Cup Spy Feb 24: Emirates Team NZ push hard in 22kt. Steady progress for the Italians.
by Compiled by Richard Gladwell/Sail-world.com/nz 25 Feb 2023 21:28 PST
26 February 2023
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - LEQ12 - Day 35 - February 24, 2023 - Cagliari © Ivo Rovira / America'sCup
What happened in the Cup - Feb 24, 2023:
The Italians continued with their development program on the LEQ12. Auckland's weather switched back to strong winds and rain on Friday, however the Kiwi team took the LEQ12, with a wingfoil modification, out for a few runs on the outer Waitemata Harbour in winds of 14-22kts. There were some spectacular moments when the crew seemed to be on the edge of control. Meanwhile their AC75 Te Rehutai remains tantalizingly visible just inside the shed, with no sailing commencement date announced.
- Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailed out of Cagliari in a light 10-12kts SE breeze.
- Emirates Team New Zealand sailed the LEQ12 in fresh winds, testing a new addition to one wing foil - with some spectacular results at times.
- INEOS Britannia did not sail in Mallorca.
- Alinghi Red Bull Racing did not sail in Barcelona.
- American Magic have decommissioned their AC75 and will not start training again until the beginning of March
- Orient Express Team (formerly French K-Challenge) - no update.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - LEQ12 - Cagliari - February 24, 2023 - Day 35
From the AC37 Joint Recon Team:
The LRPP team rolled out their LEQ12 at 8:00am, stepped the mast and craned in 20 minutes later.
Considering the latest forecast update the breeze delayed and dock-out was postponed to 11:00.
The shore crew run the usual FCS checks and further tests employing an aluminium bar near the mast base and below deck, usual sailor checks followed.
Regarding the boat configuration, a Gopro case was mounted onto the inboard SB wing pointing towards tip with some red markings on pressure side for better flow monitoring. Right before docking out, expecting higher pressure during the day, the previously declared mainsail M2-1 was locked in the mast.
Leaving the harbour, the team headed just outside of the Cagliari harbour to fully hoist the main awaiting for the first steady breeze sights to fill in the bay.
Wind conditions looked quite shifty at first with a SE swell of 0.5m 4-5 s period. When finally the SSW pressure arrived, the jib J1.5-1 was hoisted and the four man crew self launched their LEQ12 and sailed for approx 15 minutes executing some maneuvers and several warm up bear aways and luff-ups.
While coming up, the prototype heeled strongly to leeward and almost broached out of the water falling onto hull-borne state.
A quick break followed, the SSW breeze had increased to 11-13kn and the team changed to J2 as foresail. In the meanwhile the team RIB had placed some marks to be rounded and the LEQ12 completed two upwind and two downwind legs - struggling slightly on fully foiling maneuvers and sailing "touch and go" through the sea state.
Considering the sea state, the AC37 Joint Recon RIB struggled to follow the prototype entirely during the sailing session.
Around 2pm the breeze shifted to SE and the tow-launched prototype sailed further offshore in the bay, before heading back at the race course completing the sailing session at the leeward mark with a recorded foiling time of approx. 69 minutes, a total of 21 maneuvers consisting of 12 tacks and nine gybes in addition to some mark rounding maneuvers. [Michele Melis AC-Recon]
Session Statistics - Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - LEQ12 - Cagliari - February 24, 2023 - Day 35
- Wind Strength 10-12kts
- Wind Direction: SE
- Weather: Cloud/Sunny 15-18°C
- Sea State: 0.5mtr SE
- Roll out: 0820hrs Dock Out: 1100hrs
- Dock In: 1515hrs Crane out: 1830hrs
- Total Tacks: 12 - Fully foiling: 6; Touch & Go: 4; Touch Down: 2
- Total Gybes: 9 - Fully foiling: 5; Touch & Go: 3; Touch Down: 1
Crew: Francesco Bruni, Ruggerio Tita, Marco Gradoni, Andrea Tesei, Umberto Molineris Vittorio Bissaro
Emirates Team NZ - LEQ12 - Auckland - February 24, 2022 - Day 20
From the AC37 Joint Recon Team [Alastair Moore AC-Recon]:
A one boat day today under grey, cold for summer conditions. The LEQ12 was on the dock edge by nine sporting a winglet/fin off the bottom of the anhedral foil, rigged and in the pen by 09.20.
With only one boat sailing there was fewer people on the dock with a calm sense of purpose coming from the base. The yacht was towed from her berth at 10.00 and taken down to Mechanics bay where sails were loaded and bent on. The head board was loaded by 10.15 and she was sailing by 10.31 with the #2 jib.
It still took at least six people to hoist and rig the main.
The LEQ12 now did two runs on starboard out to Northern leading and two on port into wards compass dolphin. She stopped sailing at 10.48 and changed to the #3 jib. The boys got her going again at 10.57 and headed out between Northern Leading and the southern end of Takapuna beach.
Here we had long runs on starboard looking to test speed and control. After a gybe off Takapuna there was a lay through-one sided beat back to Northern Leading mainly on Port tack. Over this bit of water there was a very changeable sea state, with wind against tide waves off the SW end of Rangitoto and into the Motukorea channel.
Once north of Saltworks-Cheltenham it was flat with only small wind waves.
We witnessed two or three moments after a manoeuvre where the boat looked nearly out of control. Leaping into the sky and the crashing back down.
With for laps of this piece of water and with the tide on the turn the LEQ12 made her run for home stopping off Mechanics bay at 11.48 to drop sails.
Session Statistics - Emirates Team NZ - LEQ12 - Auckland - February 24, 2022 - Day 20
- Weather: 16°C 100% cloud cover, Rain
- Wind Strength: 14-22 knots
- Wind Direction: SE
- Sea State: Rough
- Roll out: 1050hrs Dock Out: 1315hrs
- Dock In: 1635hrs Crane out: 1705hrs
- Total Tacks: 11 - Fully foiling: 8; Touch & Go: 2; Touch Down: 0
- Total Gybes: 10 - Fully foiling: 8; Touch & Go: 2; Touch Down: 0
Crew: Nathan Outteridge, Peter Burling, Andy Maloney, Blair Tuke
Additional Images: