Americas Cup World Series - From Yachts & Yachting by The Chelsea Magazine Company

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PORTSMOUTH 2015 – SPECIAL

America’s Cup World Series guide • Full event highlights • Latest team analysis • BAR: behind the scenes

SIR BEN AINSLIE

GILES SCOTT

SIR KEITH MILLS

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PORTSMOUTH 2015 – SPECIAL

America’s Cup World Series guide ACEA / GILLES MARTIN-RAGET

• Full event highlights • Latest team analysis • BAR: behind the scenes

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GILES SCOTT

SIR KEITH MILLS 10/07/2015 09:05

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Get set for the Cup

he America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth is set to deliver four days of thrilling racing and crowd-pleasing spectacle, as the world’s elite sailors line-up for the very first time in this, the opening round of the 35th America’s Cup. Could this be the chance for the British team, led by the indefatigable Sir Ben Ainslie, to

make their mark as they attempt to become the team to bring home the Cup? One thing is for sure, the British public will be backing them all the way! Not only will the action on the water provide an awe-inspiring spectacle, the shoreside line-up of entertainment and activities promises to round things off into a fantastic experience for all involved. Here’s all you need to know…

M E D I A PA R T N E R

Don’t forget to keep an eye on yachtsandyachting.co.uk for all the latest throughout the event!

CONTENTS imaginations 5 Capturing Sir Keith Mills, organiser of the ACWS

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Portsmouth, looks ahead as excitement builds

Series, Portsmouth preview 6 World Bob Fisher takes a look at how the event

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is shaping up – on and off the water

countdown 12 Final We asses the individual teams’ final preparations

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– behind the scenes 16 BAR Y&Y gets unique access to Ben Ainslie’s campaign to win the AC

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America’s Cup World Series preview Yachts & Yachting

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CAPTURING IMAGINATIONS

Above A taste of the excitement; Volunteers, known as ‘Wavemakers’; Sir Keith Mills

SIR KEITH MILLS is the man behind the America’s

Cup World Series in Portsmouth, which is being managed by Team Origin Events. Here he reveals the importance and excitement behind this historic event

he idea behind the America’s Cup World Series is to build the base of supporters around the world and raise awareness ahead of the America’s Cup finals in 2017. Each event will have hundreds of thousands of spectators, and TV and media coverage. It enables the teams in practical terms to test their skills and technology, and to train in advance of the finals in 2017. From a British perspective, this is first time America’s Cup racing has been held in the Solent since 1851. We’ve got to get the whole of the UK behind Land Rover BAR, in the same way we did with the Olympic Games, so when the finals come around in 2017 everybody is on the edge of their seats cheering on the

Below Map of the course

THE R ACE COURSE

Course 1: Start – M1(port) – L Gate – W Gate – L Mark(port) – Finish (FIVE Leg Course) Course 2: Start – M1(port) – L Gate – W Gate – L Gate – W Gate – L Mark(port) –Finish (SEVEN Leg Cou START SEQUENCE: 5 min - 4 min - 3 min - 2 min - 1min - START.

British team. It’s really important that the World Series in Portsmouth captures the imagination of not just people around the south coast, but the whole country. This is sailing like you’ve never seen it before. The races are short – no more than 30 minutes – and the racing is all close to shore. It’s very fast with boats reaching 40mph. The television technology allows you to see how fast the boats are going, you can hear the sailors shouting instructions on board, and you get up-close to this sport in a way that has never previously happened. The America’s Cup has been around since 1851, and it’s never been like this before! This is very different, and special. We believe the event in Portsmouth will really capture the imagination of the British public.

Flags with 5,4,3,2,1, lowered on each minute in countdown.

* This shows typical course layout for southwesterly wind, the course will be aligned with the prevailing wind

FESTIVAL SITE

FANZONE FINISH LINE

L. GATE

START LINE

M1 EXCLUSION ZONE

W. GATE

WIND

IN NUMBERS

500,000 Number of spectators expected

mile

Approximate size of the event site – the entire length of Southsea Common!

Volunteer ‘Wavemakers’ will be helping on land and water

200 hours

Time taken to ready the ACWS venue

250+

America’s Cup World Series preview Yachts & Yachting

PREVIEW

ORACLE TEAM USA/PHOTO JOHN VON SEEBUR

AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES

CUP COMES HOME 6

Overall ranking position will determine the starting points score of the teams in the America’s Cup Qualifiers in 2017

As challengers and defender alike assemble in Portsmouth to contest the opening stages of the 35th America’s Cup, BOB FISHER looks at the line-up, both on and oﬀ the water

PREVIEW

SANDER VAN DER BORCH/ARTEMIS RACING

AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES

Every point counts! The ACWS races taking place in Portsmouth are not simply for show. Overall ranking position gained by teams in the America’s Cup World Series 2015-16 will determine the starting points score of the teams in the America's Cup Qualifiers in 2017.

ACWS racing takes place in 45ft foiling one-design wingsail cats.

SANDER VAN DER BORCH/ARTEMIS RACING

The ACWS continues in Gothenburg, (27-30 August) and Bermuda (16-18 October). A further four to six events are expected in 2016, including a return to Portsmouth on 21-24 July.

Yachts & Yachting America’s Cup World Series preview

hen the first two teams meet in anger on Saturday 25 July, it will be 28 days short of 164 years since racing took place for the America’s Cup on the Solent. The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series 2015-16 results will count towards the seeding for the Challenger Eliminations in two years’ time and thus form part of the competition for the 100 Guineas Cup, crafted by Robert Garrard in 1848, purchased off the shelf as a prize for an all-comers race around the Isle of Wight on 22 August 1851. There are two distinct sides to the Portsmouth-based fixture – the sailing and the event. The entire World Series is now sponsored by Louis Vuitton – not, one hastens to add, with the management formerly used, so no more will the experienced and knowledgeable figure of Bruno Troublé be seen, but from the Paris headquarters of the elite luggage manufacturers. At Portsmouth, the event is organised by Sir Keith Mills’ Team Origin Events, which carried out the same function for the Olympics in Weymouth, and the racing by America’s Cup Race Management under the guiding hand of Iain Murray, regatta director, so there will certainly be no shortcomings there. For the four days that the Southsea

seafront site is open, there will be a family-friendly environment with much to do and see, providing entertainment for young and old. It will be a four-day festival – with technology explanations, merchandising, live music and active involvement opportunities for all ages. During the four days there will be many chances to see the one-design foiling AC45Fs in action – the first two days in practice and the World Series racing on the two days of the weekend. This is definitely a not-to-be-missed event and uppermost of its features is the racing. The foiling AC45Fs are now close to the speed of the 72-footers used in the Cup races two years ago and the six teams will engage in fleet racing around courses with turning marks close to the Southsea seafront. Given a decent breeze, this should have any non-sailing spectators wondering why they have been missing this. The six teams are headed by the defender, Oracle Team USA, skippered by Jimmy Spithill. The Cup rules this time allow the defender to race in all events until the final challenger selection trials in Bermuda – if you win the Cup, you make the rules to suit your team, never mind sticking with the original concept of meeting the opposition for the first time in the final match. But the Oracle team has lost several of its key sailors since 2013, not least of them, Sir

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TIMETABLE

ACEA/JOHN VON SEEBURG

FIRST THURSDAY 11am Arrival of America’s Cup at race village 11.15am–12.30pm Moth racing, kite surfing 1pm–2.30pm Parade of sail – all teams 3pm–4pm Official presentation of skippers 7pm–7.30pm Official opening ceremony 8pm–10pm South Coast Proms with Massed Bands of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, ending with fireworks

FAST FRIDAY

YVAN ZEDDA/GROUPAMA

11.15am–12.30pm Moth racing, kite surfing

Ben Ainslie. It has, however, retained Kyle Langford, the wing trimmer and Tom Slingsby, now sailing team manager. Also retained from the 2013 team are Kinley Fowler, Rome Kirby, Joey Newton and Joe Spooner. New to the team is Laser Olympian, Andrew Campbell. As before, Oracle Team USA’s coach is Philippe Presti. This team will start favourites, by rote – unbeaten since the 9-8, come-from-behind victory over Emirates Team New Zealand in San Francisco Bay nearly two years ago. NEW CONTENDERS Newest of the challengers is the recently announced SoftBank Team Japan from the Kansai YC. Formed at the end of April, this team’s first major move was to hire the ETNZrejected skipper, Dean Barker as CEO and skipper, who brings with him a welter of experience in the boats. The general manager is Kazuhiko Sofuku, who was bowman with the Nippon Challenge on four occasions culminating in 2000 in the Challenger series. The latest addition to the Japanese team is British Olympian, Chris Draper, who became available when the Luna Rossa team was withdrawn. “We were all really disappointed when Luna Rossa was withdrawn, we had all put a lot of time and effort into the campaign and were pretty advanced in our plans,” Draper comments. “But the opportunity

12.30pm Red Arrows display as boats head out 1.30pm–3pm Practice races

to start building a team from the ground up is really exciting so it was great to get the call from Dean [Barker].” Chris has been practising in foiling 45-footers for the past year in Sardinia – and has most recently been seen back on the Extreme Sailing Series circuit helming GAC Pindar in Cardiff after a four-year absence from the event – and should rightly steer the SoftBank entry, from his official position as sailing director – although he has said that Barker will steer in Portsmouth. “Dean and I had built quite a lot of respect and have sailed against each other quite a lot [during the last Cup cycle] in Auckland. At the moment the main focus is to be up and running for the event in Portsmouth and we will see where we go from there.” One should remember that the official cause of Barker’s break-up with ETNZ was because Grant Dalton wanted him to stop steering and become sailing director – though whether there was more to the decision than just this remains unclear. Little is known about Team France except that Franck Cammas, the current holder of the Little Cup – the C-class equivalent – will be the skipper. The team does not wish to reveal more than the involvement of Michel Desjoyeaux and Olivier de Kersauson, but neither are likely to sail. Somewhere in the background is the talent behind the Groupama campaigns.

Above Turning marks for the six teams will be close to the Southsea seafront

7.15pm–9.30pm South Coast Proms with Massed Bands of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, ending with fireworks

BIG SATURDAY 10.30am Red Bull Matadors Aerobatic Team display 11.15am–12.30pm Moth racing, kite surfing 12pm Red Bull Matadors Aerobatic Team 1.30pm–3pm Races 1 and 2 4.30pm Blades Aerobatic Display Team 6.30pm–11.15pm Portsmouth Live! Concert with Spandau Ballet, Wet Wet Wet, McBusted, Carly Rae Jepsen

SUPER SUNDAY 11.15am–12.30pm Moth racing, kite surfing 12pm Trig Aerobatic Team aerial display 1.30pm–3pm Races 3 and 4 4.30pm–5.30pm Prizegiving with guest VIPs 5.30pm Spitfire air display finale

America’s Cup World Series preview Yachts & Yachting

LLOYD IMAGES

Sir Ben tells of the sailing team in his own words: “We have a good sailing squad, a really good sailing squad, with Giles (Scott), who is winning in his Olympic commitments, which is pretty important for us in his tactical, strategic-type role on the boat. It will be good to start building that relationship. He also brings a lot physically to sailing the boat, and the boat handling, which is going to be a huge part around this type of race course. “We have Paul Campbell-James doing the wing trim, and that is great to have someone with a helming background to take on that. We have David ‘Freddie’ Carr who has, as all of the guys have, put in a phenomenal effort fitnesswise. He has had to drop about 10kg in bodyweight to get himself into the limit. Jono McBeth leads the sailing team, as sailing team manager. “Also in the team is Nick Hutton, Matt ‘Catflap’ Cornwell and Andy ‘Animal’ McLean, that is the squad. We really want to start off well as we mean to carry on, so it is important for us to put our best foot forward and have a really good crack at it. “They have all worked really hard, they have been training twice a day. Our trainer Ben Williams who is an ex-Marine, has been really putting them through their paces. So they are in bloody good shape. We will see if Jono and Animal make the race team. It will be the first time we have raced as a group, that squad if you like.” The racing, therefore, promises much, and the rest of the event is awe-inspiring, particularly the big music shows in the evenings. Do not miss this.

RETURNING CHALLENGERS Returning to the fray is a strengthened Artemis Team from the Royal Swedish YC. Iain Percy leads this team as team manager, with Nathan Outteridge retained as skipper. Also on board is a new signing, the man who three years ago beat Iain to the Olympic Star gold, Freddie Loof – plus Iain Jensen, Christian Kamp, Chris Brittle and the latest to join the team, Brit, Paul Goodison. As a travelling reserve, there will be Stu Bettany. Considerable strength in this team comes from its technical and design staff, which has retained Adam May and Loick Peyron together with Nico Rousselon. They are now joined by Michel Kamarec from the Oracle team and Thiha ‘Winnie’ Win, also from Oracle. This is a team, full of talent both in design and on the water, to watch closely. Furthest travelled is Emirates Team New Zealand, but little (even burgeoning financial problems) can keep the Kiwis

out of the America’s Cup. Their leader, Grant Dalton, remains the ball of fire he always has been since taking over the reins, and now that he has managed to formulate the team to his own satisfaction – appointing young and talented foiling sailors to drive the boat – he will be around with a smile on his face. He will be aided and abetted in the team management by Kevin Shoebridge. On the handlebars will be Moth World Champion, Peter Burling, with his 49er-winning crew Blair Tuke and A-Class Worlds winner Glenn Ashby in close attendance. Add Ray Davies as tactician, together with Jeremy Lomas, Winston McFarlane and Derek Saward, and the strength of this team becomes evident. It is after all the team that was oh-so-close to winning the Cup in 2013.

Above New boys on the block, Land Rover BAR – the ‘home team’ in Portsmouth

AINSLIE’S HOME TEAM Up against this multitude of talent are new boys on the block, Land Rover BAR, the first British challenge since Peter Harrison’s in 2003 with Wight Lightning.

How to watch e or ea ar d se

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Yachts & Yachting America’s Cup World Series preview

FANZONE

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Spectator boats will be permitted to watch from designated areas adjacent to the race course. As preferred charter package supplier, Sunsail is providing special yacht and powerboat charter packages.

FESTIVAL SITE

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As official media partner, Y&Y will be bringing you exclusive updates of all the action throughout the event. See yachtsandyachting.co.uk or follow @yandymagazine on Twitter. Watch the action live on BT Sport, with highlights on the BBC.

Online and on TV

As well as having a great vantage point over the action as it happens in front of them, spectators in the ticketed Fanzone will be able to watch racing live on screen with full commentary. ticketmaster.co.uk/ ACWSPortsmouth

From the shore

AMERICA'S CUP WORLD SERIES PORTSMOUTH

RACE COURSE

NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

SCALE: 1000 METERS

M E D I A PA R T N E R

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TEAM ANALYSIS

FEATURE

FINAL COUNTDOWN TOBY HEPPELL reviews the

line-up with just days until the teams go into action

t the America’s Cup World Series, Portsmouth we will see all the teams finally out on the water doing battle for the first event of the 2017 America’s Cup. Teams have already begun to arrive on UK shores to squeeze in valuable practise time in the venue. Teams will be sailing the foiling version of the AC45 – referred to as the AC45F – and each boat will have a team of five sailors on board with a maximum weight limit of 437.5kg, which works out as 87.5kg per sailor and is inline with the maximum weight limit for crew in the America’s Cup itself, where teams will consist of six members with a max combined weight of 525kg. This means there will be at least one member of each team’s America’s Cup squad left ashore and it will be very interesting to see the make-up of each team when battle commences on 25 July.

LLOYD IMAGES

Land Rover BAR and Emirates Team New Zealand practising on the Solent before the event

TEAM ANALYSIS

FEATURE

EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND

ACEA/PHOTO JOHN VON SEEBURG

On the water in Portsmouth 14 July

ORACLE TEAM USA

ARTEMIS RACING

On the helm: Jimmy Spithill What to look out for: The relationship between Spithill and Tom Slingsby (on tactics) worked well in the last Cup cycle and we expect it will function well again. However, Slingsby is a talent on the helm and we wonder whether he will be challenging for Spithill’s role.

On the helm: Nathan Outteridge What to watch for: Alongside Oracle this is the team that has changed the least since the end of the last Cup cycle. We fully expect their crew-work to be exemplary but could a focus away from the foiling AC45F cause them some trouble on the water?

Yachts & Yachting America’s Cup World Series preview

SHAUN ROSTER

On the water in Portsmouth 13 July

For this Cup cycle Artemis has retained much of the personnel who did good things towards the end of the last cycle and has been making sure they put in the hours on the water. The team unveiled its test platform early, but before it had even hit the water, was out training on a variety of different boats in San Francisco from their old base. The team has now moved to Bermuda, and been busy training against Cup defenders Oracle. As with Oracle, the team’s focus has been firmly on development for 2017 and have spent much of their time training on the test platform. They have not totally abandoned any shot at success in the Series, but statements from a number of the team show where the focus lies. “We have a group specifically dedicated to the World Series – that is entirely their project,” Head designer Adam May was recently quoted as saying. “It’s an entirely separate team, in addition to the core programme which is all about the Cup. The World Series is great for the team as far as racing foiling boats, but it doesn’t offer much to the design team as far as development.”

SANDER VAN DER BORCH

GUILAIN GRENIER/ORACLE TEAM USA

On the water in Portsmouth 14 July

The defender, Oracle Team USA has established its base in Bermuda and, in line with the other more advanced teams, has an experimental foiler on the water. As with many of the teams, this was designed ahead of the rule change so was intended to be the surrogate for the much bigger 62. All teams have a limit placed on them in terms of the number of days training they are allowed to do on the one-design, AC45F that we will see at the America’s Cup World Series, with few of these days yet used by the US team, they should not be short of time to train in the UK. Oracle will be particularly pleased with the training it has managed to do in Bermuda in the last month where the team has been lining up against Artemis. The America’s Cup is scheduled to take place in Bermuda in June 2017, and it is a relatively stark reminder to think there is only one more June left before the AC is underway. Oracle will be aware how quickly time is moving on with Tom Slingsby admitting after recently lining up against Artemis that: “They’re probably beating us more than we’re beating them. As frustrating as that can be for us as sailors, it’s probably good because you learn more. It’s hard on the ego though!”

Emirates Team New Zealand is a pretty hard team to read. On the one hand they are now one of the longest standing teams in the America’s Cup. On the other, they are known to be struggling with funding issues. Certainly in new helmsman, Peter Burling (alongside his crew Blair Tuke who will also be on board) they have found talent in making small boats go fast. The young Kiwis took silver in the 49er fleet at the London 2012 Olympics and have remained unbeaten ever since – as we go to press this unbeaten record stands at 17 regattas, though the pair are not leading the current 49er Europeans at the halfway stage. Pete Burling has also been utterly dominant in the Moth in recent months with Britain’s best moth talent, Chris Rashley commenting that: “[Burling] is just far and away better at the moment. What he is great at is keeping the boat moving at 100 per cent of its possible speed no matter what is going on around him.” A valuable skill indeed for the ACWS. But this is not a wholly new ETNZ across the board. The head of the team remains Grant Dalton who continues to be his usual self, giving little away about the team and their plans. Alongside Burling and Tuke, Glen Ashby remains from the previous Cup as does tactician Ray Davies. With all the changes at the team and the battle for funding they are pretty far behind the most advanced teams in their programme. So much so, in fact, that the first time they have been seen out on the water foiling was at the beginning of July when they lined up against Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing for a spot of training in the Solent on AC45Fs, and making them one of only two teams to have done so. On the helm: Peter Burling What to watch for: With a team made up of some old hands and new young guns, the dynamic on board could be fascinating. Ray Davies is a tactical genius, no doubt, but with limited crew numbers and these boats known to be very physically demanding there is a slight question mark over whether he is the right man to have on board.

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GROUPAMA TEAM FRANCE There are those who would not have expected the French entry to be here at this stage in the game. The team announced its intention to enter the AC relatively early but had a long, uphill battle to get the anywhere near the funding needed to mount a campaign. They have benefited from the reduction in costs resulting from the recent rule changes and this has, almost certainly, been the main driver in the team bringing in Groupama as headline sponsor. Little is known about the precise make-up of the team but the very talented Franck Cammas will almost certainly be on the helm. The team has been out a number of times in the AC45F so are probably up with the top teams in terms of time on the water in that boat. However, they do not yet have a test platform so have not been able to be out on the water more generally in foiling 40ft catamarans as much as many of the others.

YVAN ZEDDA

HARRY KENNEY-HERBERT/LAND ROVER BAR

On the water in Portsmouth 20 July

LAND ROVER BEN AINSLIE RACING

On the helm: Franck Cammas What to watch for: Who is actually on the sailing team will be the most interesting thing going into the event. France has no shortage of multihull talent but with little time on the water, this opening regatta will be a big test for the French.

On the helm: Sir Ben Ainslie What to watch for: A very strong team, all of whom know each other and get on well, so we expect them to be slick on homes waters. But there is a huge pressure of expectation. The press can be a fickle beast and if they were to finish anywhere other than at the top of the fleet it could certainly make things difficult going forwards.

SOFTBANK TEAM JAPAN On the water in Portsmouth 13 July

The Japanese entry to the America’s Cup was announced very late on in spring this year, but that by no means puts them out of contention. In SoftBank they have a headline sponsor who has very deep pockets indeed and they have hired very well from the launch of the challenge. In bringing Chris Draper and Dean Barker into the team, they have two men who are more experienced than most in foiling America’s Cup boats. Draper in particular spent a great deal of time with Luna Rossa two-boat training on the AC45Fs, so has an unparalleled understanding of the boats sail. It will be intriguing to see how

they get on, but we imagine they may be a little rusty early on in the event.

CHRIS CAMERON

Nobody was under any illusion as to Ben Ainslie’s stomach for a fight when he announced his intention to challenge for the 35th America’s Cup. But there were some dissenting voices as to his chances of winning the Cup and in particular of gaining suitable funding with which to do so. Slowly those voices have been quieted as the team gears up and have been silenced all together with the announcement of headline sponsor, Land Rover and the unveiling of the BAR base – a building the true purpose of which, is clearly to put to rest the idea that this might be a temporary force. The team has been very public with its training and have put in a lot of hours on the Solent, both on the AC45F and their first test platform. In Portsmouth they will have the home advantage and will be keen to put a marker down and show they are a force to be reckoned with. With all the fund raising they have been doing, plus building the new base in Portsmouth, one could argue that attention may not have been fully on the ACWS in recent months, but as a team they have done very well in creating a management structure that is separate to the sailing team to manage such tasks.

YVAN ZEDDA/GROUPAMA

On the water in Portsmouth 13 July

On the helm: Dean Barker What to watch for: Barker left Team New Zealand as he wanted to ensure he actually got to sail; he is listed as the man to helm the Japanese team during the ACWS. However, in Draper there’s another accomplished helm who’s background is in high performance sailing. It will be interesting to see how the relationship between these two in their key positions (Draper is on wing trim) works out.

America’s Cup World Series preview Yachts & Yachting

BAR BEHIND THE SCENES Georgie Corlett-Pitt and Toby Heppell speak to Team BAR about the ultimate British campaign to bring the Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup home

FEATURE

houses team briefing areas and further kit storage. With T1 – the team’s first test boat – out on the water when we arrive, there’s nothing in particular to set this site aside from any other boatyard, and the prominent BAR logo framing the doorway of each boatshed is the one tiny concession to the glaring corporate grandeur usually associated with the Cup world; everything else on-site is bare bones, perfunctory; all concrete and high-vis. As the giant catamaran accompanied by two Scorpion chase boats ghosts into the dock after a breezy training session on Southampton Water, the site suddenly bristles with activity, with the shore crew preparing for the 45-minute task of craning out T1. It’s a well-practised routine, with sailors and shore team alike pitching in to retrieve, wash down and examine every inch of the hull and foils; the

towering solid wing structure is then dismounted and given similar scrutiny. For the sailing team, it’s straight into a debrief to discuss the learnings from the day, analyse video footage, tally that with data taken off the boat, and give their feedback to the design team, shore crew and fitness coaches. A shiny new £15 million state-of-theart base for BAR has now since opened at The Camber in Portsmouth, and things are proving to be very different as a result; design team, sailors and support crew are now united under one purpose-built roof (the design and operations office until this point had been located several miles away in Whiteley), bringing greater operational efficiency and providing the team with a true home from which to build their future ambitions. And as the team moves ever closer, every minute counts in the race to be the team to bring home the Cup for Britain.

BAR/HARRY KENNEY-HERBERT

ucked behind several sets of security gates beyond Dock Gate 4 at Southampton’s ABP Port, is Ben Ainslie Racing’s T1 site – the team’s temporary sailing base. Thanks to its discreet location, there would be few able to pinpoint the exact spot that is currently the hub of BAR’s campaign; despite regularly training on the open waters of the Solent, as with all America’s Cup teams, there’s a sense of secrecy shrouding the ins and outs of the operation – and until now the doors have remained closed. For nine months the T1 site has provided the operational hub for BAR, as the team meticulously constructs the all-important foundations of its Cup campaign. Dominating the quayside are two giant structures functioning as temporary boat sheds; behind that, a warren of portacabins

BEN AINSLIE RACING

BAR principal and skipper, SIR BEN AINSLIE, exclusively talks to Y&Y about juggling roles, and his vision for 2017 and beyond

ir Ben Ainslie is no stranger to Cup campaigning, and has even been involved with a past British bid – in 2010 under Team Origin. But his campaign for AC35 is different. Ainslie’s ownership of this campaign spans many levels – not only as majority shareholder, but as team principal and of course, as skipper. Ben Ainslie Racing was formed almost immediately after Oracle Team USA clinched Cup victory in 2013, an event in which Ainslie played a leading role. Now, together with the support of an 80-strong team of designers, sailors and support crew, Ainslie and his team are not only carrying the hope of reclaiming the Cup for Britain, but implementing a vision that stretches beyond 2017.

Yachts & Yachting America’s Cup World Series preview

Overarching all of this, Ainslie’s day-to-day role as both sailor and principal brings many challenges, not least in terms of time. “We have had to grow this team from a new beginning, which has required my attention on many different areas,” explains Ainslie. “It has been critical to bring in a CEO to help me focus more on design and sailing as we go forward; it took a while to find the right guy but securing Martin Whitmarsh was a fantastic result for the team.” Whitmarsh came on board in March, and using his expertise previously honed as CEO of McLaren Racing, the intention is for him to implement Ainslie’s vision – to evolve BAR in the long term, establishing a sustainable business and diversifying beyond sailing. From the outset, Ainslie’s careful

construction of the team from fairly organic origins into a dynamic complex organisation has been a deliberately measured move. Keen to work with British talent – but also unafraid to recruit elsewhere – Ainslie considers people to be the team’s greatest strength. He explains: “We have been very careful about who we selected to join BAR; it was very important that they would fit into the team culture and are motivated to do this for the right reasons.” Throughout BAR’s evolution as a team, one constant that’s been visibly evident is Ainslie’s leadership – but is there a chance he would pass over the helm? “We will need back up in every role, including the helm, but I do see it as my job to lead the team on and off the water,” he states. Ainslie also refuses to be drawn by comments from his teammates that cite him as BAR’s greatest strength, and, despite the increasing intensity of his now very public profile, he remains characteristically undaunted by this.

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BEN AINSLIE RACING

WINNING VISION

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“There is always pressure and I don’t think anything that has happened in the last 20 years has fundamentally changed that. Personally I feel hugely responsible for the team, for protecting our people and ensuring we become a successful team.” FORWARD THINKING Ainslie is keen to embrace the faster pace of change that this Cup cycle has so far brought, describing the introduction of the new America’s Cup Class to replace the AC62 for the 2017 Cup matches as “a fantastic sailing challenge and spectacle”. Although he says the cost saving initiatives inherent in the move to a smaller class (of 48ft LOA) with one-design elements won’t make a huge difference to existing teams like BAR – already advanced in terms of development programmes – he welcomes the lower build and operation costs and the associated opportunities for entry-level teams. It is a move that he

believes “will make challenging for the America’s Cup more accessible in the future. It will allow more teams and countries to participate, increasing the depth of the competition; particularly in future editions of the Cup, as the teams wish to maintain the same design for at least the next two editions. This will transition the Cup to a much less short-term model and offers a significant opportunity for the longterm international growth of the sport”. There’s scope too, he believes, to push the event forwards in other ways – expanding the World Series and adding further venues. “With more events we can then grow the broadcasting span and the commercial offering begins to have greater value,” Ainslie reasons. For now though, with the approaching ACWS taking place in Portsmouth shortly, in front of British home crowds, the focus for Ainslie and his team is to maximise training time on the water.

BEN AINSLIE RACING

“The ACWS will clearly be important and will count towards the challengers’ qualifying series,” he says, but his response is not without an acknowledgement that his team is at the start of a tough bid to do something a British team has never yet managed to do – to win back the world’s oldest sporting trophy. “Obviously, it would be great to start our campaign for the Cup on a winning note. But we are a first generation team and the quality of teams for this America’s Cup is, in my opinion, the best in many, many years. Ultimately the result that matters is in 2017.”

Personally I feel hugely responsible for the team and for ensuring success

SAILOR PROFILES SIR BEN AINSLIE HELM

DAVID ‘FREDDY’ CARR GRINDER

NICK HUTTON TRIMMER

GILES SCOTT TACTICIAN

Without doubt the most recognisable sailor in the UK, Ainslie is also the most successful Olympic sailor of all time. In America’s Cup terms, he has been part of a number of syndicates from Team New Zealand through the British Team Origin. His Cup career highlight came in 2013 as tactician for defender Oracle Team USA.

Carr’s CV is illustrious and covers a wide variety of racing; from in-port trimming on a Volvo 70 in the 2008-09 VOR, he has also won the Extreme Sailing Series and has been involved in no fewer than three America’s Cup campaigns. Like a number of his BAR teammates, Carr was part of the 2013 Luna Rossa AC campaign.

Hutton is another sailor who worked his way up through the youth sailing ranks before moving into match racing at university, and then onto the professional keelboat circuit. He has competed in six Extreme Sailing Series, winning the event in 2010. He and Carr worked together as bowmen for Luna Rossa during the last America’s Cup cycle.

Scott came close to denying Ainslie his Olympic spot when selection in the Finn class went down to the wire in 2012. He has since become the man to beat in the class. What was a fierce rivalry between Scott and Ainslie has formed the foundation for mutual respect. Scott was also a part of the Luna Rossa America’s Cup team in 2013.

PAUL CAMPBELL-JAMES WING TRIMMER/HELM

MATT ‘CATFLAP’ CORNWELL GRINDER

JONO MACBETH SAILING TEAM MANAGER/GRINDER

ANDY MCLEAN GRINDER/DESIGN LIAISON

Campbell-James rose through the youth sailing ranks to Olympic 49er campaigning, alongside multiple match racing successes, before turning his hand to multihulls and winning the Extreme Sailing Series. It was this win that brought him into the Luna Rossa camp in the last America’s Cup as one of two helmsmen alongside fellow Brit, Chris Draper.

Cornwell has won in classes ranging from dinghies to Maxis and Extreme 40s. He has sailed alongside Ainslie before, winning the 2010 Match Racing Worlds. Cornwell also has a significant America’s Cup history, campaigning with Areva in 2007, GBR Challenge in 2003 and with Team Korea in the AC World Series in 2012-13.

Macbeth is possibly the most successful America’s Cup sailor on the BAR team, having won on multiple occasions. His association with Ainslie stretches back to 2007 when the pair were both sailing for Team New Zealand and, most recently, he was a grinder with Oracle Team USA where, again alongside Ainslie, he won the Cup for the third time.

A mechanical engineer, McLean has been involved in three America’s Cups and was part of the winning 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup team with fellow Kiwi and BAR teammate, Jono Macbeth, and Ben Ainslie. In addition McLean has been a part of the Volvo Ocean Race for two editions. He is the sailing and design team liaison for BAR.

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BEN AINSLIE RACING

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SHAUN ROSTER PHOTOGRAPHY

EMILY WHITING

ver the past year, BAR has been frequently seen training on the Solent – first of all in foiling Nacras, and more recently in its modified AC45 (T1) and its new AC45F – but the decision to do so is not just based on a patriotic affinity for training on home waters. “From what we saw training in Bermuda in January and March when we were last there, it was very similar [to the Solent],” explains Rob Wilson, who has recently come on board with BAR as team coach. “You have these big Atlantic lows hitting Bermuda, making the weather changeable just like the UK.” In terms of sailing area, the Solent can be quite restrictive, which will also help the team with the Cup venue. Paul Campbell-James, current wing trimmer and back-up helmsman, says: “When we got to Bermuda and started sailing on the course in our [foiling] Nacras, immediately we realised just how small it is,” he says. “We were doing the upwinds in about 12 minutes, so imagine that with a much quicker boat. It’s going to be really fast and really hectic.” Initially, the team was using its pair of foiling Nacras to get to grips with high speed foiling cat manoeuvres, which brought plenty of thrills and spills to the early part of the campaign. “The first few times we went out in them we hit 31 knots,” recalls CampbellJames. “Let me tell you that 31 knots in a boat that size on the trapeze feels scarily fast. We had to learn how to stop going downwind. Going that fast downwind and having no idea how to turn up is pretty scary. We saw some big wipeouts before we got that right!” These Nacras are now located in Bermuda for use when the team is training there. Back on the Solent

meanwhile, the team has most recently been sailing its AC45F (the new ACWS boat), with time carefully split between practising manouevres and using T1 to gather data for developing the design of the Cup boat. DESIGNING TO WIN Bermuda’s tight race area will strongly influence the design of the Cup boat to be used in 2017, and this has given BAR’s team of 25 designers and engineers a clear direction to work to. “It is a game of trade-offs,” comments design manager, Simon Schofield. “You can have something faster but less manoeuvrable or vice versa; our sailing so far suggests manoeuvrability is going to be key in Bermuda.” It is clear that moding will depend on conditions expected. Teams are likely to have lower drag set-ups for breezier weather and a higher drag, but a more stable mode for lighter winds (where staying on foils will be more important than outright top speed). “Aero-dynamics is definitely going to be an area where you will see a great deal of interesting development,” Schofield continues. “Although many aspects of the design are now quite restricted aero-fairing is actually quite open. You will see different fairings for different conditions on the boats. “It is about coming up with the ultimate package, but one that is adaptable to conditions. It is a lot like Formula 1 in that we talk to the sailors and we will be able to make adjustments to the aero-dynamics to change the way the boat feels on the water.” The team has developed strong ties to Formula 1, notably collaborating on design and simulation with Red Bull Racing Advanced Technologies – who’s chief technical officer is

BEN AINSLIE RACING: CUP COUNTDOWN 2014 June

BAR nn officially launched in London, in the presence of the Duchess of Cambridge

2015 July

Ben Ainslie nn Racing awarded government funding for new base in Portsmouth, construction work begins

August

The nn Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Challenge is accepted for the 35th America’s Cup

October

December

The 1851 Trust is nn launched with a Royal Patron, the Duchess of Cambridge

Bermuda nn announced as venue for 35th America’s Cup

BAR’s first America’s nn Cup Testing Boat ‘T1’ is launched from the team’s temporary base in Southampton

BAR-Red nn Bull Advanced Technologies partnership announced

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January

BAR nn becomes first America’s Cup team to sail on America’s Cup waters in Bermuda, in foiling 20ft cats

February

March

Duchess of Cambridge nn visits Ben Ainslie Racing and the 1851 Trust in Portsmouth

Martin nn Whitmarsh joins as BAR CEO

BAR awarded ISO20121 nn status (for sustainability), the first sports team to achieve this in all areas. PM David Cameron visits the new home of Ben Ainslie Racing

BAR returns nn to Bermuda for second training camp

America’s Cup nn World Series Portsmouth tickets go on sale BAR launches nn ‘Technical Innovation Group’

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Above Training on the Solent Opposite, from top Technical director, Andy Claughton at work; BAR’s current base; the new HQ in Portsmouth under construction Below CEO of BAR, Martin Whitmarsh

With the change of class voted in in April, for the first time in the Cup’s history a number of one-design elements have been incorporated into the Cup boat design; specifically relating to the hull shape and wing shape, but still leaving a lot of scope to develop controls and control systems. “Some of the simple design work has been taken off the table and it has just left the complicated things,” acknowledges Claughton. “The hard stuff is how do you configure the daggerboards correctly, how do you control the wing, how do you make the wing perform under the wind loads to best effect… You still have this whole raft of mechanical engineering challenges.”

ON THE WATER With BAR’s design focus now firmly narrowed on the foils and wing controls the team has started putting in as many hours of testing as possible on and off the water. But Cup rules mean it’s far from simple. “You are not allowed to sail an America’s Cup Class at the moment, and sailing days will be quite limited ahead of the Cup,” explains Schofield. “You have a surrogate rule; you can’t build anything over 32ft. But you can build test boats as long as the underwater shape is an original AC45, and that gives us a lot of scope for development platforms.” But even the number of days teams are allowed to sail the one-design foiling AC45F that is being used for the

2016 May

BAR/HARRY KENNEY-HERBERT

Adrian Newey, and welcoming Martin Whitmarsh, previously of McLaren F1, on board as CEO at BAR. BAR technical director, Andy Claughton says: “The style of racing has changed completely now in that it only takes you two minutes to get across the course so you’re only ever a minute away from a manoeuvre – either going into one or coming out of one – so you’re always accelerating or slowing down or turning a corner and that’s much more like what the F1 teams do. They spend a lot of time trying to get around slow corners as quickly as possible as it means that they start down the next straight five or 10 miles per hour quicker than the next guy.”

BT Sport nn and BBC win UK broadcast rights to ACWS – the first time the sport has been paid for in the UK and Ireland

June

BAR training nn camp, Bermuda New home nn of Ben Ainslie Racing becomes operational

July

America’s nn Cup World Series opening event to take place in Portsmouth, 23-26 July

August

America’s nn Cup World Series, Gothenburg, 27-30 August

October

America’s nn Cup World Series, Bermuda, 16-18 October

Nov/Dec

Launch of nn the BAR Visitor and Education centre with the 1851 Trust

2016

Up to nn six global ACWS events to take place, including Portsmouth, 21-24 July

2017 2017

AC35 Qualifiers nn and Playoffs Youth America’s nn Cup (BAR team to enter) The 35th nn America’s Cup, Bermuda

America’s Cup World Series preview Yachts & Yachting

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BAR/LLOYD IMAGES

BEN AINSLIE RACING

BAR has turned this rule to its advantage, training on its T1, which uses power to control the daggerboards and wing 2015-16 ACWS is limited, so the test boats must be an ‘out of class’ AC45. BAR has turned this rule to its advantage, training on its T1 (an adapted AC45 from the previous Cup campaign) which uses power to control the daggerboards and wing – key areas of design development. “Obviously [stored power] is banned in the actual Cup [as all power has to be generated by the grinders alone]. But it means we can test all sorts of things without having to have people constantly grinding on board for an entire day of testing,” explains Schofield. “Because we can monitor when hydraulic valves open and close, and how much fluid is flowing, we can actually get a very accurate power map,” Claughton adds. “So we are looking at what it ‘costs’ in terms of power needed

Above Making every minute on the water count in the bid for Cup glory

Follow BAR online: benainslie racing.com

Yachts & Yachting America’s Cup World Series preview

to sail the boat. Now we’ve got a ‘price list’ of what you can do for what power.” This then gives a set of parameters for the design team to work to, as well as a complex development plan for the team’s fitness experts to work with the sailors to ensure adequate strength and power. The more you talk with designers and sailors at BAR, the more it becomes clear how crucial is the relationship between power use and control. “You can gain stability by using the in-out cant of the foils, or any number of other factors,” says Campbell-James. “It is all about the balance of stability versus speed and power usage. If you have foils that require more input while sailing, that reduces the power you have running to the wing, which means that you need a simpler control system that is more power-friendly the whole thing is joined together.” Therein lies another challenge for the team: how much time to devote to testing design and how much time to devote to improving their foiling skills. As observers of the foiling Moth fleet will be aware, as sailors have improved, designs have been refined, and the size of the hydrofoil used has decreased, making for a faster package. The better the BAR sailors become at foiling, the less stable package they will be able to

sail without needing to waste crucial energy on adjustment. This comes just as much through design refinement as sailor skill, so there is a balance at play here, and getting this right has determined the overall direction of the team’s programme throughout. To maintain this balance the team typically split training days into racing and testing portions. “The test manager will have a lot of input as to what they want to test that day, but it’s a really important information flow between the sailors and the designers and the designers and the sailors,” explains Wilson. “It’s got to be two way; it’s not just the designers saying right you’re going to do this today, because the sailors feedback is really key. After that, we might go into race focused exercises just as you might do at Olympic or youth squad training.” The next major stage of BAR’s testing programme comes into action this summer, when the team launches ‘T2’ – but not before they have spent further time on the water training in the AC45F that will be used in the World Series this month, when the public gets the chance to see BAR go into battle for real. With points from the World Series events counting towards the overall Cup Qualifiers, the pressure is on and we can expect a dazzling debut.

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KIT

FEATURE

DRESSING FOR BATTLE T

he kit being worn by teams for this America’s Cup World Series reflects a major departure from the norm. Since the last Cup cycle, teams have adopted an entirely different perspective. Not only have the boats and the way they are being sailed leapt forward in that time, so too have the demands being placed on sailor’s kit. Home team Land Rover BAR believes that having the perfect kit could give them a small but vital advantage. The team has been working closely with Henri Lloyd and others to develop kit that not only has a strongly British aesthetic, but that is comfortable, warm and that will enable sailors to perform to their best. Physical demands on the sailors, plus advances in materials that offer both stretch and protection from the elements mean that clothing has become almost like gym kit. And, much like a standard dinghy range, the BAR kit is based on a system

of layers. This allows sailors to pick and choose their wardrobe, depending on whether they are sailing on the chilly Solent or in hot and humid Bermuda. The real difference comes in the detail; much of this has been put forward by the sailors themselves, chiefly Nick Hutton and Matt Cornwell. Glued seams on neoprene items; smooth skin inners to prevent sleeves gripping and causing cramp; and nano‑fibre linings for insulation without bulk are just some of the innovations. Whilst we saw some teams experimenting with physiological sensors built into clothing in the last Cup cycle, overloading sailors with unnecessary technology is something that the Henri Lloyd designers have deliberately steered away from at this stage. Instead, sailors currently rely on data fed by heart rate monitors built into their Suunto watches. Teams fully expect kit development to continue to evolve throughout the cycle. BUOYANCY AIDS Working with Spinlock as technical supplier of personal protective equipment, BAR sailors are wearing the ‘Wing’. The streamlined compact 50N buoyancy aid has been designed to minimise windage, reduce bulk, enable sailors to carry safety equipment and importantly includes a recessed nomex spine support – designed to protect against impact – which counts towards the buoyancy. Cup rules will state that buoyancy aids must be able to be taken off within 10 seconds; this is one of several features being incorporated as designs progress.

Yachts & Yachting America’s Cup World Series preview

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BODY ARMOUR

HELMETS

We saw teams trialling body armour similar to that used in motocross in the last Cup. As the emphasis on manoeuvrability has increased, sailors are shying away from this as being overly cumbersome. Instead, clothing with built-in protection is more likely to make an appearance as the teams get closer to sailing the Cup boats themselves. For now, additional padding in critical areas that are regularly in contact with the boat – such as around the back of the calves – is the focus. Again, another area of on-going development.

The team is working with Kask, the brand of choice for cycling’s Team Sky, wearing the same ‘Bambino’ model as worn by Sir Bradley Wiggins, but without the visor. The helmet is sufficiently rated for impact that the sailors feel confident at speed and, unlike some motor cycling helmets that were initially considered, are lightweight. They also enable sailors to wear small communication devices in their ear.

FOOTWEAR All that running backwards and forwards across the trampoline means sailors need extra flexibility and grip, but still require dinghy-boot style ankle protection when hiking. It’s an area for development, with BAR sailors currently wearing footwear of their own choosing.

America’s Cup World Series preview Yachts & Yachting

DOUBLE MISSION

Balancing an America’s Cup campaign with hopes of Olympic gold is a challenge few are lucky enough to be presented with. GEORGIE CORLETT-PITT talks to a man dealing with precisely that – British sailing talent Giles Scott

PHOTO: OCEAN IMAGES/BRITISH SAILING TEAM

his has been a phenomenal year for Giles Scott, winning not only the Finn World Championship for the second time, but also the European Championship and, crucially, the Rio Test Event too, putting him firmly on track for his goal of gold at the 2016 Olympic Games. His recent dominance – at one stage winning seven international Finn regattas back to back – puts him as a hot favourite for Rio, not to mention earning him a nomination for ISAF Sailor of the Year, along with numerous other accolades, including Y&Y’s Sailor of the Year Award. Giles, 28, from Cambridgeshire has had his skills in the spotlight for some time now, although recognition of that has, it’s fair to say, been a long time coming. In 2011, he had been crowned Finn World and European Champion – a talent that many other nations would readily wish to represent them. But he was pipped to the post for Team GBR Olympic selection by Ben Ainslie. Ben – 10 years his senior and by then a fourtime Olympic medallist – turned on the pace when he most needed it, winning Sail for Gold Regatta and the Olympic Test Event – both crucial markers in the trials that led to him, rather than Giles, taking the ticket to the home Games. CHANGING FORTUNES It’s not often that you hear an athlete describe missing out on Olympic selection as a “good thing”, but in this case, Giles is adamant and, he says, the timing of this missed opportunity

really couldn’t have been better in terms of opening new doors. No sooner had results of the trials been announced than an offer to sail in the America’s Cup World Series with Team Korea came through fellow Brit, Chris Draper. After a solid season that saw that team finish on the podium, that success then led to an invitation to sail with Luna Rossa for the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco. “The good thing that came from failing to be selected for London was it let me get involved in the Cup world as the switch to foiling catamarans was being made. That’s put me in a fortunate position. Although I have

2014, joining a glittering line-up of home-grown talent, including Paul Campbell-James, David ‘Freddie’ Carr, Matt Cornwell and Nick Hutton, as well as Kiwi Jono Macbeth. The challenge now for this team is to combine their experience, pushing the boats – and themselves – to new limits within the framework of the new Cup protocol. Giles says: “In traditional America’s Cup racing it’s very much been about getting the boats to go faster. That is still incredibly important in the new boats as well, but the other side to foiling catamaran racing is that the manoeuvres become even more important during the races, because the drop in speed between

Although I have only done two years in foiling cats, it’s up there with about the most amount of experience in this new class

GILES SCOTT

only done what is effectively two years in foiling cats, it’s up there with about the most amount of experience that’s around in this new class of boat.” With his Cup experience since adding to his already outstanding Olympic campaigning credentials, Giles fitted the bill perfectly when Sir Ben Ainslie announced his intentions to recruit the best of British for his 35th America’s Cup campaign. Giles agreed to join Ben Ainslie Racing in November

a good manoeuvre and a bad one can be absolutely massive. We saw that in San Francisco; when teams were able to do foiling gybes, the difference between a foiling gybe and a non-foiling gybe was hundreds of metres – as opposed to five metres here and there as it would have been in the old world. I think that’s caused a big shift in the way that you race and where the focuses lie.” With that in mind, the focus for the team so far, says Giles, has been on

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Above The BAR team training on home waters on board a modified foiling AC45

“trying to get the crew comfortable with sailing the boat consistently. From there we will start looking at the performance of the boat, and start changing various systems and parts of the boat to improve on the development side of things.” The sight of the team practising their aerial skills from the new base at Portsmouth is becoming commonplace. They spent two months training together at the end of 2014 on the Solent in a foiling AC45, which they refer to as ‘T1’. A brand-new foiling AC45 (T2) is in development and due for launch later this year. The team has also been playing with a couple of foiling Nacra 20s, both in the Solent and Bermuda; being more straightforward to launch

Yachts & Yachting America’s Cup World Series preview

than a bigger cat, they’re a great training platform allowing the sailors to get afloat quickly and maximise time airborne. “All in all the sailing team is working very well together and I am sure that that will only grow as time goes on,” comments Giles. NEMESIS TO TEAM MATE When asked about going from sailing against Ben to with Ben, from his answer, it’s pretty clear that it’s a transition that Giles has easily taken in his stride. “It’s taken a bit of a switch in mentality, but that’s happened very naturally,” he says. His attitude is testament to his unwavering determination and professionalism, as well as to a unique

relationship that stretches back over many years and has seen Ben move, in Giles’s view, from role model to rival. During his time sailing with the RYA Youth Squad, Giles describes himself as “no different to any other 20-somethingyear-old in that Ben was at the forefront of Olympic sailing and he was the one that everyone looked up to and wanted to have a chance of racing against.” Giles’ natural talent and hard work saw him quickly progress towards his ambition, taking his fair share of international titles in the Finn and becoming training partner to Ben in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics – yet all the time with his hopes firmly on one day taking his own

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OCEAN IMAGES/BRITISH SAILING TEAM MARK LLOYD/LLOYD IMAGES

place on the Olympic start line. “There’s no doubt that when we were racing against each other there wasn’t an inch given anywhere. Ben was constantly trying to assert himself as the dominant sailor, and I was always trying to break that down. “And I suppose the fortunate thing for me was that, hopefully, Ben respected what I was trying to get done there – even though I wasn’t successful. And although we fell out a lot on the water, that never seemed to migrate off the water on to a personal level, so all the ‘history’ is all very amicable. “Now that we’re team members – and he’s my boss! – it’s clearly very different. But it’s certainly not going to be an issue. Because we have raced against

each other at such a high level and in a very pressurised way, we know the racing side of one another incredibly well, which I think can only help when you start working together.”

Above Finn World Champion Giles is juggling his Olympic campaign with his BAR team commitments

JUGGLING DREAMS One of the first testing grounds for Ben Ainslie Racing and the five other AC35 challengers will be the UK leg of the America’s Cup World Series. It’s an event that will be instrumental in the public eye as marking the start of the bid to bring the Cup home. “Having a world series event in Portsmouth is absolutely epic. It’s a good platform for us as Land Rover BAR and for Portsmouth to showcase what America’s Cup racing

BRITISH SAILING TEAM

FROM OPTIMISTS TO THE OLYMPICS… AND ONWARDS!

For Giles, joining Ben Ainslie Racing is a long way from his first taste of sailing as a six year old in an Optimist. Giles caught the bug for

racing early on, and his first championship success came at 14 when in 2001 he won the Topper National Championship, before making his mark on the Laser class, winning the ISAF Youth World Championships in 2005. Two years later and he was vying against Ainslie for Olympic selection in the Finn. For a long time, Olympic qualification was his sole focus. “When I was younger, I have to admit I did not know a great deal about the America’s Cup. It was not until I started sailing Lasers and had a decent understanding about what guys in the senior classes were up to that I began seeing the America’s Cup and thinking

that ‘that would be a pretty cool thing to be involved in’. When I was growing up, I was very much a dinghy racer through and through. “Even when I became aware that the America’s Cup was potentially on the horizon, it always seemed very distant, particularly when you’re sailing around in a Laser! “When the America’s Cup doorway opened, I thought crikey, that’s pretty cool, I think I would like to have a go at that. My actual break into America’s Cup sailing came from Chris Draper who asked after the Olympic trials ended if I would like to do some sailing with Team Korea. I jumped at it and things snowballed from there.”

America’s Cup World Series preview Yachts & Yachting

ALEX PALMER/BAR

I’ll be training with Land Rover BAR whenever I can, I will have to make sure I don’t spread myself too thin GILES SCOTT is all about, which is fantastic. “Alongside that, the world series itself has more weighting within the qualifying series for AC35, so points will begin to count for qualification. Although I will be surprised if the results from the World Series end up actually deciding the America’s Cup, there will certainly be more of a focus from all the teams this time to make sure they perform well at the ACWS events.” Leading up to the opening ACWS event in Portsmouth in July – teams have been getting to grips with the new foiling AC45s on the solent. There’s no doubting it’s a tough challenge. But while Giles predicts a mixed bag of results for all teams in the first season, regardless, the British team is determined to do everything possible to be at the forefront from the outset. Confidence is high. “Ben and all the Land Rover BAR investors have done a fantastic job

in setting up the basics of the team and getting some very smart people involved early on,” says Giles. “The prospect of being involved in what I’m pretty sure is the best chance Britain’s had in a long time of bringing the Cup home is very exciting indeed.” But before that happens, there’s the matter of making Olympic gold a reality in a little over a year’s time. Realising both dreams will be no easy feat, but Giles is confident in his potential to juggle both campaigns. “The great thing is that Ben knows better than anyone what’s required for a sailor to be successful in an Olympic Games. He’s been in a situation where he’s combined America’s Cup and Olympic sailing, and both Ben and the team as a whole are incredibly supportive of my Olympic sailing. “In terms of time commitment to my Olympic sailing, I will continue to do

Yachts & Yachting America’s Cup World Series preview

Above Ben Ainslie’s crew was the first Cup team to train in Bermuda

the circuit as I have done over the last year, and all my training schedules and commitments will be exactly the same. “The only difference is that, around my Finn commitments, when I’m in the UK and available, I’ll be training with Land Rover BAR whenever I can. I will have to make sure I don’t end up spreading myself too thin, but I think from all sides it is very much understood what I need to get done over the next two years and that the Olympics is incredibly important to me.” There’s also the bonus of picking up transferrable skills. “It’s amazing how helpful skills can be that you don’t necessarily think are exactly relevant to your sailing,” says Giles. “For instance, you train yourself to work at the pace that things happen on the race course in the AC45, and then when you come back to Finn sailing, you find that you have more time to think about things. “As a general rule, going out and doing other forms of sailing is a smart thing to do because it does broaden your horizons. Sailing is one of those sports where you can always be learning something new. I think there are a lot of things that on the outside don’t look that relevant – but actually are.”

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