New York Yacht Club American Magic has conjured up quite the marine dream machine.
The America’s Cup challenger unveiled its sleek new AC75 race boat on Thursday, April 25. Simply referred to as Boat Three (or B3), the 75-foot monohull broke cover to complete structural and load testing in the waters of Barcelona, Spain.
B3 has been hidden until now, traveling 3,500 miles from American Magic’s dedicated construction facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island to the team’s Barcelona base with a huge fabric cover over the body. Thursday’s public debut follows a meticulous two-and-a-half-year development and build process that involved 108,000 design hours and 65,000 construction hours.
The AC75 leaving American Magic’s base in Barcelona.
AMALIA INFANTE
“Today is an important step in the commissioning process for American Magic and B3,” American Magic skipper and president of sailing operations Terry Hutchinson said in a statement. “Our shore crew and engineers have been working methodically over the last 30 days to get us to this moment.”
For the unversed, the AC75s that will compete in the upcoming America’s Cup are the most complex and technologically advanced racing yachts ever built. The highly engineered foilers “fly” across the water at up to 50 knots. Crafted from lightweight carbon fiber, the racers are capable of lift in just 6.5 knots of wind but strong enough to survive an extreme crash in 25 knots.
A close up of American Magic’s B3.
AMALIA INFANTE
The B3 will undergo further testing and sea trials in the coming months before her official naming ceremony and inaugural sail. American Magic will then set its sights on the upcoming America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta. The first two preliminary regattas of the AC40s were held in September and November, respectively. (American Magic actually won the September race.) The third and final preliminary regatta, which will take place in Barcelona from August 22 to 25, will see all six AC75s compete for the first time.
Next up is the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Series in Barcelona. Running from August 29 to October 7, the sailing slugfest could involve as many as 53 nailbiting races before the winning team advances to take on defender Emirates Team New Zealand in the 37th America’s Cup. The Kiwis have won three America’s Cup matches, while American Magic has yet to bring the “Auld Mug” home to N.Y.C. Fingers crossed the New Yorkers
