33rd America's Cup

Defending of the America’s Cup begins today. The 33rd America's Cup (named after the boat, not the country) is being held in Spain under the strict deed of gift rules, a best-of-3 match racing between Alinghi, the defender, and BMW Oracle Racing, the challenger.

As the official website explains, the America's Cup “is a challenge-based competition where the winning Yacht Club makes the rules and hosts the subsequent event, often making it more difficult for the challenging Club(s) to take the Cup home”. While this understandably might fuel controversy, the making of the 33rd Cup event has been a series of court actions that has often miffed fans. Pre-match drama aside, it’s an event sure to amaze. Instead of traditional mono-hulls, mammoth multi-hulls using the latest technologies to reach unprecedented speeds are about to completely change the usual racing tactics.

Sadly, there is no USA TV coverage however there are several online sources with live video feeds. Because of my poor internet access, I’m getting event updates through Scuttlebutt (via Facebook or Twitter).

Note: Above image shows the original Alinghi and BMW Oracle mono-hulls racing off Newport, RI.