The 37th America's Cup: How Yachtsmen Became Spies

America's Cup in Barcelona

The last time the America's Cup was held in Europe was in 2010. Then the competition was hosted by Valencia. And now, 14 years later, the legendary regatta has returned to the shores of Europe. This time, athletes and fans were met by another Spanish city - Barcelona.

The Cup is held over 10 weeks, with many fierce races where sailors demonstrate all their skills. In late August 2024, a three-day preliminary regatta was held between the Defenders (the team that won the previous Cup) and the Challengers (the contenders for victory). 

The America's Cup is a match race, with two teams racing against each other simultaneously on a coastal racing circuit. The "race" typically lasts about 20 minutes. The scoring system is simple: one point for a win and zero for a loss.

The heat really started on August 29, with the start of the main series of knockout races between contenders for the right to compete against the winners of the previous regatta. This year, the competition was marred by poor weather conditions. At the time of writing (September 25, 2024), the teams that have reached the final of the knockout races are INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Prielli. They will battle it out for the right to compete against Emirates Team New Zealand.

Espionage, scandals, intrigues and investigations

Like any major sporting event, the America's Cup cannot do without constant scandals and investigations. One of the most unpleasant reasons for public quarrels between organizers and teams is real espionage. Everyone spies - from bought journalists and technicians to the teams themselves. But what data are spies so eager to steal?

And they try to steal everything that can help them win. Any small parts of the equipment, the condition of the boat, its equipment, the mood of the team members, the sails and rigging - all this becomes the object of close attention of the warring teams. It comes to a real spy thriller, when Team A sends its photographers to Team B on a small RIB and takes pictures of the unfinished hull of the new boat from the bushes.

Is it fair? No. But all is fair in war. We have not yet received a single piece of evidence that the teams' espionage has had any significant impact on the outcome of the competition, but law enforcement officers have been constantly catching "passers-by." The problem is that most of the data about boats that can be stolen in one way or another falls under the article on copyright protection. Yacht "spies" cannot be accused of real espionage, but they can be threatened with the article on copyright infringement.

Before the 37th America's Cup, the organizers decided that the best way to combat espionage... was to lead the espionage! Thus, a program of the so-called "joint reconnaissance" was formed. As part of the new agreement, each team is assigned a special group, which consists of a photographer and an observer. The reconnaissance group can openly take photos and videos, and also report everything that happens to the enemy boat. Only now this must be done for all teams, and not just for your own. All such reports are stored on a central server and are available for review by any team.

This is how the America's Cup organizers defeated espionage by simply making it unprofitable. Now there is no need to hide and try to catch competitors - they will cope with it perfectly well themselves. Of course, espionage will not disappear completely, but there will be an order of magnitude fewer scandals and lawsuits.

Historical background of the America's Cup

The America's Cup is the oldest competition in modern sport. The regatta predates the modern Olympic Games by a full 45 years. The first America's Cup dates back to 1851. In that momentous year, a 30-metre schooner named America, representing the New York Yacht Club, defeated a fleet of the best English yachts of the time. 

The main attribute of victory in the competition is the Cup itself. It is a 60-centimeter solid silver jug. Interestingly, at one time the award was called the "cup for 100 pounds sterling." This name was in use until 1857, when the then winner renamed the jug the America's Cup. After that, the award became a challenge - it is awarded to a new winner.

America's Cup. Source: Wikipedia

Over the course of 137 years, the America's Cup has evolved from a purely amateur competition into a true sporting pinnacle in yachting. Participation in the regatta requires not only talent, navigation skills and a boat, but also impressive contributions and sponsors. One of the most interesting features of this competition is the fact that it is the winner of the previous regatta who chooses the venue and class of yachts for the next America's Cup.

This adds an element of surprise. Each regatta in the series is different from the previous ones – both in weather conditions and in the types of yachts. Of course, usually the winners choose their country to host the Cup, but in 2021, Emirates Team New Zealand suddenly chose Barcelona instead of New Zealand. The reason for this choice was given as commercial conditions.

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26.09.2024