Please select your home edition
Edition
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - LEADERBOARD

America's Cup: AC75 designs and campaigns critiqued by a competitor and independent designer

by Tip&Shaft/Sail-World.com/nz 1 Mar 2020 18:48 PST 2 March 2020
American Magic - Pensacola - New York Yacht Club - America's Cup - February 2020 © Will Ricketson/NYYC

Two technical commentaries have appeared in the sailing media over the past few days taking a look at the AC75 designs, the campaigns and their nuances.

American Magic suppliers Helly Hansen took a very small media group behind the curtain in Pensacola, Florida to see the winter training base of American Magic. Tip & Shaft's Andi Robertson spoke with Skipper/CEO Terry Hutchinson,

First up Hutchinson was asked to evaluate their position against the other teams:

"It was interesting to see Luna Rossa is a very science driven boat with incredibly small foils. Team New Zealand is the exact opposite. Team New Zealand has very big foils. It was exciting from a competitor perspective to see Team New Zealand launch with asymmetric foils, a flat one on one side and a anhedral one on the other side, that tells you their science is not 100 percent sure. And it tells you the simulator is not so good and you also would not build a mule.

"Team New Zealand are the most polished, outside of us, on doing laps. But their foils were incredibly big. I am excited to see that fact in the second half of New Zealand's training they have been on smaller foils, they start coming towards us and it will be interesting to see what Luna Rossa do, but it is good to see people coming towards you."

On time on the water by INEOS Team UK:

"Since we have launched the boat, of 95 potential sailing days we have had 32 sailing days," Hutchinson told Tip & Shaft.

"INEOS have had roughly 135 days or 140 days available and have sailed 15 days. They have moved all their stuff down to Cagliari and then they go there to sail and then go back to England and take ten days off. And now they are at SailGP which I can get to, I understand, it is high speed racing it is race practice".

Hutchinson echoes the lines expressed previously by INEOS Team UK's Ben Ainslie, saying that Luna Rossa and Emirates Team NZ got a jump on the other teams by having the class rules for seven months longer than the rest of the Challengers. They both went in a different design direction with a skiff concept rather than the scow favoured by INEOS Team UK and American Magic with the first boat Defiant.

"Luna Rossa and Team New Zealand are the two teams on top as they really have had the rule for seven months longer because they wrote the rule, they knew what was going into it," Hutchinson told Tip & Shaft

"We basically got it [the class rule] in February 18 and by August we were delivering lines after the rule got locked in on June 30th. It is interesting to see the hulls and what six months of design can do for you. If I was to pick a boat out of the three, I love Defiant and she is going to do great work for us, but I can see Luna Rossa is pretty nice, aerodynamically it is very friendly and has very small foils.

"This competition is going to be won and lost in manoeuvrability and straight line performance. If we were to sail across Pensacola Bay in a straight line I probably would take the Luna Rossa boat but if we were to sail across Pensacola Bay and in 40 seconds have to do a manoeuvre then 100 per cent I would take Defiant every day of the week."

"Now the team which can shed all the drag and get rid of everything will be very hard to beat. But you have to be able to get up on the foil and you have to make sure you can manoeuvre and stay on the foil and remember the wind limit is 6.5kts at the bottom that is a big number (in terms of importance). " "Knowing that number and Luna Rossa I will bet my life that they're next set of foils are significantly bigger."

Hutchinson says American Magic have been clocking up some long hours on the water and are getting a high percentage of sailing days out of the calendar.

"If we get 50 per cent of sailing out of six hours on the water that is a good day," he explained when asked to quantify a good sailing day. "Our best day here is a 78 miles day inside six miles by two miles. That is a lot of foiling. We had two days in a row that we did over 140 miles, and days like these are incredibly valuable."

New Zealander Dean Barker was with Team New Zealand for four campaigns before making way before starting a new team, Softbank Team Japan in 2017. Barker and Hutchinson were skipper and tactician respectively for the 2007 America's Cup aboard Team New Zealand. How is the new relationship going onboard the foiling monohull, along with other crew Andrew Campbell (USA) and Paul Goodison (UK)?

"Where is hits me most with Dean is like last week were out sailing across the Bay ripping along on port tack and he says 'stand by to bear off' and I am standing by my pedestal and the windspeed is at 26 and a half knots and I look over and think 'this is going to be interesting...' I am thinking about my 'exit strategy off the boat, and Dean says 'bearing away in 3,2,1....' The bow comes down and we go careening off across the Bay at 55 miles an hour and he is laughing, Andrew (Campbell, flight controller) and Goody (Paul Goodison, main trimmer) is laughing. That is the component of experience, a level you know nothing is going to affect him on the day."

"Dean was a known, Goody and Andrew were the unknowns and they are both in respective roles – Goody is three times Moth World Champion, Gold Medallist and an incredibly talented sailor but what you see developing in his skill set here is way beyond what you ever expected. And Andrew is the same. He is the quiet Saxon, he stands up day in day out flies the boat and is complete flat line. He has such responsibility but takes it on to the nth degree. That side is incredibly exciting."

For the full interview from the Tip & Shaft newsletter click here

To subscribe to the weekly English language newsletter from Tip and Shaft (a reference to the two parts of a foiling dagger board) click here

For a further analysis of the four AC75 designs, published in Sailing World by designer Scott Fergusson, who was with Oracle Team USA for the last three America's Cup campaigns click here. The analysis is very good but needs to be read in its entirety.

Related Articles

America's Cup - #3 Finish Line
The Cup is still undecided. And somewhere, in one last simulation, the universe holds its breath. The Cup is still undecided. And somewhere, in one last simulation, the universe holds its breath. Step into the last leg. This is where legends break — or rise. Posted on 23 Jun
Cup Spy: "Burling Rule" unlikely to be changed
The Defender is unlikely to soften the Rules and allow open season on its sailing team. Despite the shift of three times America's Cup winner, Peter Burling it is understood that there is unlikely to be any softening of the Nationality rule to enable Burling to get any closer to the action than a chase-boat in the 38th America's Cup. Posted on 20 Jun
Burling "excited' by Italian move
In a media statement issued by his Media Team, Burling says he remains fully committed to his role w In a media statement issued by his Media Team, Burling says he remains fully committed to his role with Black Foils, the New Zealand SailGP Team. Posted on 20 Jun
America's Cup: Kiwis advertising for key people
Emirates Team NZ seeking new people for key roles ahead of its 12th America's Cup campaign Emirates Team New Zealand, the current America's Cup champion is gearing up for the 2027 Defence of the most prestigious trophy in sailing. The team has advertised eight positions in the IT, Meteorology and Engineering areas Posted on 12 Jun
America's Cup: Another sponsor signs for Italians
Luna Rossa has announced that Unipol has renewed its trust in the team Luna Rossa has announced that Unipol has renewed its trust in the team and will accompany it as an official sponsor for the duration of the 38th America's Cup. Posted on 5 Jun
America's Cup fillibustered by Challengers
A Cup in turmoil - Protocol is unsigned - with entries due to open on Sunday. Updated story: America's Cup got underway in Rome on Monday, with Round 2 of the official welcoming ceremonies on Wednesday in Naples. However three teams are working in collusion and have again issued statements within minutes of each other. Posted on 29 May
America's Cup enthusiastically received in Naples
The Castel dell'Ovo, was the venue for the arrival of the America's Cup in Napes The Castel dell'Ovo, set on the tuft peninsula of Megaride was the outstanding setting for the Official Host Venue Presentation of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup. Posted on 28 May
Italian PM welcomes America's Cup in Rome
Prime Minister Meloni set out a bold vision for the regeneration planned around AC38 The magnificent setting of the Casino del Bel Respiro, commissioned by Pope Innocent X in 1644, in the grounds of Villa Pamphilj, was the outstanding and historic setting for the formal presentation of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup. Posted on 26 May
America's Cup: Big changes in crew line-up
Women and Youth crews to sail in AC75 in the next Cup - Final Draft of AC38 Protocol Historic changes are proposed in the Final Draft of the Protocol released by the America's Cup Defender. For the first time a Female and Youth crew members will be part of the six-crew lineup on board the all-electric AC75s. Posted on 23 May
America's Cup: The Blitz of Statements
Various parties associated with the America's Cup released statements calling for more transparency Various parties associated with the America's Cup released statements calling for more transparency in the America's Cup. Emirates Team New Zealand responded by releasing what is tagged as the Final Draft of the Protocol. Posted on 23 May
North Sails Loft 57 PodcastMaritimo 2023 M600 FOOTERLloyd Stevenson - AC Alinghi 1456x180px BOTTOM