INEOS Britannia T6 Day 59 Summary

One of the questions that comes up time and again around the 37th America’s Cup is: where will the innovation come and what will it be? In Cup after Cup, we see new takes on long-standing theories that modern construction, materials and understanding allow the teams to investigate and it’s becoming a pretty safe bet that INEOS Britannia, the team with technology coursing through their DNA, is going to be at the forefront in this cycle. Today out in Palma, almost routinely, the team revealed a bunch of new technology dockside including what looks like digital measurement patches at the first set of spreaders, a Pitot tube on the rather beautiful new starboard foil, a new wired in plastic box low down at the gooseneck and a fairing at the mast base which is an area of high concentration for the overall flow-dampening that the team are aiming for. It’s a bunch of new tech as we would expect from a team backed by the engineering might of Mercedes Applied Science and it’s coming onstream at a canter now as the clock ticks down to the America’s Cup Challenger Selection Series in September 2024. Below is the full recon report from Justin Chisholm but really worth a look is the interview with ‘Supercoach’ Rob Wilson who explains the day and gives an insight into what the team are working on with the new tech that also included on-water applications of what looked like flow paint to the foils. This is a team high on measurement, testing and innovation – it’s a tantalising mix for the Challenger of Record. 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