INEOS Britannia T6 Day 13 Summary

It was a light-weather day for INEOS Britannia on Wednesday in the AC40 as the sailors ran through some race simulations out in the Bay of Palma, “pushing to the bottom of the range,” as Leigh McMillan described it. Valuable in a sense that during the summer and into the pre-regattas, the teams will certainly face lighter summer Mediterranean breezes and a day for the helms to be super-accurate on the exits and the trimmers to keep on keeping the power on. Unfortunately sailing was curtailed after an hydraulics issue that couldn’t be solved on the water and the next planned sailing day is Tuesday next week. A tweakers day, so who better to sum it up than Leigh McMillan, a double Olympian in the Tornado Class, arguably one of the fastest foiling sailors of this generation and a real go-to trimmer in the America’s Cup world? Leigh talks us through the perfect tack and gybe, the transitions and co-ordination that the British are building into their programme and reviews the day with Justin Chisholm, esteemed yachting journalist and a vital part of the INEOS Britannia Recon Team in this America’s Cup cycle. A great watch for those interested in the mechanics of what makes an AC40 go fast. 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