News Around the World
Whether or not the core concept was the right one ‘they say’ that the reason why, once the racing got serious in Barcelona, Ineos Britannia progressed from whipping boy to frontrunner is that without a competitive pacemaker the software engineers driving the development programme from Mercedes in Brackley had nothing worth calibrating against. In which case the same engineers were probably remotely tailoring the electrons between races, according to evolving conditions, all from the heart of the English countryside. All a bit space-age… where have you been? The Ineos telemetry back to Brackley operated at a whole new level for a sailing team, but the remote tweaking of sail control software in live-time has been a thing at the top end of superyacht racing for at least 10 years
So in the prestart of Race 3 the quiet and measured tones of
Chief Umpire Richard Slater announced ‘Penalty GBR’, to the disbelief of the British team. Nathan saw this come into play, and he saw that he was engaging with the newer and less experienced portside helmsman in the British team Dylan Fletcher. Coincidence? Ask Nathan. Nothing against the vastly talented Fletcher but,
looking into the steely eyes of Outteridge while interviewing him straight after that race, I could hear that he was being deeply respect- ful of the British team – but with that confidence that everybody has a plan until they get a smack in the face. Blue Robinson
GREAT BRITAIN Postcard from Barcelona Set beneath the imposing replica of the Royal Galley that was built in the Drassanes Reials of Barcelona in 1568, as part of a great fleet that was to stand up to the Ottomans, the America’s Cup Hall of Fame dinner, mid-Match, was a special evening. The sort of evening where everywhere you looked a legend sat and one where four of the true greats were inducted – Josh Belsky, Kevin Shoe- bridge, Juan Vila and the late Bob Fisher. Bob would have loved it. Arguably the speech of the night, aside
from the peerless tones of Gary Jobson and the enthusiasm of Steven Tsuchiya, was by Shoebridge who recounted sleeping on a sail-loft floor at the age of 20 in 1983 before going on to win the Cup no fewer than five times. ‘Ours is a unique team and, although the make-up changes from cycle to cycle, it always remains true to its values. It’s always looking for innovation, it’s always pushing the limits while we’re having fun along the way. The America’s Cup is won by people. The team is everything. And I’m lucky enough to have worked with some of the best in the world.’ How true those words are – it is people who win the America’s Cup and, top to bottom, Emirates Team New Zealand were better
30 SEAHORSE
by a click all round – again. Barcelona delivered as a venue, but it was clinical execution from the Kiwis, a team likened to the great- est of all time. This is Michael Schumacher-era Ferrari dominance. This is the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls. This is Ferguson-era Manchester United. Beatable? Yes, but you need to do the hardest of yards over time... and still get lucky. Plenty of signs point to the Brits being close, leveraging the vast
computing resources and simulation tools provided by Mercedes Applied Science. There’s good reason to think that they nearly had the Kiwis’ number. Had the conditions been more like a ‘usual’ October in Barcelona it could perhaps have gone 4-4, and then who knows? Ben Ainslie was unquestionably brilliant and, while the laziest argument in sailing right now is that he should go ‘upstairs’, I’ll argue with that. There simply isn’t anyone better who can corral, inspire, lead
and sail so effectively. Stepping ashore after the final knock-out blow, noticeably Ben was in civvies – no team logo anywhere to be seen – but a glint in his eye for the future: ‘For our team to get into the America’s Cup itself was a huge achievement. We’ve been on quite a journey the last 10 years – especially the last three years. ‘Ultimately, to fall short at the final hurdle is always tough, but
we know that we’ve been up against one of the best, if not the best, teams in the history of the America’s Cup. We have to take that on the chin, and as one very plucky Brit said, “It’s the courage to continue that counts”, so that’s what we’re up for.’ Regaling Winston Churchill in his pomp was classic Ben, a leader
who commands respect both within his team and, tellingly, outside. He looked burdened by the weight of expectation at the beginning of the regatta, with what looked like a misfiring platform, but as the results came the ‘on’ switch clicked, the team pulled together and he appeared relaxed and comfortable in his skin. Courage will no doubt find its reward, and the Port Vell swirled with rumours of new investment coming into the team alongside
INGRID ABERY
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