Cup Spy - May 15: Te Rehutai signs off ETNZ's AC75 Auckland based development program
by Richard Gladwell Sail-World NZ 16 May 2023 06:50 PDT
15 May 2023
America's Cup Champion Te Rehutai concludes its final sailing day in Auckland, passing Bean Rock and two Olympic 49ers - May 2023 © Richard Gladwell - Sail-World.com / nz
What happened in the Cup - May 15, 2023:
- American Magic has ceased sailing pending a move to Barcelona with their AC75 and AC-40. Media reports in New Zealand have it that American Magic has sought dispensation from the Arbitration Panel to not be required to compete in the Preliminary Regatta in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Protocol governing the 37th America's Cup provides in 10.2(a) a competitor is not obliged to compete if they have "reasonable and genuine safety concerns of the Competitor." This is a matter for the Arbitration Panel to decide, otherwise there is a standard points deduction to be applied.
- Luna Rossa sailed from Cagliari, in their AC-40 One Design
- Emirates Team New Zealand sailed for the final time in Auckland in their AC75, the 2021 America's Cup winner, which has been running a test and development program for 19 days starting on March 20, 2023.
- INEOS Britannia sailed from Mallorca in their LEQ12 test and development boat "T6"
- Alinghi Red Bull Racing did not sail.
- No further news from the Orient Express Team (formerly K-Challenge).
Emirates Team NZ - AC75 - Day 19 - May 15, 2023 - Auckland
America's Cup Champion, Te Rehutai has wound up Emirates Team New Zealand's development program with a final sailing day in Auckland, today.
The session started with an uncooperative NE breeze which never amounted to much - until a rain squall moved over Auckland bringing a SW change and some ideal flat water sailing conditions on Course E - between Maretai and Waiheke Island which was the venue for much of the racing in the 2021 America's Cup. The sailing consisted of some standard speed runs, and after a significant period of downtime, the crew resumed sailing with some short course racing practice, before beating back up the Waitemata for the last time in New Zealand.
The AC75, which has been modified to suit Version 2 of the AC75 Class Rule will now be shipped to Barcelona, along with an AC40-OD, and will recommence sailing on July. All teams are permitted to sail only in Barcelona between July 1 and October 31, 2023. They will be all sailing from their new permanent bases in Port Vell, Barcelona.
From the AC37 Joint Recon Team [Alastair Moore AC-Recon]:
Te Rehutai was out of the shed just before 0900hrs and was in the pen floating at 0930hrs. She was side towed from her berth at 1030hrs and was taken just outside the basin to bend on sails.
The M2 [mainsail] was hoisted and on the lock by 1040hrs followed by the J1 [ji] on its lock by 1050hrs. Being very light, below 6kts from the SW coming over the city she was always going to struggle to get foil born and after a few minutes of trying she was towed down to inner harbour to Mechanics Bay where she dropped her tow, and tried to gybe but came off her foils shortly after the exit.
She did two displacement crossings of the harbour between Devonport and Compass Dolphin area.
Te Rehutai was taken in tow with sails up and taken out the Rangitoto channel to Rangitoto light house the she dropped her tow and did a series of zig zags on port out towards Tiritiri Matangi Island, [marking the northern edge of the Inner Hauraki Gulf].
She gybed over and came to a stop just NE of A buoy [outer Waitemata Harbour limit] at 1152hrs. There were tech personnel seen at the mast base and going below decks through the forward hatch. At 1210hrs she was sailing again this time zig zagging her way on starboard down towards the Noisies where she hardened up and headed for the Motuihe channel.
In a light spot she came off her foils here and the chase boat came along side at 1234hrs. At 1311hrs the J1 [jib] was dropped and at 1315hrs the J4 [jib] was hoisted and she was sailing South towards the Back Paddock [AC2021 Course E] at 1324hrs. A two mile windward leeward course with gates top and bottom was set just off eastern beach in 12-14 kts of SW breeze.
Here after some down time and another crew rotation Te Rehutai went into three full race practices doing one full lap of the set course. The first pre start practice was quite standard by 2021 standards, the second two showed much more aggression with at least two full 360 degree manoeuvres each time. First start was at 1513hrs, second at 1525hrs and third at 1532hrs. After the three practice races she headed for home on a one sided beat up Motukorea channel [past Browns Island] and into the harbour to come to a stop outside the basin at 1556hrs.
Session Statistics - Emirates Team NZ - AC75 - Day 19 - May 15, 2023 - Auckland
- Weather: 14°C 20% Sunny with occasional showers
- Wind Strength: 6-12kts
- Wind Direction: S
- Sea State: Slight
- Roll out: 0930hrs Dock Out: 1030hrs
- Dock In: 1610hrs Crane out: 1705hrs
- Total Tacks: 43 - Fully foiling: 37; Touch & Go: 5; Touch Down: 1
- Total Gybes: 36 - Fully foiling: 30; Touch & Go: 4; Touch Down: 2
Crew: (LEQ12) Nathan Outteridge, Peter Burling, Andy Maloney, Blair Tuke, Simon Van Velthooven, Marius Van Der Pol, Louis Sinclair, Louis Crosby, Hamish Bond, Marcus Hansen, Sam Meech
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - AC40 - Day 5 - May 15, 2023 - Cagliari
From the AC37 Joint Recon Team:
The LRPP AC40 hull rolled out from the shed at 0740hrs along with the mast which was stepped during the following 30 minutes.
Once craned in, the team conducted the usual routine checks by means of board rise/drops, rudder rake, sail controls etc. and set up some Go-Pros on board. Before docking out at 0900hrs, the J2 and J3 [jibs] were loaded on Chase-2 while the mainsail was being locked in the mast fittings.
The morning forecast looked quite promising with some steady medium range Maestrale slightly shifted to North and expected to build to upper range towards noon. The AC37 Joint Recon Team anemometer displayed 9-11kts when the J2 was hoisted with the mainsail just offshore of La Sella del Diavolo.
Once all set, the sailors were able to take off on the AC40 on starboard tack with a steady looking transition on 80° True Wind Angle TWA) and 15kts boat speed.
As the first foiling stint began, the team performed an equal number of upwind and downwind maneuvers, mostly fully foiling.
During the following foiling runs of the day, the team seemed to concentrate mostly on upwind maneuvers. While setting up one tack on starboard tack, the AC40 almost lost stability as it seemed that the starboard board did not drop completely. No major issue for the team which took the chance to have lunch break and rotate some crew members.
The Maestrale pressure was increasing to 16-18kts as the team took the AC40 for another few rides before stopping to change foresail switching to the J3. Once the jib was hoisted, the AC40 was released from the tow line and the crew attempted a self take off.
The transition from hull-borne to foil-borne appeared quite unsteady as the team seemed to struggle controlling the ride height increment switching between autopilot and manual modes while healing to windward.
Once up and foiling, the AC40 sailed for a final foiling stint in upper range breeze and significant wind chop. As the wind increased further, LRPP called it a day with a recorded foiling time of 102 minutes, 23 tacks and 16 gybes.
[Michele Melis AC Recon].
Session Statistics: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - AC40 - Day 5 - May 15, 2023 - Cagliari
- Weather: Cloudy 21°C
- Wind Strength 9-14kts
- Wind Direction: NW Maestrale (Mistral) breeze
- Sea State: Flat
- Roll out: 0810hrs Dock Out: 0900hrs
- Dock In: 1210hrs Crane out: 1400hrs
- Total Tacks: 23 - Fully foiling: 20; Touch & Go: 2; Touch Down: 1
- Total Gybes: 16 - Fully foiling: 14; Touch & Go: 1; Touch Down: 1
Crew: Francesco Bruni, Marco Gradoni, Jimmy Spithill, Andrea Tesei, Umberto Molineris, Vittorio Bissaro
INEOS Britannia - LEQ12 - Day 48 - May 15, 2023 - Mallorca
Top sailing journalist Justin Chisholm was on the water and made various observations on the British boat:
INEOS Britannia began the week today in the same full-bore fashion as they concluded the previous week.
Although the southerly thermal breeze on Palma Bay today didn't peak as high as on Friday the early 6-7 knots steadily ramped up over the day to 13-14 knots as measured at sea level from the recon rib.
The 240° wind direction also made for flatter conditions than on Friday – making it all in all a perfect day to try to tick off as many as possible of the testing exercises prescribed by the design department.
The focus on the test list meant many fewer maneuvers than the last outing but all the tacks and gybes were executed foil to foil.
The main focus seemed to be on data gathering during upwind take offs and landings with the boat sailing narrow angles to the wind before dropping off the foil, at which point the crew would immediately bear away to accelerate into another take off.
Later in the afternoon there was a prolonged session with the boat sailed bow up upwind with the aft section of the bustle skimming the waves. Mixed in with all of this were some fast upwind and downwind runs, with speeds upwind peaking in the low 30kt range and downwind into the mid 40kts.
Other than a short delay early in the day to remedy an issue with the yacht's sophisticated headsail traveller/jib sheeting system the British T6 LEQ12 seemed to be firing on all cylinders throughout the day. Having docked out at 1300hrs and back in again at 1730hrs the crew racked up more than 70 nautical miles in the four hour 45 minute session.
Session Statistics: INEOS Britannia - LEQ12 - Day 48 - May 15, 2023 - Mallorca
- Weather: Sunny 18°-23° C
- Wind Strength 12-15kts Light to Moderate chop
- Wind Direction: 240°
- Roll out: 1140hrs Dock Out: 1258hrs
- Dock In: 1745hrs Crane out: 1815hrs
- Total Tacks: 14 - Fully foiling: 14; Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 0
- Total Gybes: 11 - Fully foiling: 11; Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 0
This commentary was written and compiled from video, still images and statistical content extracted from the AC37 Joint Recon program and other material available to Sail-World NZ including photo files, and other on the water coverage from the 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2021 America's Cups. Its format is intended to give Sail-World readers a snapshot of all teams' progress on a given day or period.