immediately knows that if the helmsman steers at the normal turn rate all the trans- fer sequences of mast rotation, clew posi- tions, Cunningham ease, mainsheet ease and retrim will take place perfectly. This is where the hundreds and hundreds of hours of constant upgrading come into play.’ Different wave states can also be
plugged in to take account of tacking into waves on one tack and with the waves on the other. ‘You can then set the boat up asymmetrically from one side to the other to cope in those situations.’ The mechanical and power delivery
systems have also been improved for better efficiency. Although the cyclors have been reduced to four per boat, the hydraulic sys- tems have been upgraded to recycle energy. A bit like electric cars that generate electric- ity while slowing down, when trimmers ease the mainsheet or traveller, for example, the cyclors can now redirect the unused oil pressure to other functions, where previ- ously that energy would have been lost. In brief comments after the Match
wrapped up ETNZ Design Chief Dan Bernasconi said the level of automation might be curtailed in the next version of the rule and, as a cost-saving measure, greater standardisation of systems might be introduced to curb the arms race in soft- ware development. ‘I think we could look at the rules around how controls work,’ he said. ‘There is a lot of automation on these boats. That means there is less need for sailors doing sailing roles. ‘Personally, I would be keen to remove
some of that automation and have a need for more sailors actually sailing the boats.’ Ivor Wilkins
THE BRITS – Tim Jeffery The best since Sir TOM Sopwith in 1934 and patently the most promising British challenge of the post-War period: there is much to celebrate about Ineos Britannia, particularly as, for the first half of the cycle following AC36 in Auckland, most would have given leadership of the challenger group to Luna Rossa and American Magic. Those two faltered; Ineos Britannia forged ahead. This is an achievement of considerable magnitude. In other circum- stances, who knows, it may have been enough. But not this time as it met a Team New Zealand hitting the same high notes of the Peter Blake/Russell Coutts/Brad But- terworth /Laurie Davidson/Tom Schnack- enberg campaign from 1995. Quite possibly it has surpassed that level. By Ben Ainslie’s reckoning the British
boat improved by as much as 10 per cent in the course of the Louis Vuitton Cup and the Match. Other teams advanced too, while the Kiwis seemed to have a far more all-round capable boat than they did in Auckland, with a useful array of modes. The weather for the Match was as light
as the modelling had suggested for October. Ineos Britannia’s supposed pref- erence for stronger wind is probably
48 SEAHORSE
inferred from the boat winning the challenger series when the wind was fresher than expected for September. On the water the Kiwi crew were honed
to the finest edge. Pete Burling and Blair Tuke can draw on their 49er campaigns while Andy Maloney was with them when they won the Youth America’s Cup in San Francisco in 2013. The experienced Nathan Outteridge was a key hire. Choosing Dylan Fletcher over Giles
Scott as the second helmsman was a late call for Ben Ainslie to make. You learn fast in the heat of battle, but trust and instinc- tive understanding of each other’s style, technique and judgement can only properly come from many more hours together. Ineos Britannia’s starting form pro-
gressed dramatically through the trials and into the Match. Giles Scott worked closely with the start coach Ian Williams, seven- time World Match Racing Champion. The British often liked the start they got, only for the first shift to favour their opponents. But – after the Match – Peter Burling graciously acknowledged that the British had schooled the Kiwis in the pre-start of the two races which they lost. ETNZ’s meteo and coaching teams
struck a remarkably high percentage of correct calls ahead of the start with sail selection and course/wind bias. Ray Davies’ lynchpin role of harvesting all the information and turning it into crisp decisions was outstanding. Behind the scenes ETNZ technology was
equally impressive, with their simulator optimised over 10 years of development to being the best among any 2024 Cup team. The Flight Control System is another area
where the British team might feel the Kiwis had an edge. At the pre-Match press confer- ence Pete Burling turned to listen carefully to Ben Ainslie’s comments about the level of automation in the AC75 now, with Ben say- ing he thought the desirable limit of auton- omy had been pretty much reached. One way of looking at Burling’s interest was whether Ineos Britannia were further down the development track than ETNZ… But it seemed the opposite was true. A
standout from the onboard microphones was listening to the contrasting dialogues. On Ineos Leigh McMillan and Bleddyn Môn sat in the aft-most cockpits, looking over their respective side at the foil they were controlling as much as they were the screens in their cockpit. They were irregu- lar participants in the onboard dialogues. Their ETNZ counterparts Blair Tuke
and Andy Maloney were located ahead of the cyclors. Not only were they heads-up and looking around more, but they were an integral part of the discussion loop with Peter Burling and Nathan Outteridge. Seemingly they had more scope to get their eyes out of the boat. Ineos Britannia will debrief in Barcelona,
knowing that in its relationship with Mercedes AMG F1 it has an asset that other teams would struggle to match. Even if they try to replicate it, it won’t be race- ready like the British team now is, nor will there be the same power because of the leverage that Jim Ratcliffe’s one-third own- ership of the Mercedes F1 team brings. For Ineos Britannia the steepest part of
the ascent to the top is now clearly visible ahead of them, the final push needs to put them on equal or better competitive terms with Team New Zealand. The RNZYS and RYS had agreed a
long time prior to the Match to be each other’s future Challenger of Record. The RYS duly lodged its new challenge away from the race and prying cameras in a back room of the AC Club back in Barcelona’s Port Vell. The vital decisions for Ben Ainslie and
his COO David Endean will be how to regenerate the team, expand its excellence, distil the experience gained, plug the gaps and backfill perceived weaknesses while maximising its capital of knowledge and relationship with Mercedes F1. Ben Ainslie also pointed to the likelihood of other backers joining Sir Jim Ratcliffe as well as other commercial partners. Some past and current backers of the ‘Ainslie sailing pro- jects’ were noted observing in Barcelona. The British AC38 campaign is rolling
already.
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