailing Series, the United States SailGP Team, and participated in the Superfoiler Grand Prix. Dan grew up living and working on boats in Minnesota.

The complete American Magic sailing team and roles on the boat will be announced at a future date.

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, the entry period opened December 1, 2021 and runs until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup may be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender is to announce Match Venue and approximate event dates on March 31, 2022. – https://www.americascup.com/en/home

Tags: America's Cup , American Magic

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New Zealand's boat damaged after crane mishap on opening day of America's Cup title defense

America's cup.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Emirates Team New Zealand got off to a bungled start of its America's Cup trophy defense Thursday when its yacht was damaged after a mishap with the crane removing it from the water after the sailing event's opening races.

The 75-foot “Taihoro” monohull won't be fit to sail on Friday and maybe for several days to come, the team said, after it took a hard hit when it fell some six meters (20 feet) and “landed heavily” on its cradle supports at the team's base in Barcelona's old port. New Zealand said that no crew members were hurt but that it would need to assess the damage.

“It’s certainly going to put us out for quite a while,” team CEO Grant Dalton said. "I was in my office and heard it. It sounded like a bomb went off. It will probably put us out for the round robins. Maybe we get back before the end of them, maybe not. Until we assess it properly we just don’t know.”

Fortunately for the Kiwis, their races in the opening round-robin phase over the next two weeks don’t count. Dalton’s team will then have a bye over the the following two rounds. The real racing for New Zealand begins in six weeks, when they will face the best of five challengers who survive the knockout rounds.

Dalton and skipper Peter Burling, along with other team members, inspected the ship after it was raised up by a crane and gently secured in the cradle's frame. They gave a specially long look at the starboard hydrofoil that was resting on the concrete ground until the ship was put in the correct position. The worst case scenario would be if its hull were cracked.

The incident overshadowed New Zealand's win, which didn't count for points anyway, over Italy's Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli earlier in their opening race.

Slow start for Magic

A pre-start mistake most likely cost American Magic a point in its first race, against INEOS Britannia.

American Magic, the boat representing the New York Yacht Club, fell off its foils when it slowed down too much in low-wind conditions before the race start. By the time the AC75 Patriot got back up to speed, the British had already crossed the start line and built a 700-meter lead.

The Brits earned the winning point, but skipper Ben Ainslie was downbeat after seeing the Americans eat up a large part of the huge lead they gifted his boat. American Magic finished only 12 second behind INEOS.

“It was a great race in the end, because American Magic had a problem at the start, but they did a nice job getting back into the race and keeping it close and getting some good gains back,” INEOS skipper Ben Ainslie told The Associated Press. “So for us it was mixed emotions really, very pleased to get a point on the board but also, our performance in straight line and maneuvering, we need to work on that.”

The Americans were left ruing what might have been.

“We need to be better at the starting and how we approach (it),” said American Magic helmsman Paul Goodison told the AP. “But we there’s plenty of good takeaways. We can we can learn that.”

French team Orient Racing Express beat Switzerland’s Alinghi Red Bull Racing after passing them halfway through the six-leg race.

The Italians bounced back from their meaingless loss to New Zealand by beating Orient Express by nearly 1 1/2 minutes.

The opening double round robin phase of the America’s Cup will eliminate the weakest of the five challengers by Sept. 8.

New Zealand is aiming for a third straight cup win after being victorious in 2017 in Bermuda and 2021 in Auckland. The Kiwis brought the 37th America's Cup to Barcelona saying it was necessary to guarantee the financial security of the team and a competition that would attract enough sponsors. Fashion and luxury goods designer Louis Vuitton has returned as the official sponsor of the race, and the trophy is secured in a custom Louis Vuitton case when it travels.

The America’s Cup is the world oldest international sports trophy. Only four countries — the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and Switzerland — have ever won it.

Spain’s King Felipe VI, who sailed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, was in attendance on Day 1.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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Italy and the United States have shown America's Cup defender New Zealand they face a fight to the wire to retain the sailing trophy in the 37th edition of international sport's oldest competition.

Emirates Team New Zealand won the final preliminary regatta in Barcelona last week but were run extremely close by Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli before the Louis Vuitton Cup, which starts Thursday.

The competition will determine the challenger to face New Zealand in the America's Cup proper in October, starting with two rounds of matches before a semi-final and final.

New Zealand will be involved in the group stage of racing but not the knock-out rounds and this is their final chance to finesse their approach.

Teams got their AC75 foiling boats on the water in official competition for the first time in the Barcelona regatta.

New Zealand triumphed in Bermuda in 2017 and then again in Auckland three years ago, hoping to become the first nation to lift the trophy in three consecutive finals since the United States in 1987, 1988 and 1992.

"We were expecting it to be tight and we were struggling to get the shifts right, but it's going to be a close regatta," said New Zealand skipper Peter Burling after his team's tight victory over Italy last week.

"It's all about making sure you get the phases right and sailing the boat in the right places.

"I think we were a little frustrated with how we sailed (in the final, but there's) plenty to go back and have a look at afterwards."

Italy were penalised three times in the regatta final race against New Zealand which ultimately cost them.

Luna Rossa, runners-up in the 2021 final, will have the chance to avenge those defeats on Thursday in their Louis Vuitton Cup opener, when they face New Zealand again.

"Hats off to New Zealand, for a great race, but I'm very proud with the team," said port helm Francesco Bruni.

"I think we have a great boat, a great team, a great sailing team and I think it will be a very interesting America's Cup."

- 'Very close' -

The America's Cup began in 1851 when the boat America of the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) beat England's Royal Yacht Squadron, with the trophy named after the vessel.

Record 30-time winners the United States retained the cup until 1983, when Australia triumphed.

NYYC American Magic just missed out on reaching the Barcelona regatta final but their boat is fast enough to challenge New Zealand and they earned a morale-boosting win over the defender on Sunday.

"I think we're still trying to figure out our strengths and weaknesses," said skipper Terry Hutchinson.

"The defender set a pretty hard mark, their boat's very good and I think the Italians are equally as good but what you see is that all the teams are very close to each other and you're not going to be able to spot anybody a lot of distance off the start line and expect to pass them."

Ineos Britannia, Switzerland's Alinghi Red Bull Racing and France's Orient Express have some reasons for optimism despite struggling in the Barcelona regatta.

"We only came out with two wins, but it felt very close to four, so I think there's good momentum within the team and we're just looking to build on that for the round robins," said Britannia sailor Dylan Fletcher.

Four-time Olympic sailing champion Ben Ainslie is the skipper of the British team, which is backed by billionaire Manchester United owner Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Group.

France won just once last week, by default after an issue onboard American Magic, but an even battle with Britain gave them hope.

"The key is going to be the manoeuvres and to be strong on the start, so we have to work more in the simulator and on the water with boat-handling too, in order to come back stronger," said Orient Express sailor Kevin Peponnet.

Beyond four-time winners New Zealand and the United States, Switzerland are the only other nation competing who have lifted the trophy, in 2003 and 2007.

Retailers are worried they face a tough Christmas trading period, as Australians continue to resist spending up during a cost-of-living crisis.

BRIGGS CUNNINGHAM: American Racing Tradition TALE OF AN AMERICAN SPORTSMAN

The america's cup, the america’s cup – 1958, text by kane rogers.

View photographer Cory Silken’s “Yacht Columbia – America’s Cup Winner 1958” gallery here .

Click here to read “The America’s Cup: An Insider’s View,” by Bob Bavier.

Prior to 1958, the last defense of the America’s Cup had been in 1937, by the J-Class yacht Ranger , owned by Harold S. “Mike” Vanderbilt. The J-Class rules prescribing a vessel of some 120 feet in length were promoted by Vanderbilt and others for the defense planned for 1958, but economic concerns and the desire among aspiring competitors to employ smaller dual-purpose yachts won the day. The New York Yacht Club settled on the twelve-meter class rules, reducing the length of the average vessel to around sixty-five feet. Harry Sears, then the club’s commodore, formed a syndicate to build the ship and asked Briggs to join to help with finances.

Although building and racing his cars had long been Briggs’ primary field of endeavor, he had never stopped sailing, and he agreed to join the effort. Sailing legend Cornelius Shields was appointed as the team’s skipper but, when he suffered a heart attack, Sears asked Cunningham to take Shields’ place.

As a member of five East Coast yacht clubs, with almost thirty years’ experience racing several different classes of vessel, Briggs was a solid choice to lead. The one thing he lacked was experience with the starting strategy required by the head-to-head style of America’s Cup competition. Shields, a master of this type of racing, was happy to impart his knowledge to Cunningham, who proved an able student.

Unfortunately, as skipper it was Briggs who had to inform Shields that he could not remain a member of the crew; if he suffered an attack during competition and had to be taken to the hospital, it would leave them a man short and result in their disqualification. It was a tough moment for both men, but it was also characteristic of both to do what was best for the team.

The eliminations for the American side would prove to be more exciting than the final races. Four twelve-metre yachts, Easterner , Weatherly , Vim and Columbia , survived two months of run-offs to compete in the final eight-day round of match races to determine the defender of the America’s Cup. Of the four contenders, only the Vim had raced previously, but the nineteen-year-old vessel was so completely refitted as to be virtually brand new. The Easterner and Weatherly had been hurriedly completed and neither was fully prepared to compete, although the Weatherly would successfully defend the Cup in 1962.

Columbia benefited from a strong syndicate whose membership included Harry Sears, Olin Stephens, the designer of the Vim , and Cornelius Shields, Jr., who occasionally spelled Briggs as skipper. The competition finally narrowed to Vim and Columbia , which prevailed by virtue of her ability to better handle rough seas and strong winds.

The British challenger, Sceptre , entered by the Royal Yacht Squadron and skippered by Graham Mann, was a quite rotund 68,000 pounds compared to the svelte Columbia at 57,000 pounds, and the event was decided in four straight wins by the Americans.

During the post-race celebrations, Briggs located a pay phone and called Alfred Momo at Watkins Glen, where Ed Crawford had just won the main race. As Briggs was returning to join his crew, a reporter approached and commented, “Briggs, that was a fine race!” to which Briggs, still with the Glen on his mind, replied, “That’s what I just heard. I wish I could have seen it.”

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New Zealand's boat damaged after crane mishap on opening day of America's Cup title defense

Emirates Team New Zealand had a misstep on the opening day of its America’s Cup defense when a crane that was lifting its AC75 “Taihoro” onto its cradle failed and the boat was damaged

BARCELONA, Spain — Emirates Team New Zealand got off to a bungled start of its America’s Cup trophy defense Thursday when its yacht was damaged after a mishap with the crane removing it from the water after the sailing event’s opening races.

The 75-foot “Taihoro” monohull won’t be fit to sail on Friday and maybe for several days to come, the team said, after it took a hard hit when it fell some six meters (20 feet) and “landed heavily” on its cradle supports at the team’s base in Barcelona’s old port. New Zealand said that no crew members were hurt but that it would need to assess the damage.

“It’s certainly going to put us out for quite a while,” team CEO Grant Dalton said. “I was in my office and heard it. It sounded like a bomb went off. It will probably put us out for the round robins. Maybe we get back before the end of them, maybe not. Until we assess it properly we just don’t know.”

Fortunately for the Kiwis, their races in the opening round-robin phase over the next two weeks don’t count. Dalton’s team will then have a bye over the the following two rounds. The real racing for New Zealand begins in six weeks, when they will face the best of five challengers who survive the knockout rounds.

Dalton and skipper Peter Burling, along with other team members, inspected the ship after it was raised up by a crane and gently secured in the cradle’s frame. They gave a specially long look at the starboard hydrofoil that was resting on the concrete ground until the ship was put in the correct position. The worst case scenario would be if its hull were cracked.

The incident overshadowed New Zealand’s win, which didn’t count for points anyway, over Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli earlier in their opening race.

Slow start for Magic

A pre-start mistake most likely cost American Magic a point in its first race, against INEOS Britannia.

American Magic, the boat representing the New York Yacht Club, fell off its foils when it slowed down too much in low-wind conditions before the race start. By the time the AC75 Patriot got back up to speed, the British had already crossed the start line and built a 700-meter lead.

The Brits earned the winning point, but skipper Ben Ainslie was downbeat after seeing the Americans eat up a large part of the huge lead they gifted his boat. American Magic finished only 12 second behind INEOS.

“It was a great race in the end, because American Magic had a problem at the start, but they did a nice job getting back into the race and keeping it close and getting some good gains back,” INEOS skipper Ben Ainslie told The Associated Press. “So for us it was mixed emotions really, very pleased to get a point on the board but also, our performance in straight line and maneuvering, we need to work on that.”

The Americans were left ruing what might have been.

“We need to be better at the starting and how we approach (it),” said American Magic helmsman Paul Goodison told the AP. “But we there’s plenty of good takeaways. We can we can learn that.”

French team Orient Racing Express beat Switzerland’s Alinghi Red Bull Racing after passing them halfway through the six-leg race.

The Italians bounced back from their meaingless loss to New Zealand by beating Orient Express by nearly 1 1/2 minutes.

The opening double round robin phase of the America’s Cup will eliminate the weakest of the five challengers by Sept. 8.

New Zealand is aiming for a third straight cup win after being victorious in 2017 in Bermuda and 2021 in Auckland. The Kiwis brought the 37th America's Cup to Barcelona saying it was necessary to guarantee the financial security of the team and a competition that would attract enough sponsors. Fashion and luxury goods designer Louis Vuitton has returned as the official sponsor of the race, and the trophy is secured in a custom Louis Vuitton case when it travels.

The America’s Cup is the world oldest international sports trophy. Only four countries — the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and Switzerland — have ever won it.

Spain’s King Felipe VI, who sailed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, was in attendance on Day 1.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Comunicado oficial del Emirates Team New Zealand: "No saldremos a navegar mañana"

El emirates team new zealand ha informado sobre un incidente que ocurrió tras la primera jornada de regatas de la louis vuitton round robin.

Imagen distribuida por el equipo Emirates Team New Zealand / ETNZ

Al finalizar la jornada de competición, mientras el equipo levantaba su AC75 ‘Taihoro’ del agua , se presentó un problema con el sistema de elevación, lo que provocó que el barco cayera con fuerza sobre su cuna de soporte.

El equipo ha asegurado el barco con una grúa portátil y lo ha trasladado de manera segura al cobertizo, donde se evaluará la magnitud de los daños durante la noche. Según las primeras evaluaciones, Emirates Team New Zealand ha decidido que no saldrán a navegar al día siguiente.

En las próximas 24 horas, se realizarán investigaciones más detalladas para determinar el alcance total del daño y elaborar un plan de reparación para el ‘Taihoro’. Una vez que se tenga más información, el equipo proporcionará una actualización sobre el tiempo que estarán fuera del agua.

Grant Dalton, CEO de Emirates Team New Zealand, declaró: “Evidentemente, esto es un contratiempo para el equipo en un momento tan importante de la campaña. Estos son los momentos que pueden definir una campaña de la Copa América, y contamos con un grupo increíble de personas dedicadas y talentosas que estarán trabajando sin descanso para reparar el barco.

“No saldremos a navegar mañana , al menos, y proporcionaremos más actualizaciones sobre la situación a su debido tiempo”, añadió Dalton.

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SAILING TEAM ROSTER RELEASED BY AMERICA’S CUP CHALLENGER NEW YORK YACHT CLUB AMERICAN MAGIC

New York Yacht Club American Magic, the U.S. sailing team challenging for the 36th America's Cup has announced an initial roster of 17 sailors who will train and compete with the team.

The accomplished group includes nine Americans and sailors from four other nations. The 36th America's Cup will take place in March 2021 off Auckland, New Zealand.

"We're excited to announce the names on our current sailing team, and continue the process of building a focused and successful program," said Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Md.) Skipper and Executive Director of American Magic. "Every personnel decision we make in this campaign will be with a single goal in mind, and that is to win the America's Cup in 2021. With the support of our 90-strong collection of world-class designers, boatbuilders and staff, our sailors will be capable of accomplishing that goal."

The AC75 class, a new type of 75-foot hydro-foiling boat designed specifically for the next edition of the America's Cup, the world's oldest international sporting event, is expected to race with a crew of 11 sailors.

"A major consequence of the decision to return the regatta to cutting-edge mono-hulled boats of this size is that America's Cup racing has been refocused on sailing skills and teamwork," said Hutchinson, a 14-time world champion and veteran of four Cup campaigns. "It will take a high level of performance from everyone onboard to get these boats around the racecourse."

American Magic's team roster includes the combined experience of 31 America's Cup campaigns, and three team members are previous Cup winners. Eight American Magic sailors are Olympians, with two medals won, and the roster has earned over 60 world championship victories in various classes. American Magic sailors who are also Olympic hopefuls on the US Sailing Team will be given the flexibility to pursue their campaigns for Tokyo 2020 while operating as part of the America's Cup team.

"This team roster includes a great balance of proven experience and youth, and will help establish the next generation of America's Cup talent in the United States," said Hap Fauth (Naples, Fla.), Team Principal and CEO of American Magic.

"Thanks to the efforts of our partners at US Sailing, Oakcliff and other organizations that have supported high-performance sailing, we have capable athletes coming out of Olympic, foiling and development classes here at home. They will help our team win on the water, and also help reengage the American audience with sailing's pinnacle event."

American Magic continues to make steady progress on the path towards Auckland, and the team recently opened a dedicated boatbuilding facility in Bristol, R.I. Under the rules governing the 36th America's Cup, the earliest an AC75 can be launched by any team is March 31, 2019. American Magic is expected to begin sailing their first boat soon after this date, and conduct initial testing on the waters of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound.

"The return of America's Cup activity to the Newport, Rhode Island area will be a thrilling sight for sailing fans here, across the country and around the world," said Phil Lotz (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), the 65th Commodore of the New York Yacht Club. "For 175 years, the New York Yacht Club has been dedicated to moving competitive sailing forward. Defending and challenging for the Cup, a trophy we held for 132 years, has been a large part of the club's commitment to our sport. We're proud to return to the America's Cup arena with this exceptional sailing team."

The team, led by Fauth, Team Principal Doug DeVos (Grand Rapids, Mich.), and Team Principal Roger Penske (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) is one of three confirmed Challengers set to compete for the Cup against the current holders, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and its defending team, Emirates Team New Zealand. To date, Luna Rossa Challenge from Italy and INEOS Team UK from Great Britain have also been announced as Challengers.

"Racing for the America's Cup is a dream shared by all competitive sailors," said James Lyne (Granville, Vermont), Head Coach of the team. "American Magic is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our athletes. We are led by a great group of principals, have talented designers, experienced builders, and we are representing New York Yacht Club, with its unmatched America's Cup history. The stars have aligned to give us this chance to win back the Cup for the United States."

Sailing Team: New York Yacht Club American Magic

Skipper and Executive Director:

• Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Maryland, United States)

Helms/Tacticians:

• Dean Barker (Auckland, New Zealand)
• Andrew Campbell (San Diego, California, United States)
• Bora Gulari (Detroit, Michigan, United States)
• Ian Moore (Cowes, Great Britain)

Sail Trimmers:

• Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States)
• Maciel Cicchetti (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
• Paul Goodison (Sheffield, Great Britain)
• David Hughes (Miami, Florida, United States)

Specialists:

• Matt Cassidy (San Diego, California, United States) 
• Sean Clarkson (Mill Valley, California - Nationality: New Zealand)
• Jim Turner (Auckland, New Zealand)
• Cooper Dressler (Coronado, California, United States)
• Luke Muller (Ft. Pierce, Florida, United States)
• Caleb Paine (San Diego, California, United States)
• Luke Payne (Fremantle, Australia)
• Joe Spooner (Auckland, New Zealand)

Head Coach:

• James Lyne (Granville, Vermont, United States)

NEW YORK YACHT CLUB AMERICAN MAGIC ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP TEAM

Newport, R.I. – New York Yacht Club American Magic is pleased to announce its leadership team as the program continues its investment in top talent and preparation for the 37th America’s Cup. The leadership appointments reflect a commitment to people who bring deep experience and diverse backgrounds and capabilities developed with lessons learned from the AC36 campaign.

• Mike Cazer (Grand Rapids, Mich.) will serve as Chief Executive Officer, leading the overall team, emphasizing building American Magic into a commercially attractive brand, and as the leader in sailing in the United States. Mike also serves as CEO of Continuum Ventures and has nearly 35 years of global business experience. Before American Magic and Continuum, Mike was the Chief Operating Officer at Amway and was a senior executive with Brinks and GE.

• Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Md.) will continue as Skipper and President of Sailing Operations. Terry is a two-time college sailor of the year, four-time collegiate All-American, sixteen-time world champion, two-time U.S. Rolex Yachtsman of the year, and is a past winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Terry is now entering into his sixth America’s Cup program.

• Scott Ferguson (Jamestown, R.I), who signed with the team last August, will serve as Design Coordinator and lead a design team to bring innovation and cutting-edge technology to our design approach. Scott is a three-time collegiate All-American, two-time world champion, and two-time America’s Cup winner as a designer. The Naval Architect is entering into his ninth America’s Cup campaign, highlighted with wins in 2010 and 2013 with Oracle Team USA during the transition to winged sails and high-speed foiling in the America’s Cup.

• Tyson Lamond (Denver, Colo.) steps into a new role this campaign as Chief Operating Officer. Tyson was previously Boat Captain with American Magic in the 36th America’s Cup, and very involved in the team’s operations. Before that, he supported SoftBank Team Japan (Shore Operations Manager, 2015-2017) and Emirates Team New Zealand (Boat Captain, 2008-2015). Tyson will remain strongly focused on operations.

• Ben Osborn (Minneapolis, Minn.) continues as American Magic’s Chief Financial Officer. Ben also serves as a financial executive inside the marine operations of The Churchill Companies, where he has spent the past twenty-one years of his career. Prior to his tenure at The Churchill Companies, Ben worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their audit and business assurance practice.

“We have an incredibly talented, experienced, and dedicated team and are fortunate to have such dynamic and talented people across our entire organization,” remarked Doug DeVos, Principal of New York Yacht Club American Magic. “We know people are at the center of all we do and are the critical ingredients for success both on and off the water.”

“We remain intensely focused on our goal of winning the America’s Cup and bringing the Cup home to the New York Yacht Club and the United States,” commented Hap Fauth, Principal of New York Yacht Club American Magic. “We have the right team in place to achieve extraordinary and historic success.”

Luxury yachts and other myths: How Republican lawmakers echo Russian propaganda

Two senior Republican lawmakers, the chairs of the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees, say their colleagues are echoing Russian state propaganda against Ukraine.

Researchers who study disinformation say Reps. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, are merely acknowledging what has been clear for some time: Russian propaganda aimed at undermining U.S. and European support for Ukraine has steadily seeped into America’s political conversation over the past decade, taking on a life of its own.

McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Puck News he thinks “Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chunk of my party’s base.”

Turner, chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told CNN that anti-Ukraine messages from Russia are “being uttered on the House floor.”

For the past decade, since Russia’s first military incursion into Ukraine in 2014, Moscow has spread propaganda and disinformation in a bid to undercut U.S. and European military support for Ukraine, according to U.S. and Western officials.

Some of the arguments, distortions and falsehoods spread by Russia have taken root, mostly among right-wing pro-Trump outlets and Republican politicians, researchers say, including that Ukraine’s government is too corrupt to benefit from Western aid and that the Biden family has alleged corrupt ties to Ukraine.

Russia, in keeping with traditional propaganda techniques, seeks to make its case and tarnish Ukraine through a mixture of outright falsehoods, half-truths, inferences or simply amplifying and promoting arguments already being made by American or European commentators and politicians, researchers say.

The propaganda is sometimes spread covertly, through fake online accounts, or openly by Russian officials and state media. As a result, the origin of some allegations or criticisms is often opaque, especially when a certain accusation or perception has gained wide acceptance, leaving no clear fingerprints.

Early in the war, a false story boosted by Russian propaganda — that the U.S. had helped Ukraine build biological weapons labs — gained traction on right-wing social media and was touted by then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Russia also is conducting a parallel propaganda campaign in Europe. Belgium’s prime minister said Thursday that his government is investigating alleged Russian bribes to members of the European Parliament as part of Moscow’s campaign to undermine support for Ukraine. Czech law enforcement officials last month alleged that a former pro-Russian member of Ukraine’s parliament, Viktor Medvedchuk, was behind a Prague-based Russian propaganda network designed to promote opposition to aiding Ukraine.

Here are some examples of Republican lawmakers using arguments often promoted by Russian propaganda:

Buying yachts

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with members of Congress behind closed doors in December to appeal for more U.S. help for his country’s troops, some lawmakers raised questions about Ukraine allegedly buying yachts with American aid money.

Zelenskyy made clear that was not the case, according to Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a strong supporter of arming Ukraine. “I think the notion of corruption came up because some have said we can’t do it, because people will buy yachts with the money,” Tillis told CNN. “[Zelenskyy] disabused people of those notions.”

Where did the yacht rumor come from?

Pro-Russian actors and websites promoted a narrative alleging Zelenskyy bought two superyachts with U.S. aid dollars. One Russia-based propaganda site, DC Weekly , published a story last November that included photos of two luxury yachts, called Lucky Me and My Legacy , which it alleged were bought for $75 million.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a vocal opponent of military aid to Ukraine, in November retweeted a post about the alleged yacht purchase from the Strategic Culture Foundation, a Russian-based propaganda outlet directed by Russia’s intelligence services, according to the Treasury Department. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the organization, accusing it of spreading disinformation and interfering in U.S. elections.

Another outspoken critic of aid to Ukraine, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, also made a similar claim.

In a December interview with former President Donald Trump’s White House adviser Steve Bannon, Vance claimed that members of Congress wanted to cut Social Security benefits to provide more aid to Ukraine, and that money would allegedly be used for Zelenskyy’s ministers to “buy a bigger yacht.”

“There are people who would cut Social Security, throw our grandparents into poverty. Why? So that one of Zelenskyy’s ministers can buy a bigger yacht?” Vance said. “Kiss my ass, Steve. It’s not happening.”

The tale of Zelenskyy’s luxury yacht, however, turned out to be totally false . The yachts cited in the DC Weekly article remain up for sale , the owners told The Associated Press.

Two academics at Clemson University, disinformation researchers Darren Linvill and Patrick Warren, found that DC Weekly ran numerous stories copied from other sites that were rewritten by artificial intelligence engines. The articles had bylines with fake names along with headshots copied from other online sites. DC Weekly appeared to be a Russian effort to launder false information through a seemingly legitimate news site as part of an attempt to undermine U.S. support for Ukraine, according to the researchers .

Asked by reporters about Vance’s comments, Tillis said: “I think it’s bullshit. ...If you’re talking about giving money to Ukrainian ministers — total and unmitigated bullshit.”

Greene’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Vance’s spokesperson said the senator was making a rhetorical point about how he opposed sending U.S. assistance to what he sees as a corrupt country, but was not asserting the yacht stories online were accurate.

Vance’s office referred NBC News to an earlier response to the BBC on the same topic:

“For years, everyone in the West recognized that Ukraine was one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Somehow everyone forgot that just as we started sending them billions of dollars in foreign aid.”

Enabling ‘corruption’

Russian state media for years has painted Ukraine as deeply corrupt, and has argued that the U.S. and its allies are wasting money and military hardware by assisting such an allegedly corrupt government.

“This is absolutely a line that they have pushed, and then once it appears in the Western ecosystem, other [Russian] media picks it up and it gets recycled back,” said Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy.

This line of argument has gained traction partly because Ukraine does face a genuine corruption problem.

Russia’s effort to focus attention on corruption in Ukraine reflects a long-established propaganda method of using facts or partial truths to anchor a broader assertion or accusation, sometimes making a leap in logic, Schafer and other researchers said. Russia’s message amounts to: Ukraine is corrupt, therefore U.S. and Western aid will be stolen and wasted.

Schafer said it was ironic for Russia, a country mired in corruption and kleptocracy, to be leveling accusations about corruption.

Republican Rep. Mary Miller has said she strongly opposes more assistance for Ukraine because it amounts to sending cash to “corrupt oligarchs.”

“With Zelensky coming to DC this week to ask for more money, I will continue to vote AGAINST sending your tax $$ to corrupt oligarchs in Ukraine for a proxy war that could have ended in ‘22,” Miller wrote in a post on X in December.

The Illinois lawmaker also echoed another assertion that often appears in Russian media, that the Biden administration allegedly undermined efforts by Russia to avoid war with Ukraine.

 “A peace deal was on the table that [Ukraine] and [Russia] were both ready to sign, but Biden said NO,” she wrote.

There was in fact no proposed peace agreement that Russia and Ukraine were prepared to sign before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to U.S. and European officials. As Russian troops massed on the border of Ukraine, Western governments urged Russia not to invade and warned there would be economic and diplomatic consequences.

Reuters has reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a possible deal to avert a war that had been discussed with Kyiv by Russia’s envoy to Ukraine. The Kremlin said the report was inaccurate and has said Russia tried for years to arrive at an understanding with Ukraine.

As for corruption in Ukraine, Zelenskyy has vowed to tackle the problem, sacking senior officials in some recent cases. But some civil society groups have criticized his approach and Ukrainians say corruption is the country’s second-most serious problem, after the Russian invasion, according to a poll conducted last year.

In an annual survey, Transparency International said Ukraine made progress toward addressing the issue and now ranks 104th out of 180 countries on its Corruption Perceptions Index , climbing 12 places up from its previous ranking.

Ukraine is not alone among countries that receive U.S. and other foreign aid but struggle with corruption. Supporters of assisting Ukraine argue it would undermine America’s influence in the world and its humanitarian efforts if Washington withheld foreign aid from every country where there were reports of corruption.

Miller’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Biden family and Ukraine

Republicans have repeatedly alleged that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter have corrupt ties to Ukraine, and that they sought $5 million in bribes from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma to protect the firm from an investigation by Ukraine’s prosecutor general.

There is no credible evidence for the allegations. A key source for the accusations against the Bidens is a former FBI informant, Alexander Smirnov, who was arrested in February on federal charges of fabricating the bribery claims. Smirnov says he was fed information by Russian intelligence.

Republicans had heavily promoted Smirnov’s allegations against the Bidens, seeing them as crucial to a planned impeachment effort against the president that has since fizzled .

“In my estimation, that is probably the clearest example of Russian propaganda working its way into the American political system,” said Emerson Brooking, a resident senior fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council.

GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona cited the false bribery allegations in expressing his opposition to providing assistance to Ukraine.

“In exchange for … bribe money from Ukraine, Joe Biden has dished out over $100 billion in taxpayer money to fund the war in Ukraine. I will not assist this corruption by sending more money to the authoritarian Ukrainian regime,” Gosar said in a statement in October.

Gosar’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Dan De Luce is a reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. 

Syedah Asghar is a Capitol Hill researcher for NBC News and is based in Washington, D.C.