Alinghi Red Bull Racing Boat Zero Day 37 Summary

It was a tough and very cold day for the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team after what promised to be some fairly lively conditions as the predicted southerly airflow switched in early in the afternoon, mixing with easterly flowing waves playing havoc on the Flight Control as the breeze clocked in at 13-16 knots. With side-waves to contend with, understandably the call from the sailing directors on the chase boat was to launch the mainsail in the port and then tow north up to the Montgat area in order to find easier conditions and once there, the team hoisted the J3 and began sailing. After a tricky upwind sail with the cross-waves making life tough for all onboard, a sensor issue had crew members crowded around the base of the mast and down into the hull below decks with tools to fix. The good news was that the issue was resolved relatively quickly, however after a short blast upwind where two foiling tacks were attempted, the team called it a day and headed back to the base. Whether the issue that the sensor had picked up had returned was unclear and quite what the sensor was measuring was also something that the team kept tight-lipped about, but the base of the mast houses the mast rotation system and the hydraulics so any issue there would be a very good reason to halt sailing. Yves Detrey, a long standing member of the Swiss team and a double America’s Cup winner in both 2003 and 2007, was non-plussed about the issue saying: “It wasn't a big deal but we saw that we had a little bit of a sensor issue so we fixed that and just took a good 15 minutes to solve the problem and then we could go back into sailing… you know, we just got the tools onboard, checked it out and it was good to go, so quick fix.” Section 41. Reconnaissance a) As a campaign cost reduction measure, COR/D has mutually agreed to cooperatively implement a centralised reconnaissance programme for all teams for the reconnaissance of all Competitors’ AC75 Yachts, AC40 Yachts and LEQ12 yachts including both on-land and on-water imagery (the “Joint Recon Programme”). b) Each team is assigned a two-person Recon Unit to follow their every on-water move, but it's not that simple. The cameras are supplied and identical for all Recon Units. Drones are not allowed, and they can't get that close, plus following a boat and keeping a camera steady at 45 knots isn't that easy to begin with. c) A three minute interview follows each on water day, and teams must answer the Recon Unit's questions while trying not to give too much away. It's a raw, unedited view of the never before seen behind-the-scenes development of a team and their boat to win the oldest trophy in international sports. #AC37Recon #AmericasCup #Barcelona2024