Dutch team drops out of America’s Cup, US squad remains in
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Dutch syndicate has withdrawn its challenge for the America’s Cup while an American group says it will continue on after restructuring its management team and continuing to seek corporate sponsorship.
DutchSail, headed by former America’s Cup champion Simeon Tienpont, announced Monday that it couldn’t secure the sponsorships needed to be an effective challenger.
DutchSail joins Malta Altus Challenge in dropping out of the 36th America’s Cup, scheduled for Auckland, New Zealand in 2021.
That leaves only four challengers, including Stars & Stripes USA, which confirmed it is continuing on. The team will have to restart construction on its boat, which was halted earlier this year, and complete payment of a $1 million late entry due in installments by Oct. 1.
While Stars & Stripes has been sidelined, the other three challengers, New York Yacht Club’s American Magic, Sir Ben Ainslie’s INEOS Team UK and Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge, have all launched test boats.
