Cup Experience

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What has Luna Rossa done to their AC45x?

 

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AC45X DEVELOPMENT BOAT WITH WHEEL STEERING AND STANDARD CROSSBEAMS. PHOTO: LUNA ROSSA

In late January Luna Rossa fitted wheel steering to their AC45x test boats, “Piranha” and “Swordfish.” They posted this photo to their Facebook page on January 24, 2015 with the caption “training at dawn.” These boats will continue to evolve as Luna Rossa develops their AC62 design in the lead up to the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda. We have not seen any photos or video of these boats sailing. In the photo we can see that the boat still has the standard AC45 crossbeams.

Luna Rossa is the only team sailing two foiling AC45 test boats. Oracle Team USA and Artemis Racing both have sailed much more highly modified AC45x test boats. Ben Ainslie Racing has converted their AC45 for foiling, but the crossbeams and steering we have seen are still from the original AC45 version. Team France and Emirates Team New Zealand have begun modifying AC45s to the one design foiling version for the America’s Cup World Series. Neither Team France nor ETNZ has begun work on a development AC45x for testing AC62 design concepts.

Unofficial reports say that Luna Rossa has purchased another AC45, from Energy Team. They will modify this boat to the one design standard for racing in the America’s Cup World Series, which begins June 5, 2015 in Cagliari.

More information about the rules on AC45 development boats and one design race boats here and here.

 

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BAR building F1 style simulator for their AC62

 

British challenger for the America’s Cup Ben Ainslie Racing will test AC62 design ideas with a simulator. Former McLaren Advanced Technologies wizard James Roche leads the development of the F1 style AC62 simulator.

Just as Formula 1 limits track testing time, America’s Cup teams face restrictions on sailing time in their AC62 catamarans. BAR is the first team to talk about their plans to use a simulator to let the sailors test design ideas before they get built and to train maneuvers off the water.

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F1 SIMULATOR PHOTO: CRUDEN HEXATECH

An intimidating array of computers, hard drives, circuit boards and displays drive electrical actuators that  connect to powerful hydraulic rams. A platform on top of the rams supports the cockpit, complete with steering wheel. Crew wear 3D headsets and earphones. The advances in 3D headset technology have led to a lower cost way to display the simulated sailing environment and to a more immersive experience for the crew.

 

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PAUL CAMPBELL-JAMES AND FREDDIE CARR “SAIL” THE SIMULATOR. PHOTO: BAR

The design team will use the simulator to develop concepts for the AC62 and to test their performance prediction tools. Design team members Jason Ker and Johannes Mausolf are writing the physics model with Roche.  The mathematical models used for calculating theoretical performance will be exactly the same models that drive the simulator, providing a positive feedback loop for developers. The sailors will use the simulator to train in complete safety and when they cannot be on the water. The two groups – sailors and designers – will have more effective communications thanks to the way each group uses the simulator.

 

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Team New Zealand Begins America’s Cup Campaign

 

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TEAM MEETING DAY1 AROUND AC45.                                          PHOTO: ETNZ

 

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GLENN ASHBY – ETNZ SAILING DIRECTOR PHOTO: CATAMARAN RACING

After the media turmoil of the previous two weeks, 50 team members began work March 2, 2015 on Emirates Team New Zealand’s  2017 America’s Cup campaign. Australian Glenn Ashby leads the sailing team, with 24 year old Peter Burling named as the new helmsman. Former helmsman Dean Barker has said he is no longer part of the team.

 

 

 

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PETER BURLING – NEW HELMSMAN PHOTO: HAMISH HOOPER

The team will modify the AC45 shown in the photo above, adding the one design foiling package to be ready for racing in the America’s Cup World Series in Cagliari in the first week of June. Then they will begin work on a test boat, built from the AC45 they are acquiring from the defunct Team Australia. This puts them behind the other teams in the development cycle. Oracle Team USA and Artemis Racing are already sailing highly modified AC45’s as test boats. Luna Rossa has been sailing two test boats built from standard AC45 platforms. They are making more modifications but have not yet been reported sailing the latest versions. Ben Ainslie Racing has a single foiling AC45 test boat and is rumored to be making big modifications, too. Remember that at this stage of the 34th America’s Cup, Team New Zealand was far ahead of all the other teams

 

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Team New Zealand Crisis

 

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DEAN BARKER (LEFT) HAS BEEN REPLACED AS HELMSMAN BY PETER BURLING (RIGHT) GETTY IMAGES

Peter Burling named helmsman, replacing Dean Barker

Emirates Team New Zealand announced major changes after a week of turmoil in their national media. After word leaked on February 18 that Dean Barker was to be moved aside as helmsman in favor of 24 year old Peter Burling, Barker claimed that he got the news from a radio talk show host’s Facebook page, a claim that team boss Grant Dalton disputed. The bitter tone quickly escalated. After several days of headline news and interviews, the team confirmed the changes in an announcement on February 26, saying that Burling would helm and Australian Glenn Ashby would take on the role of Sailing Director. Ashby was the wing trimmer for ETNZ in the 2013 America’s Cup. He is a multiple world and Australian champion in three catamaran classes and a highly regarded multihull specialist.  Burling, with crew Blair Tuke, was the silver medalist in the 49er in the 2012 London Olympics, behind Artemis Racing’s Nathan Outeridge and Iain Jensen. Burling is the current world champion in both the foiling Moth and, with Tuke, in the 49er. Barker has said in interviews that he is “gutted” by the way the news was handled. He has told journalists he is only interested in the Sailing Director post and that he does not want to be Performance Coach.

December 2, 2014 – “It’s Bermuda – no surprise and we’re happy.”
February 26, 2015 – “… a serious impact … reducing the budget by $20 million”

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ETNZ BOSS GRANT DALTON

In a radio interview, team boss Grant Dalton said, “The world changed when Bermuda was announced for us. We were faced  making significant budget cuts to cut our cloth around a place which is commercially way less viable.” In their February 26 announcement, the team stated, “It should be noted that the announcement of Bermuda as the venue for the next America’s Cup series had a serious impact on the team’s finances and sponsorship funding, reducing the budget by some $20 million.”

This is a dramatic turnaround from the team’s headline on their website on December 2: “It’s Bermuda – no surprise and we’re happy.” That ETNZ article reported, “Dalton said that Bermuda’s selection ahead of San Diego would not be a serious setback for the team.” The ETNZ website quoted Dalton saying, “We have solid support from our sponsors and we have every expectation of being able to mount a credible challenge in Bermuda.”

Further complicating ETNZ’s situation is the question of funding from the New Zealand government. Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce has so far declined to confirm the sponsorship, but stated that if New Zealand were to be named as the venue for the America’s Cup Qualifiers (the round robin phase of challenger selection), “that would make us much more interested in sponsoring the team”. Mr Joyce said as soon as ACEA names the venue the Government will announce its plans. ACEA has said the announcement will come in early March.

 

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A Closer Look at the Artemis Racing AC45 “Turbo”

 

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ARTEMIS RACING WILL TEST AC62 DESIGN IDEAS ON THEIR FOILING AC45 DEVELOPMENT BOAT.

 

Test platform for AC62 design ideas

(Oops – make that “ACC”)
The AC62 rule was replaced by 49 foot “America’s Cup Class” in April 2015

The Artemis Racing AC45 “Turbo” has flared hulls to make room for cockpits, wheel steering and a grinding pedestal. The crossbeams are longer than on a standard AC45, giving a length to beam ratio useful for testing AC62 design concepts. The main crossbeam and the daggerboards are further forward. Like an AC62 there is a “pod” or “longeron” under the wing. Raising and lowering the daggerboards and rake and cant are controlled by hydraulic systems. Like on their AC72 and unlike the standard AC45, the jib is self-tacking.

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LOOKING MORE LIKE AN AC62 THAN AN AC45

 

One design AC45 for America’s Cup World Series racing

Remember that this boat will not race in the America’s Cup World Series – it is purely a development boat for testing design ideas for the AC62 catamaran that will race in the America’s Cup in 2017.  I explain the rules for one design “racing” AC45’s and “development” AC45’s here and here.

Artemis has another AC45 from the previous campaign, which has also been modified as a test boat, but not (yet) as extensively as the “Turbo.” They will acquire a third, new AC45 for racing in the America’s Cup World Series as a one design foiler.

Six teams at four different places in the AC62 design cycle.

Oops – Luna Rossa withdrew their challenger the AC62 was dropped for the ACC.

Artemis and Oracle are both currently ahead of Luna Rossa and Ben Ainslie Racing, who have so far only shown test AC45’s that use the standard hulls and beams. Emirates Team New Zealand and Team France are just beginning to convert standard AC45’s to the one design foiling version in order to begin racing in the America’s Cup World Series in June. ETNZ will then build a test boat using the AC45 they have acquired from Team Australia. Team France has only this month (February 2015) acquired a standard AC45 which they will modify to the one design standard for racing. They have no plans at the moment to build a development boat.