Update
One box ticked... 2020 Vendée Globe ‘survivor’ Kevin Escoffier and friends smashed it on the short opening leg of The Ocean Race on the Verdier-designed Holcim PRB to finish 3-hours in front of 2nd-placed 11th Hour after five days’ racing. It was a sweet moment for Escoffier when he crossed the line in Cape Verde, after a long and hard journey back from that terrifying moment two years ago in the Vendée Globe when the previous PRB snapped in half and sank in minutes in the Southern Ocean. A deservedly popular result
PICK UP THE PHONE – Jack Griffin French challenger The new year brought the announcement of a fifth challenger, France’s K-Challenge Racing, representing the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez. There was little information in the announcement but team leaders Stephane Kandler and Bruno Dubois promised more news by the end of January. An America’s Cup in St Tropez…
Mainsail controls The AC75 twin-skin mainsail provides more power than a single skin sail. It’s also a lot more complex to control. The current AC75 Class Rule requires all the active controls to be in the lower 1.5m. This is a change from version one of the rule, which also allowed active controls between the two skins near the head. To get up on the foils, especially in lighter conditions, an AC75
needs sail trim settings that generate maximum power. As soon as the yacht lifts off speed and righting moment build quickly and the sailplan must quickly be depowered. The AC75s’ foil controls are powered by batteries but the hydraulic pressure to control them comes from humans, so they must make efficient use of that limited power. Emirates Team New Zealand wrote twin-skin sails into the class
rule for the AC75, but it was not an original concept. The idea came from L Francis Herreshoff, son of Captain Nat, and he received a US patent for it in 1927. But the Kiwis brought twin-skin sails into the 21st century and the Cup. Don’t look for many lines on these yachts – most of the controls
are hydraulic rams, and most of those controls are hidden between the two skins. Fortunately photos from the shared reconnaissance programme give us a peek at what the teams are doing.
12 SEAHORSE
The one-design AC40 gives us a good look at the basics The large ram (right) replaces the mainsheet to control leach tension and twist. It can be adjusted fore and aft. There are two smaller rams, one for each skin, for outhaul adjustment. On the AC40 all sail controls are push-button, including mast
rotation and a cunningham for each skin. ETNZ have installed different foils on their two AC40s, making
them LEQ12 test boats. It remains to be seen whether they will make any changes to the one-design sails and sail controls.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Britannia have both built their own one-off LEQ test boats Luna Rossa’s LEQ12 yacht has mainsail controls between the twin skins. The traveller runs along a track set flush to the deck. Arms can be seen at the foot of the mast for rotation. Meanwhile, the Brits have a traveller track that is curved and which hinges to adapt to the tension from the mainsheet.
Getting the hours in at full-scale Unlike the other three teams, New York Yacht Club American Magic and Alinghi Red Bull Racing are both training on first-generation AC75s. It may be an advantage to develop and test their sail controls at full scale. The Americans and the Swiss have also been able to develop their crew work. The LEQ12s are currently for development only, since they run with reduced numbers of crew onboard.
Alinghi acquired ETNZ’s first AC75 from the previous campaign and call it ‘Boat 0.’ Students of the America’s Cup will recall that in 2003, when Alinghi won the Cup for the first time – and uniquely in Cup history, at their
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