Cup Spy Dec 11: Swiss - AC75 training off Barcelona
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World NZ 12 Dec 2023 00:26 PST
8 December 2023
Alinghi Red Bull Racing - AC75 - Day 105 - Barcelona - December 11, 2023 © Alex Carabi / America's Cup
Alinghi Red Bull Racing was the only team to conduct testing off Barcelona on Monday. They sailed their AC75 in the three hours session, which passed without incident.
What happened in the Cup - December 11, 2023:
- Alinghi Red Bull Racing - Trained in their AC75 out of Barcelona
- Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - Suffered a compression crack in the port topside of their LEQ12 on Tuesday. There is no update on the repair.
- American Magic - Sailed out of Barcelona last Thursday in their AC75.
- Emirates Team New Zealand - Did not sail and have returned to Auckland. Their "A" Sailing Team won the SailGP Dubai event over the weekend.
- INEOS Britannia - Did not sail - No update on their situation - they had rudder/rudder box issues for the second time in mid-November.
- Orient Express Racing Team - No report, however also competed in the SailGP Dubai, placing fourth.
AC37 Joint Recon Team Reports:
Alinghi Red Bull Racing - AC75 - Day 105 - December 11, 2023 - Barcelona
Alinghi Red Bull Racing rolled out their AC75 at 10:00hrs. The yacht was craned in, and routine systems checks were carried out. Notably, the port foil was lifted multiple times, while the starboard foil was lifted once. Electronics technicians worked on the starboard helm, likely implementing upgrades, using parts from a “spare wheel” bag. After most crew members disembarked the yacht, further testing of mast rotation and cunningham actuators was conducted, powered by the forward left cyclor pod.
The team docked out at 12:00hrs, towing the yacht 1.7nm offshore into the WNW wind. The M1-1R mainsail and J3-1R jib were hoisted. The clew has since been modified and now completely covers the mainsheet system. Yves Courvoisier and Gautier Sergeant were on the Catalyst 45 chase boat, likely observing the changes made to the mainsail.
Stint 1 (12:45hrs - 12:55hrs, 8-10kt 290° @ 12:20hrs , 4-5kt 290° @ 12:45hrs):
With very patchy conditions, sailing began in a lull but progressed to fully foiling after sailing in displacement a couple minutes North into a stronger patch of wind, with six consecutive gybes downwind. A 5-minute stop followed for adjustments.
Stint 2 (13:00hrs - 13:25hrs, 7-10kt 270° @ 13:00hrs , 9-12kt 270° @ 13:10hrs):
The team sailed a short upwind, followed by a downwind, then rounded up and stopped for a minute before setting off again and repeating the same course. A 5-minute break followed as the team rehydrated and prepared to sail again.
Stint 3 (13:30hrs - 13:45hrs):
The team sailed upwind, touching down on one tack after gaining too much height right before entering the manoeuvre. After returning to foil, a couple more tacks were
performed before a bear away and a gybe to finish the stint. The J3-1R jib was exchanged to the J2-2L as the wind started to decrease.
Stint 4 (14:10hrs - 14:25hrs, 4-6kt 280° @ 13:50hrs , 5-7kt 275° @ 14:05hrs):
The team set off with a short upwind/downing before practicing round ups and bear aways. Three round ups and three bear aways were performed on each tack.
Stint 5 (14:35hrs - 14:55hrs, 8-10.5kt 275° @ 14:35hrs , 5-8kts 275° @ 15:00hrs):
A further three round-ups and three bear-aways were performed on each tack, followed by a long upwind leg of 10 tacks (only half were fully foiling) in patchy conditions. The team concluded sailing at 15:00hrs and dropped the sails.
The team spent three and a half hours on the water, with 85 minutes spent sailing. A total of 49 manoeuvres were observed, with a 78% fully foiling rate.
Session Statistics: Alinghi Red Bull Racing - AC75 - Day 104 - December 7, 2023 - Barcelona
- Weather: 16°. Partly cloudy
- Wind Strength 5-12kts
- Wind Direction: 270° - 290°
- Sea State: Flat 0.4mtr
- Crane In: 1035hrs Dock Out: 1200hrs
- Dock In: 1535hrs Crane out: 1600hrs
- Total Tacks: 24 - Fully foiling: 17; Touch & Go: 5; Touch Down: 4
- Total Gybes: 23 - Fully foiling: 21; Touch & Go: 2; Touch Down: 0
Crew:Sailing: Arnaud Psarofaghis, Maxime Bachelin, Nicolas Charbonnier, Yves Detrey, Bryan Mettraux, Lucien Crujean. Power: Thiery Schir, Nils Theuninck, Nico Stahlberg, Barnabé Delarze
Additional Images:
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.