Artemis Racing and Oracle Team USA sailed their AC45 test boats and are already training the maneuvers they will use on their AC62’s. These boats are strictly for development – they will not race in the AC World Series, as I explained here.
In this video, watch Artemis Racing foiling upwind. At about 30 seconds into the video you’ll see them do a roll tack, and another one at about 60 seconds. This is the maneuver that Oracle Team USA did not master until half way through the America’s Cup Match in 2013. See my explanation of the roll tack here.
Video: John Navas
Oracle Team USA has also been working on maneuvers. This video shows them on San Francisco Bay in late February. At about 25 seconds into the video you will see a foiling gybe. At 45 seconds you’ll see them foiling upwind. At 1:15 watch them do a roll tack. At 2:42 you’ll see them foiling downwind and then turn upwind going right into a tack. In match racing in the AC62’s this will be an important maneuver to be able to chose at the last moment which mark to round at the leeward gate. Remember that we will not see match racing until the AC Qualifiers in 2017 – all of the AC45 one design racing in 2015 and 2016 will be fleet races, as I explain here.