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© Gilles Martin-Raget

USA17 (BMW Oracle Racing 90)

In 2007 Russell Coutts approached VPLP to design USA 17, the fastest racing sailing boat to contest the America’s Cup. Little did the team know that the project would take three years of relentless modifications, improvements and developments to produce a trimaran featuring 35 m floats and a 68 m pivoting wing mast! Proof of the pudding came in 2010 with victory over the Swiss catamaran Alinghi in both races of the 33rd America’s Cup in Valencia (Spain).

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© Gilles Martin-Raget

For VPLP, it was the most enriching and intense investment of time and energy that the firm had ever known. Winning the America’s Cup justified VPLP’s approach of continuously researching and testing hypotheses. It also vindicated the firm’s policy of optimizing weight, power and simple yet efficient sail plans, a policy applied to each and every boat designed by VPLP.

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© Gilles Martin-Raget

Launched

2008

Category

America’s Cup (AC)

Architect

VPLP Design
BMW Oracle Design Team

Builder

Core Builders Composite
Hall Spars

Materials

carbon

Length

33 m

Beam

27,60 m

Draft

4,50 m

Air Draft

68 m

Propulsion

Wing

Sail Area

1270 m²

Award

2010: Winner of the 33rd America’s Cup

Sun Fast 30 One Design

Paragon

Réalités