The boats are already out on Bermuda’s Great Sound, again looking like concept art from a sci-fi movie. Six teams vie in this first round for the four semi-final spots, which then leads to a finals series – but this only determines the challenger for the auld mug.

One other modifier: there are six teams out there, but only five are racing for that last four. The holders of the Cup go straight through to the final, as custom, but Oracle is out there anyway.

As the team’s skipper, Jimmy Spithill, explains, it didn’t make commercial sense for Oracle not to be out there. It does put Spithill in crew in an odd position – do they race all-out or hold something back for the main game?

Solution: another of those crazy competition rules. “What was done to stop any sort of sandbagging is if the defender wins the qualifiers, he starts the America’s Cup 1-0 up,” Spithill tells Inside Sport. “If the challenger wins the qualifiers, they start 1-0 up.

“So there’s clearly something to fight for, something on the line. And it’s good for both – it’s hard to argue who it’s better for.”

It’s been smooth sailing so far for the American outfit, with five wins in its first six races. The only loss came to the Swede-backed Artemis Racing, helmed by Spithill’s Australian compatriot Nathan Outteridge.

“The challengers get a read, and the defenders gets to have a read,” Spithill says.” And the defender doesn’t get to do the hardcore stuff, the semis and finals. That’s going to be tough for us, because the team that comes through will be pretty battle-hardened.”