RULES OF THE GAME

The America’s Cup is a competition of sports and technology that, right from the start, has been founded on a set of rules, sometimes quite intricate, often referring to dated documents or to complex Protocols made up of infinite articles.
“This Cup is donated upon the condition that it shall be preserved as a perpetual Challenge Cup for friendly competition between foreign countries.” recites the Deed of Gift, which dates back to 1852 and is, together with the Protocol, the main document that has always governed the conditions of the challenge.
The boats are designed and built to comply with very specific regulations: the Class Rules.
In March of 2018 the AC75 Class Rule was published, written in common agreement between the Defender and the Challenger. It is a 72-page document that defines the parameters within which design teams must work to design a compliant hull to compete in the 36th America's Cup. With its 35 articles, the document regulates various aspects, from hull measurements to sails, permitted materials and crew weight in order to guarantee a fair competition, but at the same time allow space for technological innovation.

On the water what counts are the sailing rules. The starting procedures are governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing America's Cup. In other words, the usual racing rules, issued by World Sailing, are adapted to the speeds and characteristics of the new flying monohulls. The racecourse is delimited by boundaries that cannot be crossed and, in that case, the team that crosses them is subject to a penalty, served by the slowing down of the boat until the opponents move two lengths away.
Restrictions also apply to the crew on board. The maximum weight allowed for sailors on board is 990 kg and their equipment, including life jackets and safety devices, cannot weigh more than 5 kg.

In this video, we show you how these rules work on shore and on the water.