Cup Spy July 18: Luna Rossa resumes testing in a hot and grey Cagliari
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World NZ 20 Jul 2023 01:52 NZST
18 July 2023
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - LEQ12 - Day 76 - July 18, 2023 - Barcelona © Alex Carabi / America's Cup
The Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli resumed training out of Cagliari in their LEQ12, after a three week break.
It was a hot 38°C in Cagliari with grey fog-like conditions with a 6-10kt breeze - a complete contrast to Barcelona, where it was a little cooler, but bright sunshine and a 15-18kt breeze which peaked mid-afternoon. The Barcelona Backslop was minimal - making for perfect foiling conditions - and everyone came off the water looking like heroes.
What happened in the Cup - July 18, 2023:
- Alinghi Red Bull Racing sailed their AC75 in a long session which lasted over eight hours. Out of 57 tacks and gybes in the day, they kept the hull dry on all but two maneuvers - and those were in the "touch and go" category for a 97% dry foil tack/gybe percentage.
- American Magic - sailed their AC40 One Design and their AC40/LEQ12 test boat. After a stutter-start to the week the US team had what the AC37 Joint Recon Team described as a "glamour day" - which would have come as a welcome relief and put a spring back in everyone's step. There is no indication as to when their AC75 will start sailing.
- Luna Rossa - had an impressive day in Cagliari, in a lighter breeze than Barcelona. On the video it looked as if the breeze died at the end of the session. On the available video there were no water starts - which has been a weakness with this LEQ12, particularly sailing six-up. However the Italian team looked impressive, and of course, training out of the sight of other teams gives a psychological advantage. When sailing their AC40-One Design in Cagliari, the Italians are quite entitled to cruise past the other teams sailing and gauge the accuracy of the AC37 Joint Recon observations, as well as coming to their own conclusions. However the other Challengers and Defenders can't return the compliment in Cagliari, as on the water observation is prohibited under the Rules.
- Emirates Team New Zealand gave a foiling masterclass, with low flying straight line runs, performing 72 tacks and 63 gybes, with just two resulting in water contact - of the "touch and go" category for a 98.5% dry tack/gybe percentage. The Kiwis are expected to stop sailing for a few days due to SailGP Los Angeles obligations for all of the AC75 sailing crew. There is quite a marked difference in the salinity of water in the Mediterranean, and that of the Hauraki Gulf, which thanks to several cyclonic events contains more fresh water than usual. The air temperature in Barcelona today (34°C) is 10°-15° more than Auckland - even in the summer, and today with steady winds and flat water would have provided some excellent performance data to cross-reference with their Auckland results and the different densities of wind and water.
- INEOS Britannia will not be sailing until August 1, and are transiting to Barcelona from their pre-Cup base in Mallorca.
- No further news from the Orient Express Team (formerly K-Challenge).
Weather conditions at Barcelona July 18, 2023:
On the water the AC37 Recon teams reported lower strength breezes than the onshore weather station at the entrance to Port Olimpic. The Recon teams quoted a reading of around 9-14kts from around 210°. At the real-time observation station at Port Olimpic the wind peaked at 17-18kts between 1400-1500hrs. Direction was between 195° and 210°. The difference between the on the water and weather station readings may be explained by the height difference - 2.5 metres for the AC37 Recon Teams and 12 metres for the Port Olimpic weather station. The mast height on an AC75 is 26.5 metres - so the Port Olimpic station is reading at about mid-rig height.
AC37 Joint Recon Team Reports:
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - LEQ12 - Day 29 - February 4, 2023 - Cagliari
From the AC37 Joint Recon Team - Michele Melis:
After two weeks sailing block in Barcelona with their AC40, the Italian LRPP team rolled out their LEQ12 prototype at 11:45 in Cagliari.
Beside some minor changes followings were noted: the anhedral wingfoil 02 mounted back on the initial version of portside arm; adjustments on mainsheeting and car and mast base systems; changed buttons & screens in cockpit setup; and, once again, a marked span section on the inboard starboard wing.
The mast was stepped shortly after rolling out and the yacht was craned in with shore crew electricians working below deck and around the mast base monitoring several tablets documented by recon shots.
With dockout scheduled at 13:00, the mainsail M2 was already locked in the mast fittings when the team swapped it with the main M1, perhaps considering the lighter expected seabreeze shown by the updated models.
At 13:10 the LEQ12 was towed out of the harbour with the recon anemometer showing 8-10kts from 150° TWA.
The main was fully hoisted and paired with a J1.5 while six crew members including two on joyride seats boarded the prototype.
The first and only foiling stint commenced at 13:30 and saw the LEQ12 being towed up at 16kn boat speed and released on portside tack. In the first part long straight line sailing prevailed with two tacks before bearing away for some two gybes.
This procedure has been observed twice before Chase-2 laid out the leeward gate allowing the LEQ12 to start practicing some unofficial and uncompleted prestarts with lots of manuevers around Chase-1 and Recon Unit Chase.
The seabreeze seemed to be decreasing slightly and just when Chase-2 arrived at the starting line, the prototype came to a sudden stop to lower the sails.
The team then slowly towed the LEQ12 back to the harbour on displacement mode indicating, even if speculative, an issue on the foils, but no major damage was noticed during the crane out, perhaps a loose fairing was the cause.
During this day approximate boat speeds of upwind -close reach of 26-28kts, downwind broad reach of 32-34kts with a foiling time of 61 minutes, with 11 tacks, and 9 gybes were counted
Report by Michele Melis AC Recon.
Session Statistics: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli - LEQ12 - Day 76 - July 18, 2023 - Cagliari
- Weather: Overcast 38°C
- Wind Strength 6-10kts
- Wind Direction: SE
- Sea State: Flat
- Crane In: 1200hrs Dock Out: 1315hrs
- Dock In: 1455hrs Crane out: 1600hrs
- Total Tacks: 11 - Fully foiling: 9; Touch & Go: 2; Touch Down: 0
- Total Gybes: 9 - Fully foiling: 8; Touch & Go: 1; Touch Down: 0
Crew: Francesco Bruni, Marco Gradoni, Umberto Molineris, Vittorio Bissaro, Ruggero Tita, Paolo Simion (cyclor).
Emirates Team NZ - AC75 - Day 23 - July 18, 2023 - Barcelona
ETNZ rolled out their B2 AC75 from the shed at 10.00 am. The boat was craned to the water at 10:38 and the team docked out at 11.30, as planned.
Sails were hoisted at 11:50 and there were no sails changes during the day.
Today´s training consisted exclusively of maneuvers, without using marks. In the two-hour net sailing time, they performed approximately 72 tacks and 63 gybes with almost a 100% standing on their foils.
Going into detail on the gybes, the important sail trimming and boat balance aspects are the following:
- The boat stays flat while bearing away and comes out heeled to windward on the new tack, with the main traveller all the way up and the jib sheet gets eased a considerable amount for acceleration.
- Once the boat is powered up, to the point in which it gets slightly heeled to leeward, the traveller gets eased quickly and fast to further to leeward than the transom. The jib continues to stay eased during this time, until the boat accelerates.
- Then, while the boat accelerates the helm bears away, the jib starts to get trimmed back to vmg position as well as the traveller.
- Furthermore, during the day they played significantly with the bear-away turning speed when heading into the gybes.
Looking forward into tomorrow, it seems like the intention is to start to use marks, either for more maneuvers and/or for practicing starts and racing exercises.
In respect to the sailing conditions, a very stable oscillating southerly breeze prevailed from 180° – 190°. Wind speed always in between 11-13kts, averaging 12.5kts.
Flat water, clear skies, sunshine, no clouds, and high temperature.
At 1415hrs ETNZ entered back to the port sailing, put down their sails down, docked at 1430hrs and the boat was back in the shed at 1455hrs. No breakdowns, just another day of rock-solid performance from the entire team.
Session Statistics - Emirates Team NZ - AC75 - Day 23 - July 18, 2023 - Barcelona
- Weather: Sunny 31°C
- Wind Strength 11-13kts
- Wind Direction: S 180°-190°
- Sea State: Flat
- Crane In: 1200hrs Dock Out: 1315hrs
- Dock In: 1455hrs Crane out: 1600hrs
- Total Tacks: 72 - Fully foiling: 71; Touch & Go: 1; Touch Down: 0
- Total Gybes: 63 - Fully foiling: 62; Touch & Go: 1; Touch Down: 0
Crew: Nathan Outteridge, Peter Burling, Andy Maloney, Blair Tuke, Josh Junior.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing LEQ12 - Day 77 - July 18, 2023 - Barcelona
Alinghi Red Bull Racing rolled out their AC75 at 084hrs. Notably, the mainsheet system was positioned strategically in the port cockpit, possibly to keep it out of sight of the recon.
Work continued on the mast base, with a particular focus on the Cunningham system and hydraulic fluid maintenance. The team also installed a new fairing on the foredeck, which seems to be covering a heat exchanger. Given the hottest day on record in Barcelona for 2023, this modification is presumed to cool the internal systems and prevent any potential overheating.
Dockout was at 11:15, followed by the hoisting of the M2-2L. The team spent about an hour and a half setting up the boat in the port, with many crew members standing around control systems, after which the J3-1R jib was hoisted and the yacht was towed out to the port entrance. The 'Garbi' afternoon thermal wind fluctuated throughout the day, ranging from 12-20 kts and gradually shifting from 200° to 210°. Wave height remained consistent at 0.4m, with a period of 2secs.
The day's sailing was divided into six stints. There were periods of adjustments and maintenance in between the stints, including further work on the mainsail clew: mainsheet systems, cunningham [downhaul] and traveller.
The first stint, lasting from 1305hrs to 1330hrs, saw a short upwind followed by a long downwind. The team was quick out of the tacks with a
low ride height upwind, which transitioned to a higher ride height downwind.
Stint 2 ended prematurely, as technicians worked on board. What seemed to be the battery or control box issue was removed, inspected, and placed in the chase boat. However, the exact nature and function of the box remain unclear.
During Stint 3, a long upwind on starboard was carried out, followed by a bear away to downwind and a gybe to port. Despite the team's best efforts, a significant nose dive occurred while sailing downwind. The wind wand on the bowsprit was damaged, presumably during the nose dive. Although the team made an attempt to replace it, the replacement did not seem to work.
In stint 4, the team executed a long downwind to a leeward gate, followed by two laps of the course. The leeward rounding featured a "JK" [270° turn around a mark/maneuver, while the last lap had both boards down after the first lap.
Stint 5 started with a short downwind to the leeward gate followed by two laps of the course, rounding the leeward gate with both boards down. Despite a major touchdown on the final downwind leg, the team continued and performed another "JK" maneuver around the leeward gate.
Finally, stint 6 consisted of a short upwind sail towards the port entrance, marking the end of the day's sailing. By 1730hrs the team had docked in, and by 1800hrs the yacht was back on its cradle. The foil arms were raised and hydraulic checks were carried out.
Despite the heat and various technical challenges faced throughout the day, the team managed to spend over six hours on the water, with a total of 105 minutes sailing. The team executed a total of 57 maneuvers, 96% of which were fully foiling, the team’s best on record by 10%. This represents some of the best and most consistent sailing on the AC75 to date.
Session Statistics: Alinghi Red Bull Racing LEQ12 - Day 77 - July 18, 2023 - Barcelona
- Weather: Sunny 34°C
- Wind Strength 12-20kts
- Wind Direction: 200°-210°
- Sea State: Flat
- Crane In: 0845hrs Dock Out: 0915hrs
- Dock In: 1730hrs Crane out: 1755hrs
- Total Tacks: 28 - Fully foiling: 26; Touch & Go: 2; Touch Down: 0
- Total Gybes: 29 - Fully foiling: 29; Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 0
Crew: Helms: Arnaud Psarofaghis, Maxime Bachelin. Sail Trimmers: Bryan Mettraux, Yves Detfry, Power: Théry Schir, Barnabé Delarze, Nils Theuninck, Augustin Maillefer
American Magic - AC40 and LEQ12 - Day 41 - July 18, 2023 - Barcelona
From the AC37 Joint Recon Team:
Glamour day today at Barcelona for New York American Magic team with two boats on the water sailing flawless in perfect summer breeze conditions.
Roll out at 1045hrs, Dock out at 1300hrs and out of the port and sailing by 1324hrs.
America on LEQ12 configuration and Magic on One Design as lately.
Both boats hoisted jibs #2 with 9-10kt of wind from 210º and 0.5m, 2.5ft from 200º of wind chop. Sailing began with a short upwind on starboard tack and a long run towards the course area that was set for the day with four marks (windward gate and a leeward gate).
They stopped at 1345hrs and changed jibs to #3 as the wind had picked up to 11-13kts. From then on they sailed four races of one lap each with a proper prestart sequence and a bit of chasing game between America and Magic. Starts were tight and both boats showed good control during maneuvers, either with two foils down or just one. America won three upwind legs and three races.
List of races and times including prestart:
Race 1: 1400hrs till 1419hrs; 3 tacks, 2 jibes, all clean.
Race 2: 1424hrs till 1435hrs, 3 tacks, 1 touch down jibe.
Race 3: 1441hrs till 1453hrs, 3 tacks, 3 jibes, all clean.
Race 4: 1519hrs till 1535hrs, 3 tacks, 2 jibes with 1 touchdown.
By 1545hrs they began sailing upwind back to port and after one tack America had to stop at 1552hrs to what it looked like a battery replacement. They were back sailing at 16:25hrs to enter the port 1631hrs and dock in 1643hrs.
Report by Lea Sitjà AC Recon
Session Statistics: American Magic - AC40 and LEQ12 - Day 41 - July 18, 2023 - Barcelona
- Weather: Sunny 34°C
- Wind Strength 9-14kts
- Wind Direction: 210°
- Sea State: Flat
- Crane In: 1045hrs Dock Out: 1300hrs
- Dock In: 1645hrs Crane out: 1750hrs
- Total Tacks: 16 - Fully foiling: 16; Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 0
- Total Gybes: 14 - Fully foiling: 12; Touch & Go: 0; Touch Down: 2
This commentary was written and compiled from video, still images and statistical content extracted from the AC37 Joint Recon program and other material available to Sail-World NZ including photo files, and other on the water coverage from the 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2021 America's Cups. Its format is intended to give Sail-World readers a snapshot of all teams' progress on a given day or period.
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