Cup Spy Nov 16: New Wings, recut Mainsails and a formidable Sea State
by Richard Gladwell Sail-World NZ 16 Nov 2022 19:32 PST
17 November 2022
Alinghi Red Bull Racing - AC75 - November 16, 2022 - Barcelona © Alex Carabi / America's Cup
What happened in the Cup - November 16, 2022:
- Luna Rossa - Has not sailed since dropping its LEQ12 mast 10 days ago. Said at the time to be out for "several weeks".
- American Magic - Did not sail their AC75 Version 2 from Pensacola, but are believed to be in a sailing/testing block
- INEOS Britannia are yet to sail their newly launched LEQ12 from Mallorca
- Alinghi Red Bull Racing - Launched with a "new" M1 mainsail that has been recut to suit the boomless mainsheet system the Swiss have been testing with an M2 mainsail. Sailing was curtailed due to light winds and a 2 metre swell.
- Emirates Team New Zealand - have taken their AC40 out of one-design class, installed some new features and it is now operating as an LEQ12. They fitted a new wing foil to the port foil arm - the first such development we have seen from any team this Cup cycle. Their second AC40 arrives next month.
- The official logo for the 37th America's Cup was unveiled in Barcelona - and has received a very mixed reaction from sailing fans.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing, had intended to sail with a M1 mainsail recut for the boomless mainsail system, but light winds and a big swell precluded any serious sailing.
The sea state off Barcelona was unlike anything that has been seen previously, and with a wave height estimated at 2 metres is unlike anything seen in an America's Cup since the change to foiling America's Cup Classes.
Alinghi will stay in the shed until the end of November for upgrades.
With the shift into design development rather than boat commissioning, all teams have become more circumspect about their comments in dockside interviews. Under the Joint Reconnaissance rules the teams are obliged to put up a person for interview on the session. On 25% occasions of four, this person must be a helmsman (25%), a foil or aero trimmer (25%), or a designer (25%). A functionary outside this group can only be used on 25% of occasions.
Session Statistics - Barcelona - November 16, 2022 - Alinghi Red Bull Racing - AC75 - Version 1
- Wind Strength 5kts (AM) 85-6kts (PM)
- Wind Direction: E (AM) ESE (PM)
- Sea State: SS1 1.5-2.0m S swell(AM) SS1 with 1.05 - 2.0m S swell(PM)
- Roll out: 0915hrs Dock Out: 1110hrs
- Dock In: 1355hrs Crane out: 1425hrs
- Total Tacks: 0 - Fully foiling: 0; Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 0
- Total Gybes: 0 - Fully foiling: 0; Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 0
Crew:
Driving Group: Arnaud Psarofaghis, Yves Detrey, Pietro Sibello, Lucien Cujean, Maxime Bachelin, Nico Charbonnier | Power Group: Nils Theuninck, Arthur Cevey, Nico Stalberg, Augustine Maillefer
Emirates Team New Zealand - LEQ12 - Auckland - November 16, 2022
The Kiwis launched with an anhedral wing foil on the port foil arm - and became the first team to change wings in this America's Cup cycle.
The wing is very elegant and likely flexes under load, but of course its behavior is impossible to tell from the Reconnaissance File System, as there is no data provided.
The tacking and gybing statistics from the team are very impressive, however the AC40 spins on a dime, and is a little different to the AC75 in this regard. However that may change in the Version 2 AC75's where the crew remain four a side in their cockpits.
Session Statistics - Auckland - November 16, 2022 - Emirates Team New Zealand - AC40/LEQ12
- Wind Strength 6-16kts(AM) 6-11kts (PM)
- Wind Direction: NNE(AM) NNE (PM)
- Sea State: Slight (PM)
- Roll out: 0945hrs Dock Out: 1030hrs
- Dock In: 1345hrs Crane out: 1425hrs
- Total Tacks: 39 - Fully foiling: 31; Touch & Go: 7; Touch Down: 1
- Total Gybes: 59 - Fully foiling: 52; Touch & Go: 5; Touch Down: 2
Crew: Peter Burling, Nathan Outteridge (Helms); Andy Maloney, Blair Tuke (Trimmers)
Additional Images:
This commentary was written and compiled from video, still images and statistical content extracted from the AC37 Joint Recon program and other material available to Sail-World NZ including photo files, and other on the water coverage from the 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2021 America's Cups.