America’s Cup

The spectacular incompetence of my autohelm, which, like everything else on board, had rather seen better days quickly become a major source of bewilderment. This cantankerous piece of electronics, aside from drawing unholy amounts of power from my battery, acquired the nasty habit of gybing unexpectedly away from the compass course that the battered instruction manual assured me it would faithfully follow at all costs. Having baulked at the cost of a replacement and fired with a determination to use what I had, a Heath Robinson collection of poles joined the solar panel, bathing ladder, and horseshoe buoys on the rear railing. To this, I affixed the long-disused wind vane attachment, while shunting the GPS aerial to a wooden stick crudely lashed to the railing. This partially rectified the problem and finally allowed me to leave the helm for a few minutes, a great relief on long passages.

Return to the Emerald Isle

With winter closing in fast and crossing the Bay of Biscay, as I had originally planned to do, appearing foolhardier by the day, I decided to return to Ireland, where, I was reliably informed, mooring fees were cheap. Very cheap, as it turns out. For Morag, at 7.9 meters in length, to moor in the Port of Cork, Ireland’s second city and a busy waterway, would cost me a mere €179, or approximately £153 per year, not including the cost of acquiring my own ground tackle. A brief conversation with the jovial harbourmaster of the bustling fishing port of Unionhall informed me that to lay a mooring in the nearby Castlehaven would be completely free. So long as the many other boats already there were not fouled, and I was content with a long cycle to the nearest town, he would have no objection.

Upon first hearing this, I could hardly believe my ears. Mooring fees in England, where, up until now, my cruising had been limited are often astronomical in comparison, a fact which many boat owners will, no doubt, be keenly aware. As an example, a comparable swing mooring in Dartmouth Harbour, on the south coast of Devon, would have set me back over £800 per year, including those ever-present harbour dues. Being able to lay a mooring and overwinter without stretching my budget further would allow me to tackle the many and varied jobs that had built up over the last, incredible few months.

Living aboard full-time has certainly been a challenge. Adapting to a space that lacked even standing headroom has undoubtedly been a test of fortitude, as has the difficulty of keeping within budget, but the rewards have been fantastic. There’s nothing quite like watching a flight of swans pass overhead in the early morning mists, being lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of a boat at anchor, or the satisfaction brought by the realisation that, despite outdated charts and dubious equipment, yes that light ahead is where you’re going.

However, the greatest joy has been the freedom, the knowledge that, wind and weather permitting, at any time I can coax then engine into life, haul up the anchor, and head off to somewhere new. In fact, being forced to adapt to life on the sea, without the benefits of a large fund to fall back on, is something I wouldn’t swap for a moment. I have become not only a passable navigator, but also a competent carpenter, electrician, and mechanic, with the knowledge that if something breaks, as it inevitably will, I’ll be the one to fix it.

So what would I say to anyone else considering living onboard? While it is, at this point, beyond cliched, I cannot but give the age-old advice of “just got for it”. It’s not often that these opportunities come along. Don’t let one slip by. I promise you won’t regret it.

ABOVE

Bidding farewell to the English coastline

BELOW

Sam discovered that moorings in Ireland were a fraction of the price in the UK

Shaping the future

With the release of the Protocol, Georgie Corlett-Pitt examines what the next America’s Cup will look like and the reactions so far

The 37th America’s Cup came a step closer recently as the Protocol was released, eight months to the day since Emirates Team New

Zealand won the 36th America’s Cup on their home waters off Auckland. Setting out the foundations and rules of participation for the next challenge for sport’s oldest trophy, the 80 page document has been drawn up following close negotiations between the Defender - the Royal New Zealand Yacht

Squadron and Emirates Team New

Zealand, and the Challenger of

Record - Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd and their representative team INEOS

Britannia.

Emirates Team New Zealand’s

CEO Grant Dalton described the

Protocol as “progressive”, while INEOS Britannia’s CEO Sir Ben Ainslie said it was “bold”, and said the creative thinking it entailed was “what was required to take the sport forward for the future”. Certainly, the launch of the Protocol - held jointly by video from the UK and New Zealand - set the tone for a forwardthinking event. Words like ‘collaborate’ and 'collective' are not often associated with Cup announcements, yet were in plentiful supply, as too were ‘ambitious’ and ‘inclusive’. There was lots to be excited about, and, far from the usual Cup wrangling that typically divides the Defender and Challenger of Record, both sides say their collaborative approach has strengthened their relationship – certainly a refreshing start to a Cup cycle.

So, what do we now know about the next America’s Cup?

ABOVE

The AC75 will be retained for this and the next Cup, enabling continuity and sustainability

AC75s centre stage

Once again, 75ft foiling monohulls will take centre stage, as the Protocol confirms that the AC75 class will be retained from the last Cup. Teams have the option of either modifying a first generation AC75 (which opens up the option of new teams buying second-hand), or building a new boat - but can only sail one AC75. Any new hull needs to be built in the country of the Challenger.

In a forward-facing Cup first, any team entering AC37 has to agree to retain the AC75 for the following cycle. While traditionalists say this move defies the ethos of the Cup as determined by the Deed of Gift - whereby the winner is free to make the rules as they wish - the new Protocol clearly states that the underlying intention of attracting more teams and promoting sustainability.

The new generation AC75s will bring notable differences. Overall, we are promised a more exciting boat, capable of higher top speeds and with improved light airs performance thanks to larger foils enabling take off at lower boat speeds and a significant reduction in all-up weight.

“These boats have a lot more to give” – that’s according to ETNZ technical director, Dan Bernasconi, a statement made as he revealed a weight saving of around 1 ton compared to the earlier AC75s. The code zero has been dispensed with as “unnecessary”, while there’s a big drop in crew from 11 to 8. To compensate for the reduced ability of smaller crews to produce hydraulic power, teams have the option of grinders or AC35-style cyclors – the latter a particularly likely option for the Brits, considering links to INEOS Grenadiers cycling team, also owned by team backer Jim Ratcliffe.

The class rule has been refined in conjunction with INEOS Britannia to restrict operating costs, with tight limits on the number of foils, components build quotas, and increased one-design elements. While Dalton says teams will always spend what they want to and there is no cap to that, the aim is to bring the minimum costs as low as possible and so entice new teams.

There remains plenty of scope to develop the detail, but as ever with the Cup it’s a race against time: the clock is already ticking to the stated AC75 launch date of 17 September 2022. As a concession to new Challengers sailing a pre-owned AC75, an extra 20 days sailing time is permitted in the three months ahead of that. It’s a bonus, but is it enough to get on a level with established teams? Almost certainly not, but with the continuity of retaining the AC75 for the next cycle, it’s nice to think there’s now a pathway for prospective teams with longer term ambitions. It will be exciting to see.

40fters key to impact

The Protocol tentatively suggests June 2024 as a date for the America’s Cup Match, but this is by no means finalised – watch this space.

Before then, the intention is for a series of three Preliminary Regattas, which will no doubt be welcomed by fans after covid restrictions prevented any sort of warm-up series for AC36 going ahead.

While the third event will be raced at the Match Venue in AC75s, the first two will be sailed elsewhere in a new multi-purpose 40ft foiling one-design to be known as the AC40. Each Challenger must purchase at least one. Raced with a crew of four and expected to top speeds of 45 knots, Grant Dalton has drawn comparisons with Te Kāhu, the test boat designed by Emirates Team New Zealand as part of their

ABOVE

INEOS Britannia is the Challenger of Record for AC37, with Emirates Team New Zealand the Defender

BELOW RIGHT

The new AC40 - arguably this Cup's biggest opportunity to build a legacy for the future successful AC36 campaign. The new AC40 will have an automated pilot system to help ease the boat handling learning curve.

Outside of the official regattas, the boats should also prove fascinating testbeds for component development – a further way to control costs – as well as for crew training.

The AC40 is also significant as perhaps the biggest opportunity for this Cup to leave a long term mark on the future. That’s because this new 40ft foiling one-design will used for an all-new Women’s America’s Cup, as well as the re-instated Youth America’s Cup (pulled from AC36 due to covid). Challengers are required by the Protocol to field teams for the finals, and the qualifying rounds of these events will also be open to non-Cup teams. It’s a big step forward in opening up the experience pathway for female and young sailors, and sets a new standard of expectation for the future, and across the sport in general. Although questions have been raised as to why having, say, one or two female sailors as part of the all-up crew quota hasn't been

stipulated instead, the vision actually stretches further forward than this when you consider that having the opportunity to race separately now will create a larger talent pool for the future by giving a greater number of women experience and exposure at this level. A clever long-term move.

Tooling for the AC40 is already underway at McConaghy Boats’ build facility in China, with the first two boats shipping in summer 2022 to the Defender and the Challenger, and a predicted build time of three weeks for subsequent boats, allocated to Challengers in order of entry.

Bringing it to the fans

Yet another ground-breaking element of this Cup is the concept of shared reconnaissance, which is set to open up the Cup in an unprecedented way – shared not only between teams but also with the sailing public. How will this work? Every time a team goes sailing they will be shadowed by a recon unit, with data, photos, video and audio all fed into a central pool and disseminated internally to teams, as well publicly via social media. Competitors are otherwise banned from tracking or filming each other, so this represents another huge step in reducing cost with the added bonus that fans will have absolute insight every step of the way.

The Kiwis already have a proven track record of delivering for fans. With combined TV and free live streaming coverage, AC36 easily took the accolade of the most watched Cup, boasting a whopping 941 million views, reaching an audience more than three times greater than AC35 - something they will only want to build on for AC37. To further boost media interest, Challengers will be the subject of an ‘access all areas’ documentary in the vein of F1’s Drive To Survive. A move to over-dramatise and cheapen sailing’s most elite competition, or a fascinating exposé on the top end of our sport that will draw new fans? If F1's example is anything to go by - where the series is credited with doubling F1 viewing figures - the naysayers look likely to be far outnumbered when the viewing stats start to roll in.

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Shared recon and media will deliver the greatest Cup insight yet

ABOVE RIGHT

Luna Rossa lost 7-3 to ETNZ in AC36, but looks set to go again

Challenger line-up

Who could we see on the start line? Emirates Team New Zealand confirmed that several Challengers were received as entries officially opened on the 1 December. Kevin Shoebridge, COO of Emirates Team New Zealand described initial interest as “very positive”, adding that, “feedback and interest from prospective teams, both existing and new has been very encouraging”.

However, the team would not officially confirm the identities of the Challengers, leaving it up to teams to make their announcements. Alinghi, the double Cup winning team of Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli was the first to step-up, confirming rumours of a return to the Cup under a new partnership with Red Bull's F1 and sailing teams - see News for more.

Despite no further formal confirmations as we went to press, the line-up looks likely to include a number of established Cup teams, with AC36 campaigners Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, owned by Italian Patrizio Bertelli, potentially partnering with Ferrari - and American Magic, headed by Hap

Fauth and Doug DeVos, also talking of going again. A second American team Stars and Stripes could well be in the mix, while rumours of a Dutch entry under Simeon Tienpont seem unlikely but can’t be ruled out.

As Challenger of Record, INEOS Britannia is already leading the charge, with Ainslie and his team hoping they will be third time lucky in bringing the Cup home following two consecutive cycles of lessons learned the hard way. Ainslie says his team is “ready to take on the challenge” and has promised a “rigorous approach”, building on continuity in their bid to be the first British team to win in the 170 year history of the event.

He will be bolstered in no small way by the recent tie-up with Formula 1 champion team, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1. With the sailing team now based at Mercedes F1 HQ at Brackley, the two will collaborate on design, with their shared ethos underlined by Mercedes’ proven record of success. INEOS Chairman history. With the Protocol out and parameters in place, an interesting few months lie ahead to see if any more Challengers can be tempted forwards.

and founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes that “assembling this unique collection of elite sports teams will give us a stronger chance of achieving what has never been done before”.

For the Challengers, the Protocol makes early entry incentives clear – determining your place in the AC40 order queue and allocation of team bases at the match venue. But entry involves a hefty financial input with a basic cost just to put your name down of around $4m USD plus additional ‘shared costs’ to be determined; any new teams need to secure a multimillion budget even before campaign costs. Entries will be open until 31 July 2022 so there is time for more teams yet to materialise.

In the meantime, having several established Challengers already flagging their interest reflects well on what this progressive Protocol has to offer. If the incentives work as hoped to draw even one or two additional teams, this Cup could prove to be a very positive milestone in the event’s

ABOVE

The new generation AC75 will have fewer crew and bigger foils than its predecessor

BELOW LEFT

Auckland could be the next Match Venue... or not

BELOW RIGHT

Grant Dalton, CEO of ETNZ is at the centre of a storm

Venue remains TBC

That said, there is still one rather large and pretty significant question still outstanding: where will the next Cup be held? The Kiwis had intended to reveal that earlier in the autumn, but Grant Dalton has since described the original September deadline as “too ambitious” and has now re-set the deadline to 31 March.

Dalton says he and his team are working around the clock to resolve the conundrum. Although their home waters would be a very normal assumption, ETNZ insists a shortfall of $50m NZD needed to host the event on home waters would inevitably result in them losing the Cup and the demise of the team. Although the New Zealand government offered to part-fund the endeavour, it was not sufficient to

boost what the team themselves was likely to be able to raise, and so they walked away.

Dalton’s solution is to host the Cup overseas. While not without precedent in Cup history, this move has been met with bitter objection by a group led by Kiwi businessman Mark Dunphy who maintain that su cient funds can be found. Allegations of mis-information have created a maelstrom that Dalton could certainly do without. While Dalton maintains that a successful defence is central to his – and his nation’s – interests, questions have naturally been raised as to his decision to look for a venue overseas.

So if not Auckland, then where could the Cup be held? Several venues have put themselves forward. Dalton insists it’s not simply a case of selecting the highest bidder, but if money is indeed the deciding factor, the Red Sea port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia seems a tantalising – though perhaps controversial - prospect, while the Irish government has been enthusiastic in its proposal to bring the pinnacle event to its second largest city, Cork. Meanwhile, a multi-city bid could see racing go to Spain with support from the government there.

Until that nal piece of the puzzle ts, it makes it di cult for any team – existing or new – to progress in earnest as the likely conditions of the Match Venue go a long way towards determining boat design.

Team recruits

In between developing the Protocol and juggling the venue debacle, ETNZ has also endeavoured to progress its team. e legendary double act of Pete Burling and Blair Tuke have played to their rock-star status, holding back on re-signing while they awaited clarity on the fundamentals of the event. In the meantime, the team have snatched up ex-Artemis Racing Cup helm, Nathan Outteridge who was, bizarrely, le on the bench for AC36; the Australian swerves the new 100 per cent crew nationality rule for this Cup, not under the emerging nations provision, but as he is married to a New Zealander. He joins ETNZ’s returning core of Glenn Ashby, Andy Maloney, Josh Junior, and Ray Davies. e Kiwi's revived rival Alinghi unites their team principal Ernesto Bertarelli with Red Bull's principal Hans-Peter Steinacher and F1 team chief Christian Horner. On the water, a new generation of young sailors will be led by Arnaud Psarofaghis of Extreme 40 and GC32 fame, directed by Cup legend Brad Butterworth signing as skipper.

For the Brits, Ainslie is set to once again take charge on and o the water, also re-signing right hand man, tactician Giles Scott. e team are yet to reveal more, the focus meanwhile being on their tech team links with Mercedes, led by F1 design guru, James Allison as chief technical o cer. Allison has described the challenge ahead as a “mouth watering prospect” and of the Protocol he said, “it’s a big fat old book full of opportunity”.

ABOVE LEFT

Pete Burling li s sport's oldest trophy for a jubilant ETNZ a er winning the 36th America's Cup

ABOVE RIGHT

Ainslie will once again lead the British team on and o the water

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Hydrogen powered chase boats; it is hoped tech developments will bene t the wider industry

Clean tech

Green credentials are being put to the fore for AC37. Most notably in aiming to advance technologies for the wider marine industry, each team is required to operate two 10m hydrogen powered foiling chase boats capable of a cruising speed of 25 knots and a top speed of 50 knots. Teams can develop their own, or purchase them (at a cost of $2m NZD each) from the Defender, who says a prototype is already in build, due for trials in early 2022.