Oracle launches race boat for America’s Cup in Bermuda

BERMUDA – Finally the wait is over for Oracle Team USA, which unveiled the boat it will race 100 days from now in the America’s Cup.

Oracle revealed its America’s Cup Class race boat Tuesday during a ceremony at the Royal Naval Dockyards where the team is based.

“For the sailors, it’s kind of like waiting for Christmas Day,” skipper Jimmy Spithill said. “You just want to get that boat and you want to get out on the water. We’re very excited to finally be able to do that, and now really the campaign shifts into another gear.”

The unveiling marked another step in Oracle’s pursuit of claiming the America’s Cup for a third consecutive time. The Auld Mug had its own moment in the spotlight on a stage shared with Spithill, general manager and chief operating officer Grant Simmer and Bermuda’s premier Michael Dunkley, who said he’s cheering for Oracle to defend the Cup.

Tactician Andrew Campbell said the night was really about the builders and designers who worked to get the ACC boat ready for launch.

“We’re excited; the boat is in such great shape,” Campbell said. “The amount of hours you see the guys put in day in and day out just to get the boat ready for tonight is pretty impressive.”

Oracle’s wing-sailed catamaran is nearly 50 feet long (15 meters) with a wing height of about 79 feet (24 meters).  The boat’s hulls lift out of the water on hydrofoils, allowing the boat to fly across the surface of the water at high speeds.

The ACC boat can reach speeds of up to 60 mph.

It’s a smaller boat than those used in the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco. The AC72, a 72-foot catamaran, was the class used for the 34th America’s Cup, won by Oracle in a thrilling come-from-behind victory. Oracle, owned by billionaire Larry Ellison, beat Emirates Team New Zealand by winning eight consecutive races.

“It’s a development game; a lot like  Formula One,” Spithill said about what comes next for the sailing team and the designers.

Teams voted in 2015 to race in smaller boats in what was viewed as a cost cutting move. The ACC boats are manned by a smaller crew of six.

Oracle will begin racing in the qualifiers May 26 in the Great Sound of Bermuda.

Five teams will race for the right to challenge Oracle in the America’s Cup Match. The challengers are Artemis Racing from Sweden, Emirates Team New Zealand, Groupama Team France, Land Rover BAR from Britain and Softbank Team Japan.

The 35th America’s Cup Match begins June 17.