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Where To Next • THE HOPES OF RETURNING THE AULD MUG TO ITS LONGTIME HOME ARE WITH THE NEW YORK YC’S AMERICAN MAGIC. IT’S NOT TOO EARLY TO ENVISION WHAT THEIR DEFENSE WOULD LOOK LIKE, SHOULD THEY BE SUCCESSFUL.

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STARTING LINE • The goal is the same for the four teams of the 36th America’s Cup: to win. With an open rule for the AC75, designers and engineers have optimized all areas to deliver to their sailing team a fast and maneuverable yacht. Foils, wings, double-skinned mainsails, and secretive systems make a flying machine worthy of Cup competition.

The Weatherman’s Call • IT’S THE FIRST RACE OF THE AMERICA’S CUP. YOUR WEATHER TEAM GAVE YOU A HIGH-CONFIDENCE FORECAST: A LEFT TREND DURING THE TIME PERIOD OF THE FIRST BEAT. YOU GOT THE START YOU WANTED, COMING OFF THE LINE ON STARBOARD TACK TO WINDWARD OF THE ENEMY AND WITH ENOUGH GAUGE TO LIVE—FOR NOW. WHAT GIVES? IS THIS OPPOSITES DAY? IS OUR WEATHER TEAM DOLING OUT FAKE NEWS? NOPE—IT’S AMERICA’S CUP 2021 EDITION, AND THE GAME IS A LOT DIFFERENT.

Prime Time from Auckland • GRANT DALTON, CEO OF EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND, SAYS ITS OBJECTIVE WITH THE 36TH AMERICA’S CUP IS TO MAKE IT THE MOST INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE IN THE EVENT’S 170-YEAR HISTORY. THAT’S A TALL ORDER, SO THE PRESSURE IS ON TO DELIVER CLOSE AND COMPELLING RACES TO VIEWERS AROUND THE WORLD.

Pit-Row Protocol • THE SAILORS GET THE GLORY, THE STAGE AND THE BIG PAYCHECKS TO GO OUT RACING ON THE MOST RADICAL FOILING MONOHULLS EVER CREATED, BUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM KNOWS THEY ARE NOTHING WITHOUT THEIR MATES ON THE SHORE TEAM. FOR THE FEW HOURS THEY ACTUALLY SPEND SAILING OR RACING, DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THE TIME IS SPENT PREPARING THE CRAFT FOR DUTY. IT’S A 24/7 EFFORT FOR EVERY TEAM, AND EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND’S SHORE-TEAM COORDINATOR SEAN REGAN EXPLAINS IN QUICK ORDER WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE A TYPICAL CUP TEAM’S COMPOUND.

TAMING THE BEAST • TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING, ROGER VAUGHAN’S LATEST BOOK, LEARNING TO FLY—AMERICA’S CUP XXXIII 2010, EXPLORES THE CUP’S MOST FASCINATING MODERN CHAPTER: TWO BIG BILLIONAIRE EGOS AND TWO TECHNOLOGY MARVELS THAT ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO THE “FLYING” COMPETITION ABOUT TO UNFOLD IN AUCKLAND.

THE TEAMS

THE LEAD DEFENSE • THREE DECADES OF REFINING ITS TIGHTKNIT COMPETITIVE CULTURE OF INNOVATION AND DETERMINATION PUTS THE 36TH AMERICA’S CUP DEFENDER IN A GOOD PLACE FOR A HOME-CROWD PLEASER.

RED MOON SHOT • AS CHALLENGER OF RECORD, LUNA ROSSA PRADA PIRELLI TEAM CARRIES INTO BATTLE ONE MAN’S OBSESSION TO WIN.

INSTRUMENT-RATED • THE HOPES AND RESULTS OF THE NEW YORK YC’S 36TH AMERICA’S CUP CHALLENGE RIDE ON THE BACKS OF MANY, AND ESPECIALLY THAT OF ITS DEDICATED PILOT.

WAITING TO EXHALE • IF HISTORY TELLS US ANYTHING, AND WE KNOW IT DOES, THEN A SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE MIGHT BE THE OUTCOME, BUT THE AMERICAN TEAM HAS THE MEANS TO SPOIL.

WITH THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY • IF IT WEREN’T FOR A BRITISH CHALLENGE LAID LONG AGO, THERE WOULD BE NO AMERICA’S CUP, BUT THAT IS ALL ANCIENT HISTORY.

THE TECH

OF LIFTING SURFACES • TO MAKE A 75-FOOT SAILBOAT SOAR ON A SINGLE SUBMERGED FOIL IS SIMPLY AMAZING. FOLLOW THE STEPS TO FASTER FLIGHT.

AERODYNAMICALLY CHALLENGED • SAILS REMAIN THE ENGINE OF THE AMERICA’S CUP YACHT, BUT WITH THE AC75, THE POWERTRAIN IS MORE COMPLEX THAN EVER.

ON A HULL AND A PRAYER • FOR HAWKS OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY, THERE’S DIFFERENCES APLENTY TO INTERPRET IN WHAT COULD EASILY BE THE MOST COMPLEX FLEET OF AMERICA’S CUP YACHTS...