Helen Fretter goes behind the scenes with British America\u2019s Cup Challengers INEOS Britannia and gets an exclusive chat with skipper Ben AinslieIt\u2019s one week to go until the first races of the 37th America\u2019s Cup in the AC75.
\nInside the INEOS Britannia base there is a constant clanging: the AC75\u00a0Britannia\u00a0is in for a scheduled four-day refit and upgrade, and the shore team are building a substantial scaffolding structure underneath in order to work on the huge foils. Meanwhile the deck looks like it\u2019s being prepped for surgery, a huge lighting rig suspended above the boat like an operating theatre.
\nThe boat lies in carefully catalogued pieces around the tech zone \u2013 fairings off, inner workings uncovered. Unsurprisingly my phone camera lens is covered before I\u2019m allowed in, and there are parts of the service area we are ushered past more quickly than others.
\nThe shore crew are working in a rolling 24-hour schedule, over three shifts. At this point in the game, every second counts.
\nThe INEOS Britannia AC75 at its launch. Photos: Cameron Gregory\/INEOS Britannia
\nAinslie on Cup competition
\nBut one of the busiest men in Barcelona, INEOS Britannia skipper and team principal, Ben Ainslie, took time out of his schedule to chat to Yachting World. Of all the things he has to keep track of, one week out from the first race for the 37th America\u2019s Cup, what is occupying his thoughts the most?
\n\u201cObviously, getting the boat ready. It won\u2019t be totally in its final race spec, but not far from it.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s the same for the other teams as well. You go through all this testing development, you\u2019re constantly trying to improve the boat \u2013 and that\u2019ll be the same when we start racing for keeps. But at some point you have to say, \u2018Right, now we\u2019ve got to get it into race spec,\u2019 and make sure that everything, from a reliability perspective and finish of the foils in particular, is ready for racing.\u201d
\nWhen it comes to making those final decisions, does he still find it a nerve-wracking stage? \u201cThere\u2019s always an element of nerves for sure. I think in any sport, when you go into it super confident is normally when you get whacked around the head, isn\u2019t it?
\n\u201cSo, yeah, we\u2019re looking at the competition and the Kiwis and the Italians in particular look really strong, the Americans as well, and Swiss in certain conditions. And I think a lot\u2019s still going to change in the next two, three, four weeks in terms of relative performance of the teams. Then, of course, we\u2019ve got the French with the Kiwi design [Team Orient Express bought an AC75 design package from Emirates Team New Zealand] who could definitely surprise a few people. So it\u2019s going to be a really, really competitive field.\u201d
\nINEOS Britannia AC75 practising ahead of the 37th America\u2019s Cup in Barcelona
\nAnd how is he feeling about the tool he has to race with, the Britannia AC75? \u201cYeah, good. Good. I think we\u2019re learning a lot about the boat, making some big jumps in performance through different phases of the development since the launch.
\n\u201cWe made some good gains in the last two or three weeks, some really good gains. Hopefully, what we\u2019re doing at the moment is going to get us a few more gains. And if that\u2019s the case, I think we\u2019re going to be in the mix, I think it\u2019s going to be really tight.\u201d
\nContinuous improvement
\nBut it\u2019s not the boat that looks fastest at the start of the America\u2019s Cup that will necessarily win it.
\n\u201cWe always say, don\u2019t we, the history of the Cup tells us that the teams that develop the most throughout, they\u2019re probably going to be the ones that are most successful \u2013 I mean within reason,\u201d says Ainslie.
\n\u201cI think that\u2019s certainly our approach to it, that we\u2019re going to be pushing hard all the way through to find those gains.
\n\u201cSo we have a sailing support room, both here where the data comes in Barcelona, but also in Brackley [the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team base which they are partnered]. So when we\u2019re racing or whenever there\u2019s an issue, we\u2019ve got the ability to get resources focused on trying to find out what\u2019s causing that. And then, of course, find a solution to it.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve seen that\u2019s proven to work really well through the campaign so far, and no doubt it will do through the competition as well. Inevitably, it\u2019s going to be stuff that we realise in certain conditions or manoeuvres that we\u2019re looking for improvements, and how do we find that?
\nINEOS Britannia skipper Ben Ainslie is juggling helmsman and team principal roles for the 37th America\u2019s Cup
\n\u201cIn terms of the set up here in the base here, that\u2019s in a way very similar to Auckland or Bermuda, the feel just in terms of the shore team and the guys and girls that are really putting the hours in working incredibly hard.
\n\u201cOf course, back in Auckland, it\u2019s well documented that we had a lot of issues with the boat and the build up to racing, and particularly that Christmas race. We don\u2019t have those issues now, so we\u2019re able to be more focused on properly preparing for the race.\u201d
\nDark horse of the America\u2019s Cup
\nHow does he rank the other challengers\u2019 prospects \u2013 and how the British squad\u2019s chances are perceived? \u201cI\u2019d be lying if I said I just ignored everything that is observed of the teams, but I don\u2019t really have that much time to trawl through the internet.
\n\u201cLooking at some of the observations, I think the recon was really interesting because you\u2019d go sailing for a day and then you\u2019d read the recon report and think \u2018Is that really the same team?\u2019 so, again, you have to imagine that [perception] was the same for the other teams as well.
\n\u201cFrom what I\u2019ve seen, I think the Italians are really strong right now, and the Kiwis as well, of course. I think the Americans have the potential to be. I think we have a huge amount of potential. I\u2019d like to think we\u2019re a bit of a dark horse in all of this. That\u2019s certainly how I see it. But time will tell, won\u2019t it?
\nThe AC75 Britannia\u2019s unveiling in Barcelona
\nEarly clues
\n\u201cI think certain teams are showing everything. I think some other teams are holding things back, whether that\u2019s on purpose or just because they\u2019ve got some issues which are holding them back.\u201d
\nThough the AC75s were initially forbidden from lining up alongside one another in any form of two-boat testing or informal racing, ahead of the Preliminary Regatta there have been several event-organised practice races. Primarily designed to allow teams and organisers to test things like on-board media feeds, and the boundary and on-water penalty system, it\u2019s also a first indication for the sailing teams of their relative performance.
\n\u201cYou see a lot, you can take a lot from that. Which teams are strong in certain conditions, certain modes of sailing, what their approach to the starts are. Yeah, it\u2019s a huge amount to note from that. And then that will help you in your pre-race strategy,\u201d Ainslie says.
\nPractice racing in Barcelona ahead of the Preliminary Regatta.
\nFinal week focus
\nRight now, how are his stress levels? \u2028\u201cBoth as an individual and as a team, of course everyone wants to do well. And so there\u2019s a certain anxiety, I think is probably the best way to describe it. I think if you don\u2019t have that, then you probably don\u2019t care. I always think as a sports person, you have a certain amount of it. Otherwise, if you\u2019re just sort of tranquilo, then you probably don\u2019t give a sh*t!
\n\u201cAt the same time, you don\u2019t want people being completely stressed off their heads, running around, making stupid decisions because they\u2019re super nervous. But I\u2019m really pleased with where the team\u2019s at. I think it feels like everyone\u2019s really approaching it well, both from a sailing team perspective, but also the technical team, the shore team. The shore team is working incredibly hard right now, that\u2019s where they\u2019re really putting in the long hours. But everyone\u2019s focussed, knows what we\u2019re trying to achieve and what needs to happen.\u201d
\nAt this stage, is it all about trusting the process? \u201cI think 80% of that\u2019s true, that\u2019s the stuff that you can plan ahead and you know, this is how we want to approach this, this is our timeline.
\n\u201cBut then there\u2019s 20 %, which is things which you can\u2019t control. And then you have to react. That\u2019s part of the game. But that\u2019s fine. As long as the team are capable of reacting to that, then it\u2019s okay.
\n\u201cAnd we\u2019ve got a really good team. This is our third campaign. A lot of people have been all the way through. Not all, but a lot of people have been with us through. It\u2019s a lot of experience now in how to take on the challenge of an America\u2019s Cup.\u201d
\nThe post Ben Ainslie: \u201cWe\u2019re a bit of a dark horse\u201d \u2013 America\u2019s Cup countdown appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Helen Fretter goes behind the scenes with British America\u2019s Cup Challengers INEOS Britannia and gets an exclusive chat with skipper Ben AinslieIt\u2019s one week to go until the first races of the 37th America\u2019s Cup in the AC75. Inside the … <\/p>\n