A little more on the AC and Artemis...

In the aftermath of America's Cup crewman Andrew Simpson's death last month during a training sail, there has been substantial speculation about whether the Swedish Artemis Racing syndicate would continue its quest for the Auld Mug — especially since the team has remained silent about its plans. In an announcement this morning, however, Artemis CEO Paul Cayard made it clear that his team will compete:

“We are working around-the-clock to get our new boat ready, in the water, and to prepare our team to race” said Cayard. “We still have a mountain to climb, but our plan is to launch our new boat in early July and get ourselves in a position where we can race by the end of the month.”

 

While that news is reassuring — and we wish them the best of luck — it undoubtedly still leaves many Cup enthusiasts scratching their heads and asking, "How can they wait until the end of July to race, when the Louis Vuitton challenger series has long been slated to begin July 7?"

 

The answer is complicated. As self-described America’s Cup geek Jack Griffin (of cupexperience.com) recently explained to us, with only three challenging teams, the early 'round robin' races of the Louis Vuitton Cup only give "a seeding order for the semi-final. No one is eliminated in the round robin."

 

Furthermore, he adds, "The top team from the round robin has the choice of sailing in the semi-final or going straight through to the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup." The way we understand it, if Artemis sits out the round robin races because its boat isn't ready, they will go into the semi-final (currently scheduled for August 6) as the third seed.

 

Still scratching? Yeah, us too. Needless to say, if there were a dozen teams competing, the initial round robin process would make more sense, as some teams would be eliminated. With only three challengers, however, its main purpose this time around is for 'seeding' and practice — something all teams need plenty of.

 

A new schedule was released by the America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA) this morning, but we expect it will be revised again, as Artemis Racing is still listed to compete in the early rounds.

One of the broader questions for would-be race fans, of course, is how these scheduling hiccups will affect those who've already purchased bleacher tickets, arranged charter boat rides, and secured coveted window-seat reservations at the St. Francis and Golden Gate YCs? As we reach for our aspirin bottle, we can only imagine the headaches Cup organizers are enduring these days.