Am Cup: Rating the teams in countdown to NZ battle
Duncan Johnstone runs the rule over who’s right and who’s wrong as syndicates chart different courses in race to win Auld Mug.
Defenders Team New Zealand look to be in a strong position as the countdown to the America’s Cup quickens.
Spring has sprung and with it comes a crucial phase of the Cup buildup, as the four teams get ready to unveil their second AC75s which will be sailed in Auckland racing.
The syndicates have taken different routes to be ready as they have worked around a programme seriously disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
How they will figure when they finally line out in racing each other for the first time in the Christmas Cup regatta in Auckland on December 17-20 is a multimillion dollar question that only the riches of the America’s Cup can answer.
Here’s how we rank them with time, the Cup’s most valuable commodity, rapidly ticking away.
1 – EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND
The defenders designed the class rule for the radical new boat and have made good progress in squeezing the maximum out of those parameters. They lost valuable time on the first generation Te Aihe that made a round trip to Europe for nothing, but cleverly used their small-scale test boat to continue development during that absence. The test boat proved so effective it has remained a crucial tool in transitioning vital elements like foils and sails to the bigger platform, the benefits of which will soon be seen with the launch of the second generation AC75, which will be used to defend the Cup. Team NZ are also open-minded, saying they will incorporate some of the better features of their opponents’ design philosophies if they see genuine benefits. Crucially, the Kiwis have spent more time on the Auckland race courses than their rivals, which will be hugely beneficial. They have looked impressive and increasingly smooth with their foiling. There’s familiarity in other areas too – they have retained the core of the crew that proved so dominant in the Cup victory at Bermuda 2017 — and there’s a depth of talent in their sailing squad that is unrivalled by their opponents. The sailors have managed to ignore some serious off-the-water distractions that have engulfed the syndicate, retaining the sort of focus required for a successful defence.
2 – AMERICAN MAGIC
The big gamble to head to Auckland early is paying dividends for a syndicate backed by the powerful New York Yacht Club. They’ve quickly established themselves under the restrictions
imposed by the Covid-19 crisis and have been making the most of every sailing opportunity offered by some generous winter weather. With their second generation AC75 arriving, they now have a significant jump on their challenger rivals to get that up and running on the Auckland waters, where their Kiwi helmsman Dean Barker has so much experience. A bit rusty on their return to action, they are now in the groove and have impressed. But they will be wanting improvements with their second AC75 and look for some design tweaks. With the help of Airbus their hull has an aerodynamic edge when foiling, but its much flatter bottom than Team New Zealand or Luna Rossa, who had the time advantage of the design rule, has drawn criticism for causing too much drag on brief touchdowns.
3 – LUNA ROSSA PRADA PIRELLI TEAM
The Italian challenger of record drew universal praise for their initial design and where they take that now for their second generation boat will be fascinating. But there were early structural problems with the sleek, fast machine as it was dismasted and also lost its bow sprit. Reliability is a major factor in Cup campaigns. Rather than joining the rush to get to Auckland, they decided to train at home in Cagliari and, by all accounts, conditions allowed them plenty of time on the water. But the tradeoff comes now. They have wrapped up training and have
packed their first boat on a cargo ship that will take about two months to get to Auckland. Their second AC75 will be flown south in early October. An America’s Cup regular since 2000, they have never won the Auld Mug despite their massive resources. They’ve imported double Cup winner Jimmy Spithill to provide an edge to their sailing team and his competitiveness is always infectious. Luna Rossa are adopting a patient and measured approach, much the way Team New Zealand did with their late arrival in Bermuda. But do they have a magic ingredient like the Kiwis did then with the cyclors that gave them a decided edge?
4 – INEOS TEAM UK
The build-up hasn’t been kind to the wealthy British syndicate. They produced the strangest looking of all the four AC75s and the whispers are it is comparatively slow. They initiated a compromise, adding a makeshift bustle to the hull to bring Britannia more in line with the theories of the New Zealand and Italian design teams. Expect that to be accentuated when their second boat is revealed. The Brits are already in possession of that new addition, though they haven’t teased anything ahead of its departure for Auckland. A fast boat is imperative as team boss Ben Ainslie found out with his British debut in Bermuda, where a lack of genuine speed was apparent from the outset. Put Ainslie and his lieutenant Giles Scott on a boat of even footing and they can work wonders, as they showed in their SailGP cameo in Sydney, where they were totally dominant. They intend flying both of their boats south and should be operational ahead of the Italians. Their training has been seriously hampered by the Covid crisis. They had to abandon their Italian camp when starting to make progress and then work around restrictions in the UK on their return to Portsmouth. Now they will lose more time in the transfer south.