New French Challenger for Europes America's Cup

by Stephanie Nadin on 21 Feb 2003 K-Yachting is pleased to announce its first technical sponsor, CEA. The CEA (French Nuclear Energy Agency), is a valuable technical partner of the K-Challenge and will provide access to its super calculator which is the 7th most powerful computer in the world. It will be used for CFD, numerical simulation, and weather modelling.



The partnership also includes the support of MCube, a software company that has codes used in previous Cup campaigns and in the automobile industry. The computer will be managed by HP (Hewlett Packard France). This calculation power is usually reserved for scientific or military applications. The availability of these computers for this private/public partnership will give the K-Challenge’s design team a unique, powerful and time saving tool.



A core design team has been identified, including a technical director, designers and engineers. They will begin work in March, shortly after they are released from current commitments. “We consider the design team a priority in our battle against time and they will begin work very shortly” stressed K-Challenge GM, Stephan Kandler. Another priority is boats and K-Yachting is currently in negotiations to purchase 2003 generation IACC boats.



The international, coed sailing team will be built from K-Yachting sailors from the 2002 season, current America’s Cup racers and a sailors identified through a ‘try out’ system. The sailing team tryouts are tentatively scheduled for June 2003. Details will be posted on http://www.k-challenge.com.



Before a race had been sailed in America’s Cup 2003 K-Challenge announced their candidacy for America’s Cup XXXII. Today, a year later, K-Challenge has taken form and is only waiting for the venue to be decided before finalizing plans.



“Sponsorship is an ongoing challenge in every America’s Cup team but we are pleased that we have raised a portion of our 60 million Euros budget and continue to make progress” clarified Stephan Kandler.



He added “Thanks to our historical presence in Toulouse, (the European aerospace capital), we are maintaining close relationships with the aeronautical community and their innovative technologies. “



Marseilles, France’s second largest city, has officially offered to host the K-Challenge’s including providing a base and facilities, allowing the team to start training before the end of this year. K-Challenge has also received proposals from other locations. These proposals will be considered after the winner of this Cup is decided.



French Meterologist, Nicolas Ducet has begun work on weather modelling tools and is researching local weather data in the ever changing potential venues. This work is undertaken in association with government meterological agencies. Weather information is critical at the beginning of the design process.



“Over the years, we have sailed and worked with many of the top sailors & designers (Rolf Vrolijk, Jochen Schümann, Paul Cayard, Bertrand Pacé, Eckart Wagner, Luc Gellusseau, Philippe Briand, Juan Kouyoumdjan, Bruno Troublé, Lionel Péan, Bertrand De Broc, Michel Joubert, Bernard Nivelt, Heiner Meldner, etc.), and we have watched every America’s Cup since 1983.” said President of Honor, Ortwin Kandler. He added – “I feel that we know how the game is played and we have built up our desire to succeed in the most ambitious sailing project, the America’s Cup”.



Ortwin Kandler explained : “Being one of Airbus’s pioneers, I know how hard it is to build a challenge like ours, which involves people from different cultures, but I am convinced that this helped us to keep on innovating and be today’s leader. I know that the philosophy and the people we have chosen will enable us to achieve the same goal.”