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America's Cup 2017: How does it work, who is the favourite, and how can I watch it?
What is it?
The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, dating back to 1851. It’s so old it’s known as “Auld Mug”. It's sailing, but super-charged.
When is it?
The competition takes place between May 26 and June 27 on Bermuda’s Great Sound. There are 10 days of qualifying races followed by challenger playoffs and then the finals. The main event takes place over six days beginning June 17.
How can I watch it?
You can get a flight out to balmy Bermuda, not to be sniffed at while tickets are still available. If you're feeling impulsive then I'd recommend reading The Telegraph's guide to watching the event in the Caribbean island itself.
Failing that, BT Sport have signed up to broadcast the entire event so you can watch it from the comfort of your own sofa. But really, the most informative coverage will be right here.
How does it work?
Right. Stay with it…
The whole shtick of the America’s Cup is that teams challenge the defending champions – Oracle Team USA – for the trophy at the final event. There are six teams challenging for the 2017 America's Cup. There are three preceding stages:
In 2015 and 2016, preliminary racing was held at selected venues for America’s Cup World Series. Ben Ainslie’s team, Land Rover BAR, won that event, meaning they will take a two-point advantage to Bermuda on May 26. Oracle finished second, so will start with one point.
America’s Cup Qualifiers. Onto Bermuda and each team will race each other twice, collecting one point for a win. The top four challengers advance to the…
America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs. Up until this point, Oracle Team USA will have been competing, but as the defending champs they skip this stage and advance straight to the final. The playoffs consist of two semifinals and a final, with the overall winner taking on Oracle Team USA in…
The 35th America’s Cup Match. The big kahuna. Best of 13 races wins. It’s that simple. Except it’s not, because if the winner of the qualifiers is in this race then they start with a 1-win advantage. Why? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Why should I care?
Sir Ben Ainslie: the man with more Olympic medals than Middlesbrough have Premier League wins this season. Ainslie won the competition in 2013 with Oracle, but this year he has launched his own British challenge with the eponymous Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing.
Flying boats: and mad nautical engineering in general. Hydrofoils, which perform the same function as an aerofoil used by aeroplanes, lift the vessels out of the water when travelling at top speed. The design has changed the sport to such an extent that Oracle Skipper Jimmy Spithill obtained a private pilot’s licence to help him handle his boat when airborne. Genuinely.
How is the event different this year?
It's bigger, faster, and arguably better depending on your point of view. The catamarans competing this year will be capable of top speeds of 85 kph with organisers rebranding the event as "F1 on water".
The Telegraph's Tom Cary gives a rundown of what it all means here, which you can sample below:
The new America's Cup format is either a positive or a negative depending on your fondness for tradition. Rather like modern-day F1, which has upset the purists who long for the return of roaring V10s, the new-look America’s Cup has undeniably alienated many of its core constituents who pine for the days of sleek monohulls helmed by commodores in white trousers. But it is also, in its own way, impressive; pushing the boundaries of what is possible from an engineering point of view, engaging some of the best brains in the business (many of them snaffled from F1) and the best sailors in the world.
What are they saying?
Sir Ben Ainslie, writing in his Telegraph column last year, said he was "proud" of his crew's victory in the World Series, which had given him confidence that the team was "on the right track" heading to Bermuda.
"Winning the series, albeit in different boats to the ones we will be sailing next summer, gives us confidence that we are working well together on and off the water, that we belong at this level and that we are on the right track for Bermuda," said the four-time Olympic gold medalist.
"We are on the final straight now. It is an incredibly exciting time for everyone as we set up our new base and get used to life out there, but we are under no illusions that the hard work really starts now.
"I know, however, that the World Series win will give everyone – from our brilliant sponsors, to our engineers, to the sailing team to the shore team – a great lift as we now refocus on our main goal; the goal we announced when we launched the team in 2014; to bring the America’s Cup home to Great Britain for the first time in its 165-year history.
"Now more than ever we believe we can do it," he added.
Russell Couts, CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA), the organising body for the 35th America's Cup, and himself a five-time winner of the event as a skipper and manager, said the Cup is anyone's to win, with all competitors in with a chance of victory.
"This time what I’m excited about is that there’s not just two teams that are very, very good," he said. "Quite honestly five out of the six right now — and it could easily become six — have a realistic chance of winning it. I don’t think we’ve ever had that situation in America’s Cup.”
Who’s going to win?
Oracle Team USA are odds-on favourite to defend its trophy, but there is a fierce battle shaping up between the challengers. The bookies reckon Ben Ainslie should reach the final, but will face stiff competition from the Kiwis.
Current betting is largely a reflection on performance over the World Series, but the crews will be sailing different boats in Bermuda and the early practice rounds on Great Sound could give a better indication of who's likely to be racing Oracle come June 17.
Artemis Racing Sweden won all nine of their races in the second practice round, prompting Couts to say that the Swedes "are head and shoulders ahead in terms of consistency of maneuvers and how they manage their racing tactically."
BAR Land Rover have struggled in testing so far, but upgrades are reportedly imminent.
Oracle have disappointed in the main, while Team New Zealand only arrived in Bermuda on Saturday and are expected to push hard for the title.
What are the latest odds?
Oracle Team USA: 4/5
Land Rover BAR: 11/4
Emirates Team New Zealand: 4/1
Artemis Racing Sweden: 9/1
Softbank Team Japan: 28/1
Groupama Team France: 40/1
Source: SkyBet
