Letter from 37th America's Cup #2 - Dare to dream by Mark Covell
Published 12:16 on 11 Sep 2024
We always knew this racing format was going to be brutal for one team and it was. Sadly it's bon voyage to the French Orient Express Racing. The word on the dock estimates that it cost the French a cool 8 million dollars a race. Not a great return when you think a race can last for just 25 minutes. But if you asked them, after a typically Gallic shrug of the shoulders, they would say it was all worth it. Last in - first out, their campaign was a prelude for the 38th America's Cup. They bought an off the shelf Kiwi designed package that gave them a wonderful base and allowed them to be competitive straight out of the box. Look out for the return of this talented French team who will undoubtedly come back stronger than an overripe brie.
This evening I was lucky enough to bump into a few friends, all old hacks of the America's Cup, with a wealth of experience having covered over thirty campaigns between them. I guess the collective noun is an "off the record' of journalists? While sat a dinner table with tapas and sangria, I witnessed something that I have never experienced before. Genuine optimism and belief that for the first time in a very long time we have a credible British challenger to the America's Cup. What a refreshing feeling it was to hear wise old commentators dare to dream. It's only round one of the Louis Vuitton challenger series but discounting Emirates Team New Zealand, INEOS Britannia is on the top of the pack. Self belief and momentum can be a very powerful thing. New questions came up over dinner that were fun to muse over. If INEOS won the America's Cup, where would it be sailed? Hayling bay? If INEOS won the America's Cup, surely they would include a race around the Isle of Wight, clockwise to reenact the original race of 22nd August 1851? If INEOS won the America's Cup, what would they choose to sail it in? All of these questions are way to soon to be asking but isn't it nice to be thinking so positively!
For me INEOS has a very real chance to win the Louis Vuitton challenger series. All teams have shown weaknesses along the way. Luna Rosa Prada Pirelli is fast but has suffered from poor reliability not unlike their Italian sports cars. Red Bull Alinghi Racing finished fourth in round one and struggled to get a point on the board. NYYC American Magic are suffering from lack of power to the hydraulics that is so important to trim the sails. The decision to have recumbent cyclors to improve overall aerodynamics has resulted in a loss of power output estimated to be as much as 30%. To add to this oversight they have just lost their port helmsman British olympic sailor Paul Goodison, after he fell down a hatch and broke several ribs. This is a cruel blow and I wish him a speedy recovery. They now have to integrate their back up helm and switch his day job from a classroom virtual simulator to a real time, AC75 stimulator!
The big question is what's the potential for further development across the fleet? Which teams have more toys in the toy box still to play with? INEOS Britannia certainly made big speed improvements after the preliminary regatta. Can they keep developing and refining their overall package? Can we turn our dinner table dreams over Serrano ham and croquets to bringing the Cup home to roast beef reality?
As explained in my last letter from America's Cup the dangerous light wind minefields of jeopardy can unsaddle the best of AC37 wind riders. Mother Nature continues to hold the last card and her poker face is predicting less wind going into the Autumn.After 174 years of failing to win the 'Ald mug' back can Ben and his team deliver more than a dream?