INEOS Britannia T6 Day 8 Summary

INEOS Britannia became the second team to kick off the 2023 AC testing season with a very encouraging 45 mile run out in the Bay of Palma with T6, their LEQ12 prototype testing platform, that certainly looked much more stable in flight than we have seen to date. With the highly experienced AC Flight Controller Leigh MacMillan taking his first turn on the wheel in the starboard cockpit, supported by Giles Scott steering on the port side, the team simply got better and better as the day progressed as confidence in the platform built and the wind played ball. Speaking afterwards MacMillan encouragingly explained after that: “Certainly we’re kind of letting it go a little bit more as the hours go by and all the shackles are coming off.” But it was a day on the water that very nearly got curtailed before it even started. On the first hoist of the mainsail, a sharp bang was heard around the halyard lock area, and it took some two hours with a shore-team member going up the mast three times to get the situation sorted and the boat back into sailing condition. Tough work for the shore team – especially as the swell started to build in the Bay – but nobody said the America’s Cup was easy 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