Yet another interesting amateur video of the two America’s Cup challengers, this time of their training racing in the actual course to be used in the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] Today was a big day in this 34th cycle of the America’s Cup.

For the first time two AC72’s lined up and raced on the course that will be used for the Louis Vuitton and America’s Cup regattas which start in just over three weeks.

Emirates Team New Zealand lined up with their long-time sparring partners Luna Rossa in a couple of races in typical Bay conditions of winds averaging 13-15 knots.

“It’s a first to actually line up here in the same stretch of water with another team,” said skipper Dean Barker after stepping off the AC72 at the end of the day.

“It definitely gets your attention and, without question, it lifts the intensity. And that’s all you can ask for.”

But there was more to the day than just lining up and racing another boat says Grant Dalton, “We really have to learn the venue. And the only way to learn it is to race another boat or you don’t know if you’re going the right way. So sailing against Lunas Rossa is invaluable for us.”

Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa line up for the very first time on the actual Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup race area. San Francisco, 13 June 2013. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa line up for the very first time on the actual Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup race area. San Francisco, 13 June 2013. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

This is yet another example of how the “new” America’s Cup goes back in fact 30 years in terms of marketing. The VIP/celebrity/sponsor guest has now disappeared during official races and one of sailing’s most powerful marketing and sponsorship tools will not be used in the “Facebook generation” America’s Cup. One wonders how happy event and team sponsors are.

The sport’s pinnacle event will not be using one of sailing’s most powerful marketing tools. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

Unfortunately, we will not see any images such as this one during the “Summer of Racing” in San Francisco.

F1 driver Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber F1 Team) at the helm next to BMW Oracle Racing CEO and skipper Chris Dickson during Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 10. Valencia, 15 May 2006. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle Racing

Despite the fact nobody knows anything about the racing schedule of the Louis Vuitton Cup round robins, Gilles Martin-Raget keeps shooting spectacular photos from the AC72 training session in San Francisco bay:

Luna Rossa AC72 training in the America’s Cup race course in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup

Luna Rossa AC72 training in the America’s Cup race course in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup

Luna Rossa AC72 training in the America’s Cup race course in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup

Luna Rossa AC72 training in the America’s Cup race course in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup

Luna Rossa AC72 training in the America’s Cup race course in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup

Luna Rossa AC72 training in the America’s Cup race course in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup

Luna Rossa AC72 training in the America’s Cup race course in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup

Luna Rossa AC72 training in the America’s Cup race course in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] “The joint proposal put forth by Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand of starting the Louis Vuitton Cup later in July was done so in the hope of enhancing the event with a full muster of boats from the beginning, and therefore, placing more importance on the racing from the first race, something for which fans and sponsors are craving right now.

“The weighting of points (more points later in July) was also suggested, with the idea being to get racing underway but not determine the results too early in the racing.

Both these proposals were rejected by Artemis racing, the Challenger of Record.

“Normally the challenger series of an America’s Cup is run on terms that meet the wishes of the majority of challengers,” Dalton said. “This is not the case here with Artemis rejecting the proposal and wanting to continue running an event schedule in which, by under their own admission, they will not compete in in the early stages.

“Obviously it was assumed that 10 weeks after the Artemis tragedy, that having previously taken delivery of their second AC72 they would be ready to race.

This is not the case.”

Will the Emirates Team New Zealand AC72 sail in any official race in July? Who knows? Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team New Zealand

Yet another local sailing fan provides spectacular footage of the Emirates Team New AC72 yacht training in the San Francisco bay

[Source: Artemis Racing] Artemis Racing is back at work following the memorial service for Andrew “Bart” Simpson. Starting on Monday, June 3 the team resumed its preparation in earnest to compete in the 34th America’s Cup.

The team is now working to ready its second AC72, which it expects to launch in a few weeks and which will undergo a rigorous testing regime. When the sailing team is satisfied that the boat can be pushed hard in race conditions, it will join the competition.

“We are working around-the-clock to get our new boat ready, in the water and to prepare our team to race” said Paul Cayard, CEO of Artemis Racing. “We still have a mountain to climb, but our plan is to launch our new boat in early July and get ourselves in a position where we can race by the end of the month.”

Artemis Racing testing their foiling AC45 while they prepare the boat for a possible launch in a few weeks and first sail by the end of July

Although there is no doubt whatsoever that athlete’s safety must play a primordial role in any yacht race, the jury is out on whether this attire will make sailing more appealing to the “Facebook generation” or TV networks. Who knows though, we might be old-fashioned and within 10 years all high-level professional sailors will be dressed like this.

Oracle Team USA’s sailors during a training session in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup

Oracle Team USA’s sailors during a training session in San Francisco. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America’s Cup