First glimpse of the AC75 racing

The Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta (Aug. 22-25) features the six teams vying for the 37th America’s Cup, with the racing to offer the first glimpse of their new AC75 in competition. Here are key areas of the racing that are worth watching:

PRE-START
The starting box is tight, with penalties incurred for any infringing boat that steps outside of the boundary area, and time is short so a good game plan is vital.

At three minutes, a warning signal is fired to indicate the race is on, before the port entry boat crosses the line from the windward side and enters into the box at two minutes and 10 seconds to go. The starboard entry boat enters the box at precisely two minutes and the pre-start jostling for position begins.

Accuracy on the timing to get into the box is paramount. What is most likely to see is the port entry boat seek to secure a cross on port gybe of the incoming starboard gybe boat and then be in a lead position, able to dictate when to come back to the starting line.

If the cross is not made, then the port entry boat will have to take avoiding action to keep clear of the starboard gybe boat who will instantly assume a commanding position. In that situation, the port entry boat is at risk of being controlled.

With such little time, most starts will see a lead-back to the line from the right side of the box on starboard tack. Both boats will be trying to kill time so as not to cross the starting line early whilst also trying to secure the optimum position against their opponent, all whilst staying on the foils.

With the first course leg upwind, taking the windward or leeward position plays into the early tactics and can dictate the outcome of the race. Off the line, a fast leeward boat can gain a quick upper hand in terms of pace, whilst the windward boat is either in a controlling position or can elect to tack first.

All the teams have spent hours on the water and in their simulators running through pre-start practice and developing detailed pre-start playbooks, but it will be the team that can execute their strategy that will have the advantage.

UPWIND
Several wind directions in Barcelona make the right-hand side of the course favored, and if this is the case, the windward position off the line may well be preferred to allow for an early tack to head out to the right.

In Auckland at AC36, a number of races began with a sprint to the left-hand boundary on starboard tack off the line, almost trials of speed, where the leeward boat could dictate the first tack by calling ‘water’ on the windward boat at the boundary. This could still be a factor in Barcelona, depending on the wind direction.

In terms of technique upwind, the teams have several ‘modes’ they can sail their boats in depending on the wind conditions and sea-state. Picking the right mode is vital.

In winds above 13 knots and relatively flat water, the boats ride low to the surface, ‘bustle-skimming’ to achieve an end-plating of the boat to the surface of the water for maximum aerodynamic efficiency. When the wave heights increase, the flight controllers ride the boat higher, staying above the crests but just low enough to keep the foils in the water in the troughs and avoid ventilation.

In lighter airs the teams can employ windward heel to make the maximum of any gusts in the 26.5-metre rig, but a recent trend has seen the AC75s sailed more upright to put pressure on the immersed leeward foil – almost ‘standing’ on it for the best lift profile.

The approach into the windward mark gates is crucial and if the right-hand side of the first leg upwind has paid off, then it is likely that side downwind will be the preferred option too. This will mean a rounding of the starboard (right-hand) gate for the leader.

For the trailing boat, One option is to follow the lead boat around whichever gate they selected in order to keep the race tight and rely on downwind speed and tactics to overtake. Another option, especially for a boat that has been ‘bounced’ off to the left-hand side of the course, is to set up for a port tack rounding of the windward mark. If the lead boat opts to round the port gate, the follower can quickly dial away to the starboard gate and get to the downwind favored side of the course.

If the leader opts, as is likely, to take the starboard gate then the follower might – in order to split the downwind tactics – execute one of the hardest moves in an AC75: a tack and bear-away around the port marker. This is fraught with technical and coordination difficulty, but when performed well can yield big gains.

The devil is in the detail upwind, and all the teams have developed both trim and tactical playbooks for every condition and racing scenario that they might face. Tight, lower speed tacking duels could also be back, especially if one side of the course is favored.

DOWNWIND
Once the AC75s have successfully navigated the windward gate rounding, the teams are set for the battle downwind and it’s here where we might see variance in technique.

A premium is placed on the trimmers and flight controllers downwind to drive super-low angles whilst keeping the pace high. Ride height is crucial and there will be several techniques on display with some teams opting to fly high, and others preferring the end-plating effect of a low flight. The higher a boat flies, the more unstable it is, but at times it can be faster. It’s a fine-line that requires supreme coordination between the trimmers / flight controllers and helmsmen.

Downwind mainsail trim is crucial and looking up at the leech you can see rapid and precise movements as the trimmers eke every last ounce of power from both the sail and the mast – which is also rotated aggressively to produce the optimum flow shape.

Tactically, the downwind legs are all about defense and offense.

The leading boat will look to maintain a leeward and ahead position on the angles to carve out a controlling position, with the ability to luff the trailing boat and force them to sail less than optimum angles or over to a position on the course that they don’t want to be on. And like upwind, the air off the leading boat’s rig also disturbs the trailing boat downwind.

For the trailing boat, it is about trying to force a split, perhaps by gybing first to try and force an error by the leading boat from which they can capitalize.

The approach to the leeward gate markers is key. The helmsmen and trimmers will decide which gate to round – either port or starboard – and then set themselves up to gybe on the layline that will take them directly to their chosen marker. That’s the theory, but the best laid plans can change and in the last few seconds of the downwind leg we can see alterations to the game-plan. This is where it gets interesting and requires huge co-ordination from the crew and big power output from the cyclors.

The final crucial factor on the downwind leg is the rounding of the leeward buoy and, again, this is dependent on conditions. In stronger winds, gains can be made by those teams that round the leeward gate at speed on just one foil, whilst opting for the safe, two-board down option (usually in heavier wind strengths) is slower but with a much higher chance of success.

WHAT WILL THE TEAMS DO?
As the points from the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta do not carry to the Challenger Selection Series, teams may not be eager to show all their cards. Expect a full effort on crew handling of the boat, but teams that find an advantage may mask it for protection.

ADDITIONAL RULES
• Wind limits: 6.5 / 21 knots
• Course: windward-leeward course with downwind gate below the starting line. Three possible courses
– Course #4: start – windward gate – leeward gate – windward gate – finish line
– Course #6: start – windward gate- leeward gate – windward gate – leeward gate – windward gate – finish line
– Course #8: start – windward gate – leeward gate – windward gate – leeward gate – windward gate – leeward gate – windward gate – finish line
• Validity: a boat must have completed at least 4 legs for the race to be valid.
• Time limit
– The time limit to complete the first leg is 12 minutes
– The time limit to complete the race is 45 minutes
• Penalties
– If the boat touches the buoys there is no penalty
– If the boat goes outside the virtual boundary it must slow down to lose 75 m
– If the Umpires assign a penalty for a regatta rule infraction, the penalized boat must slow down to loose 75 m
– The penalty must be paid within 60 seconds of notification, but not before the starting signal
• Early Start (OCS)
– If the boat starts within 3 seconds of the start, it has two options
1) Cross the start line again
2) Continue on the course and pay the penalty by losing a length of 75 m
If the boat starts more than 3 seconds early, it is obliged to cross the line again
• Right of way at the buoy: within 60 m around the buoy, the inside boat has right of way, regardless of its tack

For competition details, click here.

How to watch:
On all competition days, races start at 14:00 CET (08:00 ET) and run until 16:30 or 17:00, depending on the schedule. Depending on the territory, the races may be available on the event website, YouTube, and Facebook. The races will also be broadcast in over 200 territories around the world. To check the available broadcast options, click here.

For live viewing opportunities, click here.

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, Scuttlebutt, Luna Rossa Prada