Four teams race time in testing
The basics have been proven, now it’s about finding the magic ingredients.
Just where the radical new America’s Cup designs converge will be fascinating after the four heavyweight teams revealed significant design differences with their first generation of foiling 75-foot monohulls.
The race is on now to refine the design for the second boats that will be sailed at Auckland 2021.
Teams will be looking at their rivals as well as themselves, seeking the best systems. Time is ticking away quickly as the syndicates immerse themselves in an intense testing phase, desperate to get crucial data off the new boats to improve their next AC75s.
Team New Zealand have been getting increasing time out on the water as Auckland’s spring weather starts to settle. By all accounts they have Te Aihe looking fast, manoeuvrable and stable.
Like the New York yacht Club’s American Magic, the defenders were quick to show their design could foil.
Italy’s Luna Rossa and Team INEOS UK have followed in this launch-and-sail phase with only California’s Stars + Stripes left to get their delayed design wet.
From straight lines to gybes and tacks, the foiling evolution continues.
American Magic are in the middle of a weather system that has stalled their progress and they will soon shift from Rhode Island to Florida to get better conditions. Likewise, Team INEOS UK are set to flee the imminent British winter for a better climate in Sardinia, where they will join Luna Rossa.
Here’s a broad look at some of the differences already unveiled in the design thinking.
Most of it centres around the hull with teams looking for a shape with minimal drag, as well as the stability required for takeoff. This is a boat that will need to briefly sail before literally flying and aerodynamics have dominated the designs.
It’s possible to pair the four boats with the Kiwis and the Italians choosing one approach and the British and the Americans going in another direction.
The British hull shape is probably the most radical in appearance. While the bottom has a very clean scow-like line – similar to NYYC American Magic and opposite to Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa – the deck layout has a completely new design, with a very flat and low bow, slab sides and a straight sheerline toward the stern.
The British hull seems wider, with the foil rotation points appearing to be inside the hull compared to the other teams that have a dimple treatment, where the carbon foil arms stick out from the hull.
Luna Rossa have gone in the opposite direction with a boat similar, but more radical than the defenders. Despite a more traditional bow the sheerline is quite pronounced and tapers towards the transom. The bottom has a rounded-V structure in the centre ending just ahead of the rudder.
What the four AC75’s have in common is the cockpit where they are all divided in two by a central extension to the forward deck, creating two pits for the crew. But they have all have layout variations to add to the intrigue of the operational function.
In the foil department, both Luna Rossa and Britannia have opted for a tapered central bulb similar to American Magic and noticeably different to the Kiwis, who led the way in this crucial area as they won in Bermuda.
INEOS Team UK appear to have bigger wings and two different foil shapes per side, whereas Luna Rossa have the smallest wings.
What won’t be revealed are the highly sophisticated flightcontrol systems that will be key in the performance of these boats.
In terms of outright speed it’s early stages in testing and the real figures are yet to materialise.
There won’t be any feel for these monsters in a boat-on-boat situation until the first world series regatta is held next April.