Swedish Youth Challenge coach, Bjorn Johansson, selected Charlie, as helmsman, and Niclas as tactician when declaring their team as a participant in the Red Bull Youth America's Cup. Last week, after three selection trials, Bjorn has selected the rest of his Swedish Youth Challenge team. These nine sailors will go on to sail in a DS37 matchrace regatta, May 25-26 and a M32 regatta June 26-30 both in Gothenberg. The final four that will sail onboard Swedish Youth Challenge with Charlie and Niclas will be determined after these two regattas and training in the SeaCart 26's and M32's.
Swedish Youth Challenge Crew List:
Andreas Axelsson
Arvid Bildt
Charlie Ekberg Enlund
Jonatan Tengroth Ameln
Niclas Düring
Nils Åkervall
Philip Carlsson
Sofie Düring
Tom Gross
With only three months until the start of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series, the team has been busy training and preparing for racing, which begins in San Francisco on July 4th. The team spent the majority of March in the shed modifying our AC72 and turning a standard AC45 into a foiling AC45. We expedited our time to get onto a foiling boat by modifying an AC45 while we wait for our second AC72 which will fully foil.
In April, we will continue to train on the foiling AC45, while also sailing our first AC72 and learning about all its recent modifications. This is a very valuable part of our preparation for our second AC72. We also plan to train with OracleTeamUSA on the Bay to see how our modifications have impacted our boat speed and handling.
Time on the water is crucial for our team so when weather or maintenance permits us from sailing the AC72 or 45 we have a small fleet of F18's and Moths to train on.
While the core team in Alameda is focused on the progression of the AC72 and time on the water for the sailing team, selected team members are preparing for the last America's Cup World Series event of the 2013-2013 season in Naples, Italy. Artemis Racing White will be helmed by Swedish Youth sailor and leading Swedish 49er helmsman, Charlie Ekberg.Containers are already arriving in Naples and being unloaded for the racing which begins April 16th.
