Tag Archives: Louis Vuitton Cup

Actor Tom Cruise Joins the Americas Cup Emirates New Zealand Team!

AMERICAS CUP1On Thursday 28th July actor Tom Cruise and his son joined the Emirates Team New Zealand that has now won an incredible ninth consecutive race of the Louis Vuitton Cup. After watching this in form team beat rival Luna Rossa Challenge from the team's VIP vessel, both the Hollywood star and his son jumped aboard and joined the 11 man crew in near perfect sailing conditions for an exhilarating demonstration of what these incredible yachts can accomplish.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE AMERICAS CUP CLICK HERE!

Tom Cruise said “it was absolutely incredible, we got to work with the crew, it was remarkable actually, we thought we were going to get on and we would go cruising to the slip, and next thing we know I was on this one he was on that one, on the grinder, it was a privilege!”

SANFRAN1

Both father and son had a competition to see who could get the top speed on a yacht that is capable of speeds of over 44knots (50mph) thanks to their 130-foot (40m) tall wing sails, the equivalent of a 13-story building! Skipper Dean Barker even went as far as to say that “We had a nice reach back under the Bay Bridge, so Tom jumped on the handle bars and did a better job than I did. It was a real boost for the team to have someone like him come along.”

Emirates Team New Zealand also announced recently that they would choose to advance to the Louis Vuitton Cup Final that begins August 17th in order to give them more time to upgrade the yacht having won the round robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
P1010117Stay tuned to our blog for the all the latest news and updates as well as articles on everything sailing, from water toys and the best yachts to charter all over the world to gourmet food and iphone apps!

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The Americas Cup – the latest news and updates

The Americas Cup is the oldest active trophy in international sport and has been the pinnacle of sailing for over 100 years. It brings together the world's best sailors to compete at the highest level once every three years. The regatta combines the latest in sailing technology with sailors such as Ben Ainslie, Dean Barker, Francesco Bruni and Chris Draper as they are propelled along at speeds of over 45 miles an hour!

In the first time in the regatta's 162-year history, it is taking place inshore and hordes of people have lined up to watch this prestigious race in San Francisco with its stunning backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and the Transamerica pyramid.

AP Photo:Eric Risberg
AP Photo:Eric Risberg

However this contest has been bogged down right from the start. Although the Louis Vuitton Cup has recently gotten underway that will select the challenger to face Oracle Team USA in the one-on-one final of the Americas Cup, the death of Andrew Simpson of  Artemis Racing on May 9th has more implications than his very sad demise might initially suggest for this race.

This accident led regatta director Iain Murray to make 37 safety recommendations that will, if protests are dismissed at a meeting of an international jury, change the yachts design very slightly and hopefully give them more safety, particularly at high speeds.

artemis.photoshelter
artemis.photoshelter

On Sunday 7th July Team Luna Rossa were due to face Team New Zealand in one of the first round robins but Luna Rossa boycotted this in protest, saying that the regatta director did not have the authority to unilaterally change the rules. Both teams have also lodged protests as they feel that any rule changes would hand unfair advantages to the reigning champion, Oracle Team USA who would have an extra 2 months to test these proposed changes.

Bickering has subsequently broken out in the beginning of an Americas Cup that has not at all gone as the organizers had planned.   The Italian team were labelled “a bunch of spoiled rich kids dressed in Prada gear” by Coutts, one of the most dominant skippers in the competitions history and Team New Zealand's skipper Dean Barker, lamented this lackluster start saying, “I feel sorry for people coming down to watch to only see one boat sailing around.”

For more news and info on the Americas Cup, the latest yacht releases and the best places to charter your yacht, stay tuned to our blog. If you're looking for a spectator boat in San Francisco Bay see our Americas Cup Page for details and availability.

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