When the America’s Cup World Series makes its final stop for 2015 in Bermuda later this month, the five foreign challengers will have one thing in common with the American defender. None of the teams will be sailing with Americans.
While it was not expected for the teams representing clubs from England, France, Japan, New Zealand, or Sweden to have U.S. crew, Oracle Team USA isn’t planning on doing so either.
American Rome Kirby, along with new U.S. recruits Andrew Campbell and Matt Cassidy, will be sitting on the sideline. The team representing Golden Gate Yacht Club will start in Bermuda with an all foreign line-up.
The Nationality Rule is the same for the America’s Cup World Series as it is the America’s Cup. Both events require each team to have at least one of the crew to be nationals of the country of the yacht club that the team represents. The defender fulfills the rule with crew that hold duel passports.
Oracle Team USA will race in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Bermuda with the same crew that earned a second place finish in Gothenburg, Sweden in August.
Jimmy Spithill (AUS) will again be skipper/helmsman, with Tom Slingsby (AUS/USA), tactician; Kyle Langford (AUS), wing trimmer; Joey Newton (AUS), trimmer; Louis Sinclair (ANT/USA/NZL), bow.
“We’re going with the same line-up as last time,” confirmed skipper Spithill. “We had a long list that we’ve worked on with Philippe since Gothenberg, and want to put that into play in Bermuda.
“We had a third in Portsmouth (first ACWS event), a crew change for Sweden with Kinley Fowler’s broken hand and improved to a second, and with the restriction on training time, we decided to stick with the same group,” Spithill continued. “We’ll get into a regular race crew rotation next year.
“We’re fortunate to have a very strong sailing team with a lot of depth. We have talent across our entire group. The crew on board is a good representation of that. But I’m also confident we can sub in any of our guys if we need to for injury or illness.”
Louis Sinclair, Graeme Spence and Ky Hurst are three new additions to the sailing team who bring a physical element that will be necessary on the new America’s Cup Class boats in 2017, as well as the AC45S test boats the team is developing.
“All of the new guys fit in very well. Louis, Graeme and Ky are really leading the charge pushing and stepping up the physical side within our group which challenges the rest of us.”
The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Bermuda is the first official racing in the home venue of the 35th America’s Cup. As the defending champion and the first team to establish residency on the island, Spithill says Oracle Team USA is looking at Bermuda as its home waters.
“For sure we view this as our home event,” the skipper says. “We would love to do well here. We approach every event to win, but this one especially. We’re in front of our family and friends, not to mention all the Bermuda public who have welcomed us to the island. We want to put on a good show.
“But it won’t be easy,” he says. “You only need to look at a top team like Artemis currently at the back of the leaderboard, so it shows how hard it is. There are no weak links in this group of teams. As always it will come down to the last race on Sunday.”
Racing in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Bermuda is on October 17-18. Teams are allowed just one free training day on October 15 and one day of official practice racing on October 16.
Source: ACEA, Scuttlebutt
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