America’s Cup Races To New York

Having returned to New York Harbor for the first time since 1920, the America’s Cup drew in vast crowds who enjoyed the thrilling spectacle of the Emirates Team New Zealand winning the final race. Billed as one of the greatest international sporting events, the America’s Cup draws teams and fans from across the world, and the Louis Vuitton series in New York was the fifth lead-in regatta as excitement builds towards next year’s thirty-fifth America’s Cup in Bermuda.

The British Team in Training

With the British team already committed to the America’s Cup, Land Rover BAR Team Principle Sir Ben Ainsley has backed calls for the competition to be made a biennial event. Describing it as the next ‘logical step’ for cup class racing, both Sir Ben Ainsley and the British team’s Chief Executive, Martin Whitmarsh, have said that increased interest in sailing could have great commercial potential in the long run.

In preparation for the next big competition, Land Rover BAR have financed and built a state-of-the-art training facility on the river Camber in Portsmouth, where the cream of British sailing are being intensively trained for the next America’s Cup. The Land Rover BAR’s cutting-edge ‘Tech Deck’ was recently opened by the Duchess of Cambridge, the trust’s royal patron, and the academy itself is attracting interest and investment from long-term commercial partners – a positive step forward for elite British sailing.

The number of people now learning how to sail has been growing year on year, with competitions such as the America’s Cup raising the sport’s profile and introducing a new generation to the thrill of taking to the water. With practical sailing courses now more readily available to experienced sailors and enthusiastic newcomers alike, the take-up of RYA practical courses has increased rapidly and gaining skills and confidence on the water has never been more popular.

The Perfect Time to Take Up Sailing

The Land Rover BAR academy is ideally situated in Portsmouth, an area of the country already well known for its excellent sailing facilities and rich sailing heritage. Like Southampton and the Solent, learning how to sail in Portsmouth and the surrounding area is excellent preparation for sailors of all abilities, whether they are preparing for future competitions or simply taking the helm for pleasure.

With a range of RYA practical courses and a team of highly qualified and experienced instructors, First Class Sailing tailor our courses to suit sailors of all experience levels, helping both old hands and keen amateurs to work towards practical qualifications. With training facilities in Southampton and the east coast, as well as London sailing courses and online training, First Class Sailing offer some of the most in-depth and comprehensive training courses in the country.

As excitement builds towards the America’s Cup in Bermuda, further changes to the elite sport look set to be approved in the coming months. While teams must currently wait on the defender to announce the next venue and protocol, they may in future be asked to commit to the next series and next class of boat in advance, while the World Series itself may be shortened to nine or ten races per season.

Posted by: First Class Sailing