News Around the World
You could be forgiven for assuming that Emirates Team New Zealand is the team racking up the most hours on the water so far in this America’s Cup cycle. In fact, if you tally it up the Defender – and everyone else – lags well behind American Magic and Alinghi Red Bull Racing, who have the potential added benefit of doing the great bulk of their testing on full-scale AC75s… and in the case of Alinghi using a boat designed and built by Team NZ! With Patriot American Magic was also the first team to test an AC75 in V2 mode
woes have not prevented work from continuing at pace. The 2021 AC75 Te Rehutai has been having its grinding pedestals replaced with cycle stations and new system layouts installed to facilitate operation with a crew reduced to eight. It is understood Te Rehutai is scheduled to be shipped to Barcelona in time for a training camp in late summer, coinciding with the season for the match next year. The team’s one-design AC40 will also head to Europe where two
America’s Cup World Series regattas are scheduled to take place. Venues are yet to be formally announced, but Cagliari is widely expected to be one while a Spanish venue is mooted as the second. Meanwhile, for the ETNZ designers the deadline is fast approach-
ing when all their effort has to crystallise into final construction drawings for the boatbuilding team to begin the 75,000 man-hour task of building a new AC75. And with all the teams now limited to only one new AC75, the pressure is on to get it right first time. Design chief Dan Bernasconi, who was responsible for redrafting
the AC75 Rule for the class of 2024, says the differences between the new generation of yachts will probably be less obvious than the 2021 versions: ‘We are all learning the same things about what makes these yachts go fast so there will be smaller differences.’ On the question of whether somebody will come up with a break-
through design, he is sceptical. ‘I suspect the America’s Cup match will be really close, but I could be wrong. The fleet does tend to get closer as you go forward. The things we are concentrating on for this campaign are more about optimisation of details rather than big picture stuff.’ Bernasconi says the transition from drafting the rule to designing
a new boat is tricky. ‘You jump from being gamekeeper to poacher. You have to get your head out of a defensive mindset of thinking the rule offers no possible way to be exploited, and instead go hunting for ways to exploit it…’ At ETNZ a formidable brains trust of 35 mostly PhD-level design
engineers covering virtually every discipline across the spectrum sets about designing the fastest possible solution compatible with Barcelona conditions, which are expected to feature more wave action than in Auckland two years ago. A huge emphasis is on the
30 SEAHORSE
sophisticated simulation package ETNZ has developed over several Cup cycles, which enables the design and sailing teams to test multiple virtual models and concepts in very short timeframes. Throughout the process the sailing team, led by Peter Burling,
is closely involved in defining the characteristics and performance profile they are looking for. ‘The sailors’ role is really to identify where we think the big opportunities are,’ says Burling. The sailing team also works constantly on making sure the
simulator is as close to reality as possible, identifying where there are subtle differences with how they use particular components, for example, or how different foil shapes work. ‘That all really helps to feed back into the design process,’ he says. As someone who interrupted an engineering degree to take up
professional sailing, Burling thrives in this highly technical environ- ment. ‘It does make life a lot easier if you understand the basic engineering principles when you are having those more technical conversations, but actually everyone in the team has improved their knowledge massively in terms of being able to have an accurate dialogue about how to push the performance of the platform.’ Chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge says that internal
dialogue is a crucial part of the culture the team has built over the past 20 years. Across all areas of the team everybody is encouraged to come up with ideas in the knowledge they will be listened to, he adds. ‘That ties in the sailing team, the design team, the shore team, management – everybody is on the same page. In particular, there is huge value in a sailing team that understands intricately the design process and also having designers who realise that, while they have all the science and the numbers, they still need the practicalities of listening closely to the people on the water.’ Shoebridge says launching the two AC40s represents an
important milestone in refining the skills and tools for the team’s Cup preparation. ‘It has been 15 years since Emirates Team New Zealand ran two boats at the same time. All the way back to 2007 when we had two ACC boats,’ Shoebridge says. ‘It is nothing we have not done before, but it certainly isn’t an easy operation…’ Ivor Wilkins
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