America's Cup World Series

AC45s rounding the first mark in San Francisco, 2012

The America's Cup World Series are match races and fleet regattas used as heats for the 2013 America's Cup and the 2017 America's Cup.

The yachts

The World Series uses AC45 catamarans, a one-design wingsail catamaran designed specifically for the event by Oracle Racing. The AC45 was conceived as a smaller version of the larger AC72 class rule which was used for the 2013 America's Cup. In 2015, the class was modified to AC45F which incorporated hydrofoiling capability for improved performance, with boats achieving peak speeds of 37kt.^[1]

The AC45 has the following specifications:

• build: honeycomb core, carbonfiber sandwich
• length: 13.45 m (44.1 ft)
• beam: 6.90 m (22.6 ft)
• weight: 1,290–1,320 kg (2,840–2,910 lb)
• maximum draught : 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
• air draught : 21.5 m (71 ft) without extension, 25.5 m (84 ft) with extension
• wing: 20 m (66 ft) 83.5 m² (899 sq ft) wing element with three slotted flaps
• extension: 4 m (13 ft) high, 8.7 m² (94 sq ft) area
• jib area: 48 m² (520 sq ft), provided by sail loft of team's choice (2011–2013 series), provided by North Sails (2015–2016 series)
• gennaker area: 125 m² (1,350 sq ft), provided by sail loft of team's choice (2011–2013 series), provided by North Sails (2015–2016 series)
• builders: Core Builders (NZ), TP Cookson (NZ)
• crew: 5 + 1 guest
• daggerboards: two conventional leeboards (2011–2013 series) with raking L-type elevators (2015–2016 series)
• rudders: two balanced spade rudders (2011–2013 series) with T-type horizontal stabilizers (2015–2016 series)

Testing platform

The AC45 are authorized to be taken out of measurement to serve as a testing platform for the America's Cup. Oracle Racing released photographs of an AC45 hydrofoiling with L-type appendages on June 18, 2012, a premonition of Team New Zealand's larger foiling AC72 Aotearoa test boat first spotted in Auckland on August 29, 2012.^[2] In February 2015 Oracle Racing and Artemis Racing tested two AC45s modified by Core Builders; They featured L-type hydrofoils, horizontal rudder stabilizers, lengthened crossbeams (herego wide beam), a shortened jib-only bowsprit extending into a centerline pod under the wing, flaring topsides, closed transoms, opened hulls with deep cockpits for binnacles and wheels, replacing the tiller. The authorization does not permit to lengthen the hulls. All other teams carried out similar experiments with the platform.

2011–13 World Series

Nine events were held between 2011 and 2012 in the lead up to the 2013 America's Cup.

• 

  Team New Zealand's AC45 in September 2011

• 

  Oracle Racing 4 hulls exhibit in the California Academy of Sciences

• 

  Oracle Racing 4 wing exhibit in the California Academy of Sciences

In August 2013, the competition jury received a report from Oracle Team USA that their boat and others they had loaned had unauthorized modifications. ^[3] Since they were using one of these modified boats, the BAR team withdrew from the competition on 7th August 2013. Oracle Team USA withdrew the day after. ^[4] Penalties imposed included expelling three team members,^[5] a $250,000 fine, and a one-point penalty for each of the first two races of the Match in which they would otherwise score a point.^[6]

2015–16 World Series

Land Rover BAR's AC45f sailing on hydrofoils with one daggerboard raised above the water.

Hydrofoiling AC45Fs in 2015

The series was revived as heats of ten two-day events in nine venues in the run up to the 2017 America's Cup. The races used a single boat design, known as AC45f, which was based on AC45 with added hydrofoil daggerboards and rudders. The overall winner of the competition was Land Rover BAR, with Oracle Team USA being the runner up. The winner of the series earned two points and the runner-up received a single point in the new America's Cup Qualifiers. The boats are similar to the America's Cup Class that will be used in the 2017 America's Cup.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to AC45.