During the first week of August, the inaugural America’s Cup World Series (AC World Series) will get under way in the port city of Cascais, Portugal, a location world-famous for its spectacular sailing conditions.
The event will be held the 6th to the 14th of August and will showcase the AC45 wing-sailed catamaran in its first-ever competition.
It will also feature some spectacular shoreside entertainment in the form of the AC World Series Experience.

How the racing works
Saturday August 6th - Cascais AC Preliminaries
Cascais AC Open:
Fleet Races 1, 2 and 3
Each race is scheduled to last approximately 20 minutes.
All nine crews will compete.
The winner of each race will score 10 points, second place 9 points and so on, except the eighth and ninth place boats will both score 3 points (to reward finishers). Teams that don't finish a fleet race earn no points.
AC 500 Speed Trial:
The teams will vie for the title of fastest boat through timed speed trials over a 500-meter course. The crew that completes the course in the fastest time is the winner.
Sunday August 7th - Cascais AC Preliminaries
Cascais AC Open:
Fleet Race 4
The fourth and final fleet race of the AC Cascais Open. This is a longer race, scheduled to last approximately 40 minutes.
At the conclusion of this fourth fleet race, the winner of the AC Cascais Open will be determined based on the cumulative scores across the four fleet races.
The winner of each race will score 10 points, second place 9 points and so on, except the eighth and ninth place boats will both score 3 points (to reward finishers). Teams that don't finish a fleet race earn no points.
Monday August 8th, Tuesday August 9th - No Racing
Wednesday August 10th
Cascais AC Match Race Championship - Day One:
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday have identical racing programs.
The third stage of the competition pits the teams in one-on-one clashes to earn a place in a final showdown on Saturday. However each day will begins with three, 20-minute fleet races to seed the top six teams, who then face off in three match races (6th seed vs 5th seed; 4th seed vs 3rd seed; 2nd seed vs 1st seed).
Every day of racing produces a ranking of the full fleet. The results over the three days will determine the seeding order for the Match Race Championships.
Thursday August 11th
Cascais AC Match Race Championship - Day Two:
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday have identical racing programs.
The third stage of the competition pits the teams in one-on-one clashes to earn a place in a final showdown on Saturday. However each day will begins with three, 20-minute fleet races to seed the top six teams, who then face off in three match races (6th seed vs 5th seed; 4th seed vs 3rd seed; 2nd seed vs 1st seed).
Every day of racing produces a ranking of the full fleet. The results over the three days will determine the seeding order for the Match Race Championships.
Friday August 12th
Cascais AC Match Race Championship - Day Three:
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday have identical racing programs.
The third stage of the competition pits the teams in one-on-one clashes to earn a place in a final showdown on Saturday. However each day will begins with three, 20-minute fleet races to seed the top six teams, who then face off in three match races (6th seed vs 5th seed; 4th seed vs 3rd seed; 2nd seed vs 1st seed).
Every day of racing produces a ranking of the full fleet. The results over the three days will determine the seeding order for the Match Race Championships.
Saturday August 13th
Cascais AC Match Race Championship - Day Four:
On the final Saturday, the Match Race Championship will find the six best teams (as determined over the previous three days) battling through a Quarter Final, Semi-Final and Final to determine the Cascais AC Match Race Champion.
Sunday August 14th
AC World Series Cascais Championship:
This title is at stake on the final Sunday in a winner-takes-all fleet race, where all teams will have a shot at the title, regardless of results to date.
This is a 40-minute, adrenalin soaked, fleet race, designed to identify the best team under the pressure of a single race format.
AC World Series Experience - fun for all

The Cascais Marina will come alive with the America’s Cup Experience when the inaugural America’s Cup World Series kicks off in Cascais 6-14 August.
The nine-day international sporting competition will see fast action on the race course, while off the water, thousands of fans will enjoy local and international live music, access to sailing stars and, interactive displays in a fun-charged festival on shore at The Base.
See the full programme here.
Free to the public, the celebration of the AC World Series competition includes activities for all ages:
•Watch the racing live, featuring America’s Cup groundbreaking new graphics and live commentary
•Visit the America’s Cup Experiential, where visitors will get a taste of the teams and what it’s like to sail on a high-speed catamaran
•Take on the Racing Simulator, your own match race test, video-game style
•Get up-close to best sailors in the world, with the day’s racing highlights and first-hand reports from the sailing stars every race day at 20:30 on The Base stage
•Listen to great local bands and DJ’s, with surprise international live acts on the final weekend
The AC World Series Cascais will feature race courses designed to deliver close competition and high-speed fly-bys for the fans on shore. The innovative regatta format includes a mix of speed trials, head-to-head match racing, and all-out fleet racing with ten identical AC45 wing-sailed catamarans charging the line.
The Base is located at the Cascais Marina and is open 11:00 to midnight every day, from the 6 – 14 August, 2011.