| Louis Vuitton Trophy | |
| Sport: | Sailing |
| Founded: | 2009 |
| Teams: | 10 |
| Country: | NZL, United States, FRA, SWE, ITA, GBR, RUS |
| Related Comps: | America's Cup, Louis Vuitton Cup, Louis Vuitton Pacific Series |
The Louis Vuitton Trophy was a series of four match race regattas in International America's Cup Class boats, held between November 2009 and November 2010.
The Louis Vuitton Trophy was organised after the success of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland and the continued legal battle surrounding the America's Cup yachting competition at the time. Because of the long delays from the legal action, and the fact that the 33rd America's Cup became a Deed of Gift match without a defender or challenger selection series, the Louis Vuitton Trophy series was established as a competition for other America's Cup racing syndicates.
Each of the four Trophy regattas featured between eight and ten teams in a round robin, with two teams advancing to a final to determine that regatta's Trophy winner.[1] Five syndicates lent their own International America's Cup Class boats for shared use in the regattas, making participation more affordable for the teams.[2]
Supported by Louis Vuitton, the World Sailing Team Association and a group of ten America's Cup syndicates from seven countries, these relatively low cost events running on loaned boats kept syndicates active while waiting for the 8th Louis Vuitton Cup to determine the challenger for the 34th America's Cup.
The series was originally launched as the Louis Vuitton World Series but after a request from the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) the name was changed to the Louis Vuitton Trophy.[3]
| Country | Team | Club | Skipper | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team New Zealand | Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron | Dean Barker | Host (Auckland) | ||
| BMW Oracle Racing | Golden Gate Yacht Club | James Spithill, Gavin Brady, Hamish Pepper | Crew in Nice was separate from the one participating in the 2010 America's Cup. Did not send a team to Auckland. | ||
| Team Artemis | Royal Swedish Yacht Club | Paul Cayard | |||
| / | ALL4ONE | Cercle de la Voile de Paris / Kieler Yacht-Club | Sébastien Col, Jochen Schümann | Host (Nice). ALL4ONE uses FRA as flag state on boat it lent to this event. | |
| Team French Spirit | Bertrand Pacé | ||||
| Team Synergy | Karol Jabłoński | ||||
| Mascalzone Latino | Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia / Club Nautico di Roma | Gavin Brady | Host (La Maddalena). Did not compete in Nice. | ||
| Azzurra | Yacht Club Costa Smeralda | Francesco Bruni, Tommaso Chieffi | |||
| Team Origin | Royal Thames Yacht Club | Ben Ainslie | |||
| Luna Rossa | Yacht Club Italiano | Ed Baird | Did not compete in Nice or Auckland. |
A trophy was awarded to the winner at each of the four events, held in four countries between November 2009 and November 2010.
A fifth event was scheduled for January, 2011. San Diego submitted a bid for a sixth, March 2011 event, while various cities/countries (Russia, Greece, Newport, Valencia, Cape Town and Abu Dhabi) expressed an interest in bidding for future Trophy regattas.[4] [5]
The fifth event in the Louis Vuitton Trophy series - and all future Trophy plans - were set aside when the plans for the 34th America's Cup were announced.
| Dates | Regatta | Winner | Runner Up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7–22 November 2009 |  Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur |  Azzurra |  Team New Zealand | |
| 9–21 March 2010 | Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland | Team New Zealand | Mascalzone Latino | |
| 22 May - 6 June 2010 | Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena | Team New Zealand |  Team Synergy | |
| 13–28 November 2010 | Louis Vuitton Trophy Middle East | Team New Zealand |  BMW Oracle Racing | |
| 9–24 January 2011 |  Louis Vuitton Trophy Hong Kong | N/A | N/A |
All events used International America's Cup Class yachts, lent to the regatta by various syndicates.
| Regatta | Shared Yachts | |
|---|---|---|
| Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur | Mascalzone Latino's ITA-90 & ITA-99, All4One's FRA-93, Team Origin's GBR-75 | |
| Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland | Team New Zealand's NZL-84 & NZL-92, BMW Oracle Racing's USA-87 was a safety backup but was not required.[6] | |
| Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena | Mascalzone Latino's ITA-90 & ITA-99, BMW Oracle Racing's USA-87 & USA-98 | |
| Louis Vuitton Trophy Middle East | Team New Zealand's NZL-84 & NZL-92, BMW Oracle Racing's USA-87 & USA-98. |