With the 37th America's Cup using the AC75 class rule for this second generation of high-tech foilers, all but one of five teams-newcomer Alinghi Red Bull Racing-have the design jump-start of servers full of historical data and real experience with the 75-footer from the last go. It was, therefore, no surprise when the Protocol sought to level the playing field and reduce costs by allowing one prototype per team in the lead-up to building their one and only new-generation AC75.
Teams are also required to buy a one-design AC40, which could be used as a prototype to design, test and troubleshoot mechatronic systems and foils. They could also leave the AC40 in its one-design configuration and instead design and build what's called an LEQ12, which means "less than or equal to 12 meters." Each team has chosen a different path, and only the outcome of the Cup itself in late 2024 will tell which was the right one.
Defender Emirates Team New Zealand chose to use its in-house-designed AC40 as a development platform, as will Alinghi Red Bull Racing (in addition to training on the former AC75 of Emirates Team New Zealand) and American Magic, which has reportedly purchased two of the 40s, but INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli have struck out on their own with custom-built LEQ12s, each notably different in many ways. Luna Rossa's LEQ, with graphics wrap either to distract the eye or an Italian flair, is said to mirror the AC75 of Emirates Team New Zealand from the last Cup. INEOS Britannia's T6, on the other hand, is an unworldly shape that can only be properly "sailed" when on its foils.
This story is from the Winter 2023 edition of Sailing World.
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This story is from the Winter 2023 edition of Sailing World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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