China Team move to Valencia

An update on the Chinese America's Cup team's progress

Having now had it's first season in the America's Cup during which three Chinese sailors took part in the competition, so China Team have several tasks to accomplish before they resume operations in Valencia in the spring.

Firstly the team are in the process of decamping from their base within the submarine silos in Lorient, France to Valencia. Most of the gear has now been moved including the team's two ACC yachts CHN46 and CHN79 along with a travel lift and 12 containers. The team's support boat Katayaka is in the shipyard being modified and refitted. She is due to arrive in Valence at the beginning of 2006 and be used as a VIP boat for the Acts in 2006.

Meanwhile the technical team is working flat out to version five CHN79 fully, renewing much of hull, deck and internal structure to guarantee reliability during the 2006 season.
China Team's base in Valencia is still currently in use by the local fishing fleet. Work will start on the construction of the new base as soon as the site becomes available which should be at the beginning of 2006. The contract for the design and layout of the new base has been awarded to the Loci Anima architectural agency, who were chosen in liaison with America’s Cup Management and the Consortium, and will be officially presented at the end of January in Paris during the Chinese New Year celebrations. Technical studies of the new base are already underway. ACM has offered China Team a working space of 1,200sqm under the Tinglado 5, until the base has been built.

Meanwhile the sailing team are busy in China. The first training session will take place in Shenzen and Hong Kong from 3-14 March 2006. In conjunction with the Chinese Yachting Association (CYA) this will include a week of match racing and a chance to train and discover new, young blood among the Chinese yachting community so that they can progress on as quickly as possible into the America's Cup class. The next session after this will take place in Qingdao in July.

While the team will be racing CHN 79 in 2006, so the 32nd America's Cup the following year will see the team campaigning the first America's Cup Class yacht to be built in China. Construction will begin mid-2006 and be ready for sailing in the beginning of 2007. A technical team from the China Team is in the process of selecting available sites to begin this construction. This will be announced in the beginning of 2006.

Meanwhile China Team and ACM are keen to promote the America's Cup in China. Plans to hold an exhibition match race in China between some of the America's Cup teams appear to have gone luke-warm, but it is still likely that one ACC boat will be transported to China to promote the class.