AC 35

Although San Francisco seemingly just finished tidying up the last vestiges of the 34th America's Cup, buzz about AC 35 began ramping up earlier this week with two announcements: AC 34's Challenger of Record, Sweden's Artemis Racing, has demonstrated its intent to compete in AC 35 by re-signing Olympic Gold medalists Nathan Outteridge and Iain "Goobs" Jensen. Meanwhile, at the Nautic Paris Boat Show, Team France also declared its intention to compete for the Auld Mug.

Outteridge (helmsman) and Jensen (wing trimmer) re-join fellow teammates Ian Percy (skipper / tactician) and Chris Brittle (grinder) forming a talented core of Olympic medalists at the heart of Artemis' AC ambitions. Outteridge and Jensen have sailed together for a lifetime, including during the 2012 Olympics where they took the Gold in the 49er class. They'll be competing in Rio's 2016 Olympics prior to the America's Cup.

At the Nautic Paris Boat Show, world-renowned French ocean racers, Franck Cammas, Michel Desjoyeaux and Olivier de Kersauson announced that, for the first time since the Areva Challenge in 2007, the French will participate in the Cup with Team France. Team France is a conglomerate of individuals representing various industries, whose aim is to attract funding and talent to participate in the AC trials.

You may recall that immediately following the conclusion of AC 34, Hamilton Island YC, in Queensland, Australia announced that their challenge bid for the Cup had been accepted by the Golden Gate YC, making them the official challenger of record. Oracle Team USA is expected to announce the location and specific dates of the next Cup series by mid-2014. Stay tuned.