American Magic Team Principal Doug DeVos addresses the crowd as
Defiant rests in her cradle. © Amory Ross/American Magic
After an estimated 76,000 combined hours of fabrication and finishing work by the production and shore teams of American Magic, the U.S. Challenger’s first AC75 racing boat was officially named and launched at the team’s base in Portsmouth, Rhode Island on Saturday morning, September 14.
Patricia Hutchinson, mother of American Magic Skipper and Executive director Terry Hutchinson, christens Defiant with G.H. Mumm champagne, the Official Champagne Partner of the 36th America’s Cup. © Will Ricketson/American Magic
Named Defiant, the cutting-edge foiling
monohull is the first America’s Cup class
boat built to represent the New York Yacht Club in over 16
years. The boat underwent initial testing on Narragansett Bay earlier
in the week.
Defiant was constructed at a dedicated facility in Bristol, Rhode Island, the site of America’s Cup boatbuilding efforts since the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company’s first Cup defender, Vigilant, was launched in 1893. American Magic will continue to train in Rhode Island waters during the fall of 2019 before relocating to Pensacola, Florida for the winter.
Defiant shows off her foils as she’s lowered into the water.
© Amory Ross/American Magic
To learn more about the team that will be bringing America’s Cup racing home to Newport, log onto https://americanmagic.americascup.com…and be sure to visit the American Magic Supporter Store!
