In the end, Emirates Team New Zealand’s successful defence of the America’s Cup didn’t come as a surprise, says PlanetSail’s Matt Sheahan.
As the last few races played out it became increasingly clear that the home team had a much faster boat. What did come as a shock was the talk of what might happen next for the Cup.
When the official statement was released by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (Defenders) and the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes (Challenger of Record) there were plenty of raised eyebrows.
Matt matches rumour to fact to assess what might happen next for the America’s Cup and whether the trophy that started life in the Solent 170 years ago really could be run in the UK next time around.
Plus…
- a recap of that blistering new record time around the old Fastnet Race course set by the crew of the MOD70 trimaran Powerplay
- Matt catches up with Ineos Team UK crew member and seasoned America’s Cup campaigner Freddie Carr to consider where the new Cup boats take us and what the event and the boats might do for the wider sailing scene
- And, if you ever thought you had it tough pounding upwind, here’s what some people paid good money to do back in the 1990s when they signed up for the BT Global Challenge. It’s unlikely that this cut would have ever made it onto the official recruitment video, but it makes for a great watch now while helping to convince us that perhaps our toughest windward slogs weren’t so bad after all.
All that – along with two bumper helpings of Docktalk featuring some especially cool kit and new machines.
