The America’s Cup is the oldest international trophy in world sport, pre-dating the modern Olympics, the Ryder Cup and the World Cup – and Britain has never won it.
Since the first event in Cowes in 1851, the Cup has provided the world’s greatest challenge in yacht design and development.
The move to 72ft foiling catamarans in 2013 took the challenge to an altogether new level: A place where the UK’s unique combination of world-class sailors and leading-edge technology could finally win it back.
Britain’s Andy Claughton is one of the world’s most accomplished and experienced America’s Cup designers, having been involved with the competition since 1983, twice with winning teams in 1995 and 2000.
Andy is now Technical Director of Ben Ainslie Racing, British challenger for the 35th America’s Cup.
He will coordinate the team that will design, build and test the prototype and final boats that will challenge to bring the Cup home to the UK in 2017, and his talk will provide insight into how BAR will go about it.