assumptions about the rig went into ETNZ’s simulations before they announced the AC75 concept last September. Limitations on sailing will drive the teams to ever higher reliance
on their simulators. ETNZ certainly was the leader in this area at the end of AC35. Do they have the skill to maintain or extend their lead? Probably. The cost-containment measures in the Protocol do nothing to limit the amount of money teams will spend on their simulators. The amount spent by each time is likely to be ‘as much as we’ve got’. Looking at F1 (the comparison is finally becoming realistic), we
note that Red Bull had 50+ people dedicated to their simulator programme in recent seasons. In 2016 track time was limited to four days pre-season and two two-day test sessions once the racing had started. The AC36 Protocol prohibits teams from sailing two boats or from testing with each other except for during official test sessions. And both the Defender and the CoR have vetoes that could prevent any co-ordinated on-the-water testing. Will the teams engage in virtual testing or simulator racing? Simulators are not just for design. When the AC50 Rule was
released ETNZ built an accurate mock-up of the boat for dry land development of ergonomics and crew choreography. This allowed them to confirm the viability of their cyclor concept. While waiting for their first AC75 to launch in April 2019, the teams can begin exploring ideas for how to sail the boat. A full-scale simulator will allow them to continue experimenting and rehearsing while their first boat is in transit for the AC World Series regattas. F1 simulators have wrap-around video screens and are mounted
on very fast-acting hydraulic struts to give the driver the most realistic experience possible. This seems like a potential area for spending vast sums. That said, it’s worth noting that four-time driving champion Lewis Hamilton has said, ‘I don’t do a lot of time in simulators. When I was at McLaren we did way too much. I could spend £100 on a PlayStation and learn the same amount.’ For his design team, however, it is a very different story. The Protocol talks about cost containment and sets the objective
of ensuring that campaigns are commercially viable. But so far all the teams have a billionaire or two onboard. Cost containment? As Queen Gertrude remarked when Hamlet asked her how she liked his play within a play, ‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’
GEARING UP – Terry Hutchinson Not a lot of sailing action in the past month. The order of the day has been working to prepare the TP52 for the 2018 season, match race training at Long Beach YC, and it is currently the eve of the Farr 40 West Coast Championship. TP52 build. Building any boat can, under the best of circum-
stances, be a difficult process. Bringing together the suppliers, managing every piece of equipment and weight that goes inside the yacht is critical. As with the previous Quantum Racings, the boat is being constructed at Longitud Cero with a team led by Ximo Lopez. Longitud Cero are also building Alegre and managing the
expectations of both teams is critical. As one can imagine, each boat wants priority and, to put it simply, Alegre was first in line and that was the order of business. Under the watchful eye of boat captain Brendan Darrer, Quantum
Racing has been built at what seems like warp speed. The trick with all of it on the compressed schedule is to not compromise quality and yet there are only 24 hours in a day. Hard to avoid feeling extra pressure when defending champion Azzurra are already out sailing their new boat. For the past three months the AC team have been conducting
mini-training camps in Catalina 37s out of the Long Beach Yacht Club. In what was a bit of a re-match of AC32 with helmsmen Dean Barker and Ed Baird, the sessions were as much about reminding ourselves of how to match race as they were about reintroducing ourselves to teammates from the past. Oddly enough there were several dial-downs between helmsmen with the same result as the same pair had back in 2007 but without the major consequences! It was also an opportunity for some of the more established sailors to meet the younger talent. The team cycled through current
Scallywag’s Dave Witt is relishing his role as the maverick among the current Volvo Race skippers, the carefully cultivated rock star look adding to the image… If you’d told the skiff veteran back in Alicante that he’d be sitting in a solid third place at the start of Leg 7 he’d probably have asked to share your smokes
US Olympic sailors and other potential team members, setting a fitness baseline and everyone spending at least one day racing. As always, it was fun to spend time with sailors who are less experienced in a ‘bigger’ boat, yet awesome talent nonetheless. I am excited about what is in front of us in this regard as there was a great energy combining these groups. The other exciting happening, I would suspect by the publishing
date of this magazine, is the release of the AC75 draft rule. The Defender has been true to their word and stuck to deadlines. At this writing we are in a review process so not a lot to report except hungry to get into it! Farr 40 racing is still going strong. Seven boats are racing in the
waters off San Pedro at one of the windier spots of southern California. Racing aboard Alex Roeper’s Plenty we are on the front side of a four-regatta season which culminates in Chicago with the world championship in October. As I have banged on about in the past, the Farr 40 provides some great bow to stern racing… it is basically just great to get back into the racing after what now feels like a long break but in truth was not long enough! On deck there is some great yachting. In April we have the Ficker
Cup match race, a qualifier for the Congressional Cup. We have to finish top two to move on and I am looking forward to racing with Dean again. Over the past 10 years we have done more against each other than together… I am looking forward to being on the same boat. From there we move onto the TP52 in Palma Vela, Farr 40 North Americans and the TP52 Super Series. Standing by on a stormy night in San Pedro, CA!
REALITY CHECK – Charlie Enright, skipper, Vestas 11th Hour Seahorse Magazine: Vestas was approaching Hong Kong at night at the end of Leg 4 when it was involved in a collision. You were not onboard for that leg but what is your crew protocol for such a situation? Charlie Enright: The first thing you do is make sure your crew are accounted for. Traditionally, that’s done by counting off; it’s the quickest way to ensure no one is missing. Then you move on to the yacht. Is it still structurally sound, can
we stay with it, do we need to reduce sail, do we need the engine, do we need the liferafts? Next you need to communicate with the relevant parties: Coastguard, other boats in the area, the organising authority, emergency contacts and next of kin of sailors. If you’re looking to get everyone on deck, that can take a while. And it’s different depending on what part of the world you’re in. In the tropics you get on deck quickly, but in the Southern Ocean you may need longer to get some gear on. So anything up to three or four minutes to get everyone together. SH: Accurate information is now vital… CE:We have default positions and as soon as something like this happens we revert to those. We have a floater who can take the
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JAMES TOMLINSON
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