Attracting geeks to the sailing world

While it would seem like pure fantasy that video sailing games will attract participants to the sport, they do bolster commercial interest, and that’s a goal for the America’s Cup when it launched AC Sailing for gamers along with its first-ever e-sports world championship, America’s Cup E-series.

The next step is to increase the noise, so Emirates Team New Zealand has invited media to Barcelona for some e-sailing. Here’s the report from Bleeding Cool:

The way this game was created is a story unto itself, as this was originally a simulation for real-world sailors who compete in the Cup to train themselves in New Zealand. It wasn’t an overnight thing, as it took years for them to perfect the system.

This included loading up the correct dimensions for their yachts into the system, then creating the mechanics of how the foiling yacht actually operates, followed by water mechanics, adding in weather variables, and testing the system over and over until they had what was one of the best simulation systems devised for a sport.

Over time, they perfected it to include the areas and courses they would be competing on so they could best train for that exact condition without having to pay to fly a team and their boat to the location and train. Considering New Zealand has won four of the last eight competitions, I’d say they made a pretty solid simulator.

When we arrived in Barcelona, we were given a full presentation and demonstration of the game, as ETNZ set it up so you could race these yachts in real races, set in the actual locations some of them have been held at. This included the Balearic Sea and the sight of the 2024 competition just outside the America’s Cup Experience, which is the official exhibition hall for the 37th competition.

AC Sailing was designed so that you could take this on as a single player using a keyboard and mouse, a game controller, or a full racing rig. The last of which they had on full display at the event. These are the same setups they use when training athletes before they head out onto the water, many of whom tried the simulator before and could attest that its as close to having the real experience without being on a yacht.

During the launch event, we got to see an eight-boat race with several players using Logitech G racing wheels to command their boats. This included a mix of esports players and IRL sailors as we saw Olympic Gold medalists Dylan Fletcher and Ruggero Tita, World Champions Liv Mackay and Erika Reineke, upcoming athletes Morgan Lauber and Alexandre Kowalski, Spanish Olympic medalist Jordi Xammar, and from esports team Unicorns of Love, Lukas Mohr.

The eight sailed on the Barcelona course, showing off strategies for sailing and how best to use the boats based on the wind and positioning of the craft. The race was fun to watch, but also all in good fun, as some of them showed off just how fast the boats could get in the right circumstances. It also showed the potential of what we’ll see when the America’s Cup E-Series takes place, but more on that in a moment.

When the event was over, we had a chance to try AC Sailing ourselves on stage and experiment with it using a proper racing wheel. We got helpful hints from a real pro, as Dylan Fletcher gave us the basics of how to operate one of these boats in a quick rundown.

We also had help from ETNZ CEO Grant Dalton, who shared with us that one of his big goals with the game was to make it so that anyone could learn the sport and, eventually, be able to control and sail a boat in real life. Because let’s be honest; there are a few hurdles you have to overcome in order to even want to do this on a hobbyist level, let alone a professional athlete going into competition. The game definitely has an interesting learning curve.

The key that we learned to this is figuring out how best to balance using the wind to your advantage with the sails and how best to course correct with a combination of the T-Rudder and the Lifting Foils. Using a wheel helped greatly, but even with my experience in racing games over the years, I was not prepared for some of the changes you need to gauge for.

Sometimes, you have to control that wheel with the slightest touch, or you lose all momentum. Other times, you’ll have to course correct and end up capsizing in the slowest, most embarrassing way possible. That said, the appeal is here as I immediately wanted to learn how I could improve and gain an advantage to soar through the current and turn on a dime.

Seeing as how this is a free game, I would recommend it for anyone who wants a challenge and thinks they’re the best driver ever. AC Racing will humble you in a moment, then make you want to master it immediately after.

All of this served as a preamble for the upcoming America’s Cup E-Series, which they will launch this year as a global competition for players of all kinds to compete in. The finer details of when the competition will start and how people will qualify have not been revealed yet, but it sounds like the goal will be to have players qualify for a tournament over the summer, eventually leading to their own championship game at the America’s Cup Experience this October before the finals of the real America’s Cup take place, with a prize pool on the line for the finalists.

In any case, it was a brilliant event for AC Sailing, as it is now available for anyone to play for free. Best get your practice in now!

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 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 was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the venue reveal, confirming it would be 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 more schedule details, click here.
Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the 2024 Youth & Women’s America’s Cup.

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