Oracle Team USA back in action

Defender's AC72 back in action on San Francisco Bay

Oracle Team USA 17 returned to the water today on the San Francisco Bay. A full team of sailors, engineers and designers ran the new AC72 through various tests, taking the next steps in preparing the boat to sail at full speed.

“We continued the commissioning process of our AC72,” said Grant Simmer, General Manager. “It was only our second day on the water, so we were focusing on loading the boat slowly to make sure there are no structural issues. We sailed with the Code Zero and the Gennaker for the first time, and we were checking all of the systems.

“It went well,” Simmer said. “We went out a little bit jury rigged, but it was still a valuable day for us. As we’re limited to 30 days of sailing between now and 1 February, we want to get as much out of each day on the water as we can.”

The boat was sailing for the first time since 31 August when testing was cut short due to daggerboard failure in the starboard hull. Temporary daggerboards were used during today’s exercises.

“We had a great day out there today – we ticked through all of the sails in the morning, and in the afternoon we concentrated on the wing,” said helmsman Jimmy Spithill. “We have a list of things to work on now, but it was a very good day and fantastic to get the boat back out on the water.”

The sailors’ attention now turns back to training on the AC45s in preparation for the upcoming America’s Cup World Series in San Francisco over 2-7 October. The crews will be sailing on the AC45s throughout the week.