Team Next Generation USA. Photo by Theo Queen.
The twelve teams that will compete in the 2017 Red Bull Youth Americas Cup competition are breaking new ground for young sailors all over the world. They will be racing foiling catamarans and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
All of the competitors, whose ages range from 19 to 24, are getting a taste of what the real America’s Cup teams must deal with in order to compete and perform well in this pressure packed arena known as the America’s Cup sailing.
Fund raising is one of the new skills this team must acquire in order to stick around for the finals. Racing these boats is very expensive. Sails and hardware are pushed to the limits. The crews will train non-stop from now until June aiming to make the finals. All of this costs money. Next Generation USA needs your help. Six guys were chosen to represent our country and have a very good chance to win the regatta. Two of them, Carson Crain and Reed Baldridge, are local guys who grew up sailing right here on Galveston Bay. To make a contribution to the campaign, contact Carson Crain, cmcrain@gmail.com.
About the Red Bull Youth Americas Cup
Dates: Qualifiers: June 12 – 16 Finals: June 20 – 21
Location: The Great Sound, Bermuda.
Format: Fleet Racing, two qualifying series with six teams in each. Top four teams in each series move on to Finals
Teams: Twelve teams, each representing their country will compete. All team members must be citizens of the country they represent
Boats: The AC45F, a 45-footer that will fly on hydrofoils. Specifications for the AC45F indicate the boat is capable of reaching speeds of over 35 knots, or 40mph/65kmh. The eight AC45Fs used in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup are the only such boats in the entire world.
Crew: Six sailors onboard. Ages 19 – 24 years
Amenities: America’s Cup Village, Hospitality Tents, Spectator Boats, Grandstand Seating, Jumbotron Screen Viewing
The Location
In 2017, Bermuda’s Great Sound will form a natural amphitheater for the America’s Cup, and the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup will use exactly the same racecourse. Sailing conditions in Bermuda are typically exceptional in June, with historical wind data suggesting that there should be racing conditions 90 percent of the time.
The Boat
In 2017, the youth teams will be sailing the AC45F, a 45-footer that will fly on hydrofoils. Specifications for the AC45F indicate the boat is capable of reaching speeds of over 35 knots, or 40 mph/65kmh. The eight AC45Fs used in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup are the only such boats in the entire world.
The Teams
Up to 12 national youth teams, each composed of six sailors aged 19-24, will race in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup 2017, each representing a different nation. Six teams will race through their affiliation with current America’s Cup teams, while up to six additional teams will compete as selected by Red Bull Sport Directors Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher.
2017 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Teams
- Candidate Sailing Team, Austria
- Team BDA, Bermuda
- Youth Vikings Denmark, Denmark
- Team France Jeune, France
- SVB Team Germany, Germany
- Land Rover BAR Academy, Great Britain
- Kaijin Team Japan, Japan
- NZL Sailing Team, New Zealand
- Spanish Impulse Team, Spain
- Artemis Youth Racing, Sweden
- Team Tilt, Switzerland
- Next Generation USA, USA
