The racing might be postponed this weekend, but soon the America’s Cup will start. We consider, in detail, who is best placed to win of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and Emirates Team New Zealand19\/12\/20 – Auckland (NZL)
\n36th America\u2019s Cup presented by Prada
\nRace Day 3
\nEmirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli TeamIt has been just shy of four years since Emirates Team New Zealand won the America\u2019s Cup in Bermuda in the summer of 2017. The wait will soon be over as we get to see the kiwis take on the challenger, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the America\u2019s Cup Match.
\nThe better part of four years may have passed since we last saw racing in an America\u2019s Cup, but it has been fully 21 years since these two teams last faced each other in the America\u2019s Cup Match back in 2001 in International America\u2019s Cup Class (IACC) yachts, which saw Team New Zealand the eventual winners.\u00a0
\nThough the wait might nearly be over, fans of America\u2019s Cup racing will need to wait just that bit longer as the regatta \u2013 which was due to get underway this weekend, 6-7th March 2021 \u2013 has been postponed due to a new lockdown in Auckland, New Zealand.\u00a0
\nEmirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team racing in the America\u2019s Cup World Series
\nAt present racing is due to get underway Wednesday 10th March. With the latest statement from the America\u2019s Cup organisers, issued on Friday 5th March stating:
\nUnder COVID-19 Alert Level 2 or 1,\u00a0the race schedule will remain as planned with 2 races per day \u2013 Wednesday 10th, Friday 12th, Saturday 13th, Sunday 14th, Monday 15th\u00a0and each day after that.
\nThe current schedule has racing every day until either the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand or the Challenger Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli reaches 7 wins. \u00a0
\nWhen the AC75s of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and America\u2019s Cup Defender Emirates Team New Zealand do finally go head-to-head on the water, the question on everyone\u2019s lips will be, who has the faster boat?\u00a0
\nCards on the table here. We do not know the answer to that question. Indeed nobody does but neither are we devoid of any information upon which to make some educated guesses.\u00a0
\nSelections locked in for the America\u2019s Cup Match
\nUnlike some previous America\u2019s Cups development through the course of the regatta this time around is severely restricted. It\u2019s easy to look back at events in the 2013 America\u2019s Cup \u2013 when Oracle Team USA came back from almost losing to Emirates Team New Zealand to take a victory that was one of sport\u2019s greatest comebacks \u2013 and think whoever is slower on day one, could still turn their fortunes around.\u00a0
\nHowever, for the 2013 AC, boats were measured and approved for racing every day. In this edition of the America\u2019s Cup, measurement takes place well ahead of the racing and boats must remain broadly unchanged from the first to the last race.\u00a0
\nThis was brought in, in order to try and get teams to develop boats better able to cope with a broad range of conditions. Thus instead of having windy weather and light weather foils, teams have been forced to optimise one set across a broader range.\u00a0
\nAlthough this decision was made to force teams to optimise for a broader range of conditions, teams racing in the preceding Prada Cup Series (which had the same rules, which limit measurement to once per round) were tweaking setup to match the forecasted conditions for each round.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This measurement takes place on the Monday before racing for the regatta is due to start and is locked into the calendar. All of this means that, though racing is not going ahead this weekend, both teams have already measured in and their equipment selection is nailed on.
\nThis locked in equipment applies to hull, rig and foils but a key area is the type and number of sails that may be measured in ahead of the event. No others but those stated at measurement may be used. There are even strict rules on the weight of the sails that are carried on board and corrector weights that may be required to ensure that the all up weight of the boat remains the same.
\nWith racing due to start on Wednesday 10th March, and this measurement taking place now fully 10 days ahead of the first start, weather forecasts will have been little use in terms of equipment selection.\u00a0
\nAs a final point of interest in this area, teams need to measure in a list of what their replacement items will be in the case of gear failure. Teams need to be able to demonstrate to the measurers that the gear failure was unintentional and then that it is not possible to effect a repair.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tAmerica\u2019s Cup: Opening weekend postponed due to lockdown<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAn announcement by the organisers of the America\u2019s Cup (America\u2019s Cup Event Ltd) on Sunday 28th February has officially postponed\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tSense of inevitability about Italian America\u2019s Cup qualification<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrom the evidence of the Prada Cup Round Robin, there was every reason to expect that the Prada Cup Final\u2026<\/p>\n
Assuming they are successful in doing this, teams can only use replacement items that have been included on the list that they made as part of their declaration and in their order of preference.
\nInto an already confusing situation in terms of each boat\u2019s relative performance all this adds a huge layer of complexity and guesswork for all.\u00a0
\nCan Luna Rossa win the America\u2019s Cup\u00a0
\nWe have seen a lot of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in racing trim so far this America\u2019s Cup cycle, seeing them in the Prada Cup Round Robin, Semi-Final and Final. So we have a reasonable idea of their strengths and weaknesses.\u00a0
\nIn particular the Italian team has looked very quick in the lighter winds and look particularly impressive in windspeeds around or below 10 knots.\u00a0
\nPhoto: Studio Borlenghi \/ COR 36
\nThey also seem to have particular strengths upwind where they seemed to be able to sail higher than INEOS Team UK in the Prada Cup Final consistently.\u00a0
\nBut for every positive is a negative and the Italian boat has, at times not looked as fast as either INOES Team UK or American Magic downwind. Though they have greatly improved their performance in the mid-to-high windspeed range, they have not yet shown anything like the devastating pace shown in the lighter weather.\u00a0
\nThe Luna Rossa twin helmsman setup seems to now be working, where in the early stages of the Prada Cup, it had looked a potential weakness in terms of their tactical decision making. This has come largely from training on the water and getting mainsail trimmer, Pietro Sibello more involved in the communication process.\u00a0
\nPhoto: COR 36 \/ Studio Borlenghi
\nWith tactical problems seemingly now resolved, the true nature of the twin helm can begin to shine. It is clear that with only one crewmember crossing the boat in each manoeuvre (Sibello) they are going to be at an advantage getting settled after a tack of gybe as compared to a boat with a helm crossing the boat alongside other members of the crew.\u00a0
\nFor all we know about the Italian outfit already, it would be an unwise team to plan to go into the America\u2019s Cup with no upgrades ready to go and the Italians are sure to have made some changes ahead of measurement.
\nThe head of the Italian team, Max Sirrena, has alluded to new sails which were flown in to Auckland after the Prada Cup Final and we can assume there were other upgrades going on the boat too.\u00a0
\nEmirates Team New Zealand\u00a0
\nDespite seeing little of the Defender so far, it still feels hard to bet against Emirates Team New Zealand in this America\u2019s Cup.\u00a0
\nAs a team they started this cycle lightyears ahead of the competition in terms of simulation, and computation software as well as their understanding of foiling. They have also been a part of this game for long enough to understand what it takes to win.\u00a0
\nThere are a number of innovations on the Kiwi boat that already set it apart from the rest of the fleet. Key to that is the New Zealanders\u2019 foils. These are flatter than any other AC75 has raced with (closer to a T than a Y shape). Their foils also look to be smaller, in terms of overall area, than any other AC75.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both these aspects imply that their foils are aimed at top speeds over and above stability or getting onto foils early.\u00a0
\nThat they have been able to select a foil profile closer to a T than a Y implies they can achieve some very high levels of control. When the AC75 is foiling and has the leeward foil canted to its maximum, a T foil will have almost one entire wing under the water parallel to the surface. A slight rise in ride height could see the whole lifting surface break clear of the water and quickly lose lift. A more Y shaped profile allows the tip of the foil to break the surface, and reduce lift only slightly, causing something of an automatic stabilising effect.\u00a0
\nThat Emirates Team New Zealand also have smaller, seemingly speed-focussed foils should imply that they would not generate enough lift to make the boat foil as quickly in light weather. But the Kiwis will now have plenty of data on their competition and they will know the windspeed in which they need to foil, so it seems unlikely they will go into the America\u2019s Cup with a boat that needs higher windspeed to get it onto the foil.\u00a0
\nAssuming this is the case, then the New Zealanders must believe they have found some way of generating more power from the same windspeed than their opponents. And for this we must turn to the sails.\u00a0
\nThere has been a great deal of activity in terms of new sails from the kiwi camp in recent weeks. The first clearly different sail we saw in use was a \u2018batwing\u2019 mainsail, similar to one we saw used by American Magic in the Prada Cup series.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This sail manages to measure in by having the battens long enough to make the minimum measurement for the sail, but has large chunks missing between the battens to create a sail that is ultimately smaller than the intended minimum size.\u00a0
\nHowever, in the context of generating more power to get foils with less lift to work earlier, this mainsail seems counter intuitive. And that may well be the case. It might simply be a sail that the team wanted to test for windy weather sailing, when drag becomes the biggest performance factor, over and above power generation. It could even be a red herring \u2013 if a very expensive one for a team that typically is not wasteful of their resources.\u00a0
\nIn the last week, we have seen a potentially very interesting sail development from Emirates Team New Zealand in the form of a new Code 0 sail. When the AC75s were first launched, sail changes while racing were promised and a Code 0 was included in the sail inventory with the assumption this could be used downwind in light conditions or even potentially upwind in very light conditions.\u00a0
\nThis sail is the reason all boats have a bowsprit, from which the Code 0 could be flown and furled.\u00a0
\nWe have seen all teams testing Code 0 sails, but these have long since disappeared, with a number of teams mentioning they could get an AC75 onto her foils slightly earlier, but the aerodynamic drag penalty was such that as soon as an AC75 was foiling, the Code 0 was far slower. And even furled the aero drag was too much on a boat going upwind at 30+ knots.\u00a0
\nWhen we consider the New Zealand \u2018batwing\u2019 mainsail alongside the newly unbagged Code 0 it could point to Emirates Team New Zealand considering using larger headsails. It\u2019s unlikely that they would run the Code 0 alongside the \u2018batwing\u2019 main\u00a0 but they could run it with a larger headsail than they might normally use.
\nThis would change the overall centre of effort of the rig, moving it forward and down compared to a bigger mainsail and smaller jib and might allow a more aerodynamically efficient package with as much power.\u00a0
\nThis would have the effect of essentially taking sail area away from the top of the rig (the top half of the mainsail) and reintroducing it down low (a combination of a full sized bottom of the main and a bigger jib). This could, in turn, allow the team to run more total sail area in light winds, as the sail area would mostly be focussed down low and produce less heeling moment to the boat, before she is up on her foils, and producing her maximum righting moment.\u00a0
\nAt this stage, these are all just guesses, but with Luna Rossa making changes to an already impressive platform and the Kiwis unveiling new sails it\u2019s an exciting moment in the cycle, even if we will have to wait just a few days longer to see just how the two boats stack up.
\nIf you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post America\u2019s Cup: Analysis of both teams with racing to begin Wednesday appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The racing might be postponed this weekend, but soon the America’s Cup will start. We consider, in detail, who is best placed to win of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and Emirates Team New Zealand19\/12\/20 – Auckland (NZL) 36th America\u2019s Cup … <\/p>\n