Will Kiwis rewrite America’s Cup history?

As the Defenders of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand are obviously eager to hold onto the trophy. Never afraid to do something different, this is a team where everybody’s opinion and input counts in the search of boatspeed. If it doesn’t make the boat go faster, don’t say it.

Within this team backdrop is a deep-rooted culture of continual improvement and there have been no signs of resting on laurels or past performance. Much of the on-water drive has come from a team of coaches and performance analysts, led from the front by Ray Davies (above), now into his seventh America’s Cup campaign across a variety of roles.

As a legendary sailor (and winner) of the Whitbread Round the World Race and Volvo Ocean Race, Davies has competed in the Cup both in the afterguard as well as in shoreside and coaching roles so has a unique perspective that is highly regarded and respected.

He’s a popular and ever-present member of the team, always seen out on the water, on the boats prepping sails, rigging and de-rigging whilst, crucially, setting the daily structure for the sailors to achieve their very best within.

However, Davies is quick to acknowledge the ‘team’ approach to coaching. “There are a number of us in the coaching team, I am leaning hard on our backup sailors Josh Junior and Sam Meech and of course the likes of Elise Beavis, Richard Meacham Kim Simperingham, Ash Draper and Roger Badham are all integral in ensuring we are covering the vital rolls that embrace the ‘coaching’ of an America’s Cup team.

“From a racing standpoint, in the America’s Cup there a two main factors, your boat and your crew, each category can be broken down into many aspects, from a crew standpoint we have used our two AC40s for practice race sessions, and our simulator, and as a team improved a lot since AC36 in Auckland.

“As far as the boat goes, well it’s a technology race broken down into many aspects, all teams would have faster boats with more time, so it’s also a management game making the right decisions throughout the campaign, pushing the limits, so it’s a very challenging balance. Also ensuring you have a reliable boat that can compete across a wide range of conditions, between the boat and crew, this is the tougher battle as it requires a huge amount of work between the sailors, designers and shore crew.”

Now with gloves-off racing about to begin, Emirates Team New Zealand are itching to get racing in the Preliminary Regatta where, for the first time, they will start to see the level of the competition. Will they be tailoring their style for different teams?

“Absolutely, this is a big focus from now until race one of the America’s Cup, as we are just getting to a point when the challengers will be locked into their configurations, and we will see how they race their AC75 in anger. We will have notes in our playbook for each team.”

Those notes will be scribbled frantically as the coaching team assess and analyze the pre-starts where everyone is eyeing an immediate advantage. It’s an area that Emirates Team New Zealand have worked super-hard on both back in Auckland in their AC40s and in the AC75 in Barcelona.

“The prestart is actually a very important part of the race. If you can come off the line with an advantage or in control, then you can capitalize on this from the outset, i.e. heading to more wind and therefore extending the advantage.

“From that point, it’s up to you to lose the race, and the other boat must stay close and apply as much pressure as possible to force a mistake/or have a faster boat… the time to the first boundary is really short so you can’t rely on speed to get you into the lead.”

Something that was noted throughout the period of the Joint Reconnaissance period was the concentration on maintaining speed and height out of the tacks plus rapid exit speeds and tight angles on the gybes downwind. These areas are where the crucial inches are gained.

“These are tight courses that require a lot of maneuvers. We are racing for inches to get control of the race, and then you can lose meters in a maneuver if you’re not working in precise harmony balancing the boat as you transfer the huge loads from one side of the boat to the other, in a couple of seconds, then accelerating back to full speed.”

Just how comfortable the Kiwi helms and trimmers are in moding the boat to the conditions is an area where they have always excelled but it’s still a work in progress and the work is never done.

“We are very comfortable, however, the challenge is also learning how to sail when conditions vary throughout the day or race, so you really have to be all over your targets and your sail setups, to get you through the ever-changing wind field.

“The class rules have us locking in with our foils and rudders, the biggest tool we have during racing is the engine (sails). These are what pushes the boats forward, everything else slows the boat down, so you are constantly aiming for the correct balance of the aerodynamic forces between the jib and mainsail, to provide maximum forward thrusts or sideways in the very light air to keep flying, it’s a difficult job with a lot of seconds on the table.”

How confident are they in their design and sailing technique?

“Well, I don’t think any team is ever going to feel comfortable that they will have a performance edge, certainly in all conditions, there are just too many opposing factors in hydrodynamics to have the optimal boat in all conditions. Our sailors and design team are confident we can squeeze out every potential second in our boat across the wind range, but some boats will have their sweet spots, it’s about having more of those than your opponent.”

Should Emirates Team New Zealand defend the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, they will re-write the history books as the only team to win three in a row.

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period was from December 1, 2021 until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the reveal, finally confirming Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 2024.

Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)

2023-24 Preliminary Regattas
September 14-17, 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30-December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August 22-25, 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, Spain

2024 Challenger Selection Series
August 29-September 8: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)

2024 America’s Cup
October 12-21: 37th Match (Best of 13)

For competition details, click here.

Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the 2024 Youth & Women’s America’s Cup.

Noticeboard: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Event details: www.americascup.com/en/home

Source: ACE