The dumbing down of the America's Cup

In an amazing announcement this week, the organisers of the America's Cup say that the 35th sailing of the regatta for the Auld Mug in 2017 will be raced in the 45ft 'training boats' rather than the much-publicised AC62s.

As most boaters will know, the America's Cup has always been sailed in big boats that are at the cutting edge of sailing technology and while the AC45 is a foiling catamaran, it is by no means as spectacular or as fast as the big multis that raced in the 34th edition of the Cup.

Similarly, the 45s will not be as fast nor as impressive as the AC62s. So why the change? According to the organisers, it's about the cost.

A press release put out by the America's Cup Event Authority says: "We have a responsibility to think of what is best for the long term health of the America’s Cup as well as improving the value equation for team principals and partners. Racing a smaller boat in 2017 and beyond is a big step in the right direction."

"After reviewing prototypes of the new AC45 sports boats being tested on the water over the past several months, it is clear that if we raced smaller boats in 2017, we could dramatically reduce costs without sacrificing any of the spectacle or the design, engineering and athletic challenge fundamental to the America’s Cup," said Commercial Commissioner Harvey Schiller.

"The existing operational costs of teams is much too high with a boat like the AC62. We discussed making this change early last year at a competitors' meeting in London but at that stage only Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand were in favour of using a smaller boat.

"But now that the teams have seen these new boats in action there is a clear majority of competitors who support the idea. I’d like to be able to say we have unanimous support from all the teams but that is not the case."

The press release went on to say that the boat speed of the 45s would be similar to that of the AC62, but we're not quite buying that. A cutting-edge 62ft foiling boat will always be quicker than a similar 45-footer, it's simple physics, unless the designer really stuffs up.

But some of the teams are all for the change: "This will be a big change, but it is a necessary one if we are to create a sustainable America's Cup for the future," said Sir Ben Ainslie (pictured), the skipper and team principal of Ben Ainslie Racing. "These boats will create a significant cost saving whilst still providing a real challenge for sailors and designers alike."

"For Team France this will be a game-changer," said skipper Franck Cammas. "We will be able to have a very competitive team for about half the budget. With the smaller boat we can imagine that a budget between €15-20 million would be enough to win the America’s Cup."

To lock in the cost saving measures over the long-term several competitors, including Artemis Racing, have committed to using the new smaller class in the next edition of the America’s Cup should they prevail in this one.

"These changes may help some current teams be more competitive, but this is clearly also about building the future of the America’s Cup," said Iain Percy, the team manager of Artemis Racing.

"By making a commitment now to using the smaller boat next time, it will be that much easier for new teams to join as they’ll have access to existing boats and technology."

So there you go folks, the end of big boats in the America's Cup. Sure, it'll be more affordable for the less-wealthy so we'll probably end up with bigger fleets which some people might see as a positive, while others might see it as diluting the spectacle further. There will probably be more jobs for professional sailors, for designers, riggers, sailmakers and the like, but will it all matter?

Once the grace, the mystery and the allure of the America's Cup has gone, it'll be just another sailing regatta.

The rule changes are being drafted and teams will be asked to vote on the changes before the end of March.