Snug as a bug in a rug: Charlie Dalin ‘at home’ on his Verdier-designed Imoca Macif shortly before the start of the Vendée Globe – when no one can use any of his new ideas. Macif is split into three below; the normal large forward section for sails, watertight compartments and a bow ballast tank. Aft of that is a shorter than usual working cockpit with the sailing control functions plus instrument displays for trimming. However, aft of that is this whole other ‘cabin’ (for orientation the windows let out over the stern). As well as all the living facilities, this is Macif’s nerve centre from which Dalin can run tactics and navigation, analyse performance and communicate. All seating and sleeping ‘furniture’ is equipped with tailored padding and strap-in belts to minimise risk of injury. All tucked in (right) Dalin at rest feet forward… How many years is it since boats went so slowly that it was safe to sleep head-first?
This was the second time the America’s Cup has been contested
in the AC75 foiling monohull yachts. Following ETNZ’s successful challenge against then defender Oracle in Bermuda in 2017, raced in AC50 foiling catamarans, we knew that the Kiwis had promised their Challenger of Record for 2021, Luna Rossa, that AC36 would be raced in monohulls. ETNZ’S announcement of the audacious AC75 took us by surprise. Before its debut on the water the AC75 was the object of much
curiosity and a fair bit of scepticism. Could they sail without falling over? Could they race? The AC75s delivered exciting racing in Auckland in 2021 and were retained for AC37 in Barcelona. They will be used again in AC38, likely to be held in 2026. The four teams that raced in Auckland in 2021 all returned, and
were joined by two additional challengers. Orient Express Racing Team from France were the last team to join, once team principal Stephan Kandler and team manager Bruno Dubois lined up funding. With no time to recruit a design team, they bought a design package from ETNZ, giving them a solid platform. Their sailors have won races and turned heads in the foiling catamarans on the SailGP circuit, but they had limited time in the AC75. They were the first team to exit the competition, being eliminated at the end of the round robin. Alinghi Red Bull Racing from Switzerland were not a new team, but
they were new to America’s Cup competition in foiling boats. They bought ETNZ’s first AC75 and began training in Barcelona well before
any other team, while they were designing their own AC75. Helmsman Arnaud Psarofaghis has won on the SailGP circuit sailing for the New Zealand team, but overall a relatively youthful Alinghi squad had the least experience among the four teams in the semi-final. Alinghi were eliminated by Ineos Britannia, who would go on to win the Louis Vuitton Cup and race defender ETNZ in the AC Match. In 2021 Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli won the Challenger Selection
Series in Auckland but fell to the Kiwi defender 7-3. The Italian team for 2024 was Patrizio Bertelli’s seventh challenge, but they were eliminated by Ineos Britannia. Luna Rossa defeated New York Yacht Club American Magic in their semi-final. A good way to understand how this America’s Cup Match played
out is to go back to the evolution of the AC75 Class Rule. The November 2017 concept video for the AC75 showed a foiling monohull with sailors standing in the cockpit at upright grinding pedestals. The boats rendered in the video carried asymmetric spinnakers. The rule forbade cyclors and self-tacking jibs, so that we would see the crew working. This daring concept was shown to work when American Magic
launched a 40ft test boat. ETNZ’s design leader Dan Bernasconi breathed a sigh of relief to see his concept in the real world, standing up and sailing fast. The Kiwis had not built a prototype – they had developed the AC75
in their simulation software. By the time the full-sized AC75s hit the water the realisation had sunk in that parasitic aero drag would be
SEAHORSE 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104
