American Magic skipper Terry Hutchinson has voiced his concerns over the timing of the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona after the dates were confirmed today.
Team New Zealand will put the Auld Mug on the line in late October in a best-of-13 series, against an opponent who will be determinedwhen the Challenger Series concludes on October 2. A 16-day window was announced for the Cup match, with six designated race days and 10 reserve days.
In an interview with Newstalk ZB, Hutchinson, the skipper of challenging syndicate American Magic, voiced some worries over the timing of the event, saying: “we were there this year over the same timeframe for a TP 52 regatta and the worry quite frankly is over the 10-day period that we were there, we would’ve foiled in an AC75 two of those 10 days.”
There were also concerns over the daylight hours at that time of the year, as October is mid-autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.
But Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton played down Hutchinson’s comments and said a lot of work had gone into determining the dates for the Cup match and he had no worries about the potential conditions.
“I haven’t been privy to the weather study Terry must have done, but as organisers obviously we have done extensive studies into the weather at that time of year and have no concerns as the conditions are expected to be very similar to what they were for the America’s Cup Match in Auckland in 2021,” Dalton said.
Team NZ head Grant Dalton. Photo / Michael Craig
“But for weather unpredictability in the America’s Cup, look no further than Auckland where in 2003 the AC match was delayed by around 10 days. And subsequent to that in Valencia the challenger selection series was delayed by over a week through lack of wind at the start.”
The timing of the regatta had come under careful consideration, Dalton said, particularly given it is being held in an Olympic year once again. However, unlike in 2021 when the America’s Cup was held in Auckland, the proximity of the Games in Paris to the Cup regatta played a role in when the Cup would be held.
The timing of the regatta means the window for racing will be mid-to-late afternoon in Barcelona, with a proposed 4.15pm start, matching that of the Auckland regatta in 2021. Should the starting time remain as proposed, racing would get underway at 3.15am in New Zealand for fans wanting to watch Team New Zealand’s defence back home.
“The timing of the Paris Olympic Games, including its sailing competition in Marseille, have been known for a number of years and the close proximity to the geographical location of Barcelona were a consideration on the timing,” Dalton confirmed.
“With the Olympics in July/August, and the beginning of the preliminary regatta and Challenger Selection Series only two weeks after the [Olympics] closing ceremony, there will be a significant pool of sporting tourists to attract, in what would be a complete sporting tour. And we are working in conjunction with local tourism authorities in Barcelona and Catalonia on this.”
