INEOS Britannia T6 Day 58 Summary

Sir Ben Ainslie’s old coach in the British Youth Squad used to have several expressions, some rather colourful, for days like the INEOS Britannia team experienced today in Palma – from flat calm to full on, it was a tricky one on the water with a building sea-state and a puffy airflow that offered no consistency. ‘T6’ was again the weapon of choice, wearing some natty new sails in the form of the heavier-weather M2-2P with its narrow top and the first break out of the new J2-2 which the team will be desperate to find the cross-over points between the J1-1 and the trusty J3-2 that is very much the go-to in these smaller foilers. Ben Cornish who was onboard today as the fifth man or ‘joyrider’ as he monikered himself, summed it up beautifully saying: “From what we've seen in Barcelona, it's probably not a million miles away from what we can be expecting so in terms of that for what the design team get and the feedback that we're sending back from a day like that, it's worth every moment you can possibly get in…it's difficult sailing these boats in those conditions and we're kind of blessed here that we probably see more easier days than days like that, so we certainly were making the most of it.” 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