As we countdown to the 35th America’s Cup The Royal Gazette will bring you one fun fact a day about the boats, the sailors, the crew, or the history of this illustrious competition. There are now 15 days until the month-long sporting spectacle gets under way.

Each team must design and build its own America’s Cup Class boat. These boats are 15-metres long and are built to a design rule, but that rule allows designers and engineers to express their creativity in their designs. All racing in 2017, from the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers to the America’s Cup Match, presented by Louis Vuitton, will be match racing in ACC boats.

In February Oracle Team USA held a ceremony at its team base to reveal its new America’s Cup Class boat, 17.

“This is the boat we’re racing to win the America’s Cup,” said Jimmy Spithill, the Oracle Team USA skipper.

The new America’s Cup Class boats are foiling, wingsailed catamarans, 15 metres in length and capable of reaching highway speeds approaching 100 km/h. In addition they are extremely maneuverable, making them ideal match racing platforms.

More than 15 designers and 50 boat-builders have contributed to the design and build of 17, with more than 85,000 man-hours accumulated to date. Team partners like Airbus, BMW, Parker and Yanmar have provided technical expertise and support.

“This is a major milestone in our campaign to win the America’s Cup for a third time,” said Grant Simmer, the chief operating officer of Oracle Team USA.