America’s Cup: Benefits of a head start

When INEOS Britannia revealed the core to lead the British challenge for the 37th America’s Cup one of the most notable new additions to the team was the highly renowned German naval designer, Martin Fischer.

Fischer had moved over from the Italian Challenger Luna Rossa where he’d spent the last two America’s Cup campaigns, to lead the design concept for INEOS Britannia’s 37th America’s Cup campaign as Chief Designer. Here’s an excerpt from a recent story about Fisher:

There are not many people in the world who understand the concept of the AC75, the revolutionary foiling monohull class which was used in the 36th America’s Cup and will be used again in the upcoming 37th America’s Cup, better than Martin Fischer.

Fischer’s team Luna Rossa had been Challenger of Record, so together with the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, they came up with the rules that governed the 36th America’s Cup, including the brand new AC75 concept. Fischer, therefore, was one of the few who was involved in the very creation of the AC75 class, and it is a time he looks back on fondly.

“When we first heard that we were aiming for a foiling monohull I thought it would be quite a challenge. Then we looked at different options and Team New Zealand came up with this concept which looked completely crazy at the beginning.

“My initial reaction was that it was something really extreme and new. Then very quickly we ran through the numbers and looked closely at it and within two days it was clear that it was a feasible concept, and it was just a challenge to get there.

“The first time I saw these boats racing in New Zealand I was pretty relieved, I don’t think I was the only one! My initial thought was that we finally got it right. What we saw in Auckland was that proper match-racing is possible with these boats. It was the first time, I think, that we saw proper match-racing at 40+ knots.

“With the catamarans we had good racing, but it was different, there were no tacking duels and similar match-racing maneuvers. Now, suddenly, we had boats with which we could do really close match racing at very high speeds, so we were all very happy.”

Full report: click here
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Editor’s note: During the 36th America’s Cup, it was not a surprise when Italy advanced to the America’s Cup Match as their team had an earlier look at the AC75 concept. This  gave the Italians a head start on design over the Brits and USA, and as every class rule has a sweet spot, the extra time helped the Italians find it.

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, the entry period opened December 1, 2021 and runs until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup may be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender is to announce Match Venue and approximate event dates on March 31, 2022. – https://www.americascup.com/en/home