Alinghi Challenge AC37
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dogwatch
Super Anarchist
Is that so? I think you'd find the mathematics that describe wings that product downforce and foils that produce lift have more than a little in common, as well as some differences (air being compressible, water not so much). The subject of my 1st degree's dissertation, as it happens.
floater
Super Duper Anarchist
nice. I think back to @basciliscus taking pains to explain that where the analogies break down, is where it all gets interesting - and perhaps even counter-intuitive. Doubtlessly, you can explain this better than myself. after all, I'm no engineer, I only have a degree in it.
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Chobani Sailor
Anarchist
dogwatch
Super Anarchist
I'm no mathematician, I only have a degree in it.
Fluid dynamics tends to be taught as one subject because the maths initially applies to all kinds of fluids. To make it more tractable, you can then make simplifications such as whether the fluid is incompressible or whether viscosity can be disregarded. My point, to expand on it, is that someone who has studied fluid dynamics and all the maths needed to derive or approximate solutions, should not be particularly fazed whether the fluid is water or air, or whether the foil has been turned upside down. They know the mathematical framework in either case. That doesn't mean the results are the same, they aren't.
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rh3000
Super Anarchist
enigmatically2
Super Anarchist
I'm an engineer, and I have a wide range of opinion on what other engineers are capable of too.
Hydrodynamics specialism apart, the Merc guys gave a very good explanation of where they could help and it made a lot of sense.
Fwiw I think the Ineos tie up will gain more because the shared sponsor/owner, colocation and other factors
enigmatically2
Super Anarchist
Because the bubbles need a surface for nucleation (in coarse terms seeding). That can come from impurities in the water or air bubbles, but a surface causes lots more. Hydrophobic surfaces reduce that effect
chesirecat
Super Anarchist
Tip and Shaft
On Tuesday at the Société nautique de Genève Alinghi - represented by Ernesto Bertarelli, and Red Bull Racing, with Hans-Peter Steinacher - confirmed that together they will jointly launch a challenge for the 37th America's Cup. The challenge will be made up of mainly Swiss sailors, including Arnaud Psarofaghis, 33, who has been a key member of the Alinghi team for six years, notably steering the Swiss GC32 on the GC32 Racing Tour. Tip & Shaft caught up with him this week.
In terms of fast boats now you are one of the most renowned Swiss sailors, can you tell us about the journey that has taken you to Alinghi?
I was born on the shores of Lake Geneva and so I was taken on a boat very early on, since my uncle and my father set up a boatyard at the end of the 1970s [the Psaros shipyard, editor's note]. My father then turned to cars, my uncle still has the business. And so I had the chance to sail all different types of monohulls from a young age, that's how I caught the sailing bug. I started to do double-handed dinghies, before getting into multihulls in 2006, first in the D35, but what really changed my course is when I was contacted in 2011 by Alain Gautier to participate in the AC45 World Series with the Aleph team. That’s where I really started to sail internationally in a multihull. Then I continued in the AC45 with Loïck Peyron's Energy Team, I coached the Swiss Youth America's Cup team in 2013, I did Extreme 40 with Gitana then with Realstone, and a one-year spell with Groupama in preparation for the America's Cup 2017. And in 2015, I had the opportunity to substitute in at Alinghi, I joined the team at 100 % the next year.
Given your background was it always your dream to join Alinghi?
I was 14 when they won the first America's Cup in 2003. Before that, the Cup seemed a distant event, very far away, when looked at from Switzerland. And so that victory opened up the field of possibilities for Swiss sailors. We have shown that 'a small country that has no sea’ was able to do great things. So yes, at that point, for me it became a goal and a dream to join Alinghi which is really my core team. And at the back of my mind, there was always this idea of racing in the America's Cup. Today these two goals have now come together, the dream is coming true.
Why is Alinghi coming back to this 37th edition now and not before?
Alinghi didn’t come back earlier because the planets weren't yet aligned. We had to wait for the right time. That came after the last Cup and the publication of the protocol in mid-November confirmed it. All the lights have gone green and Mr. Bertarelli has decided to embark on this great adventure.
"I would be lying if I said I would not like
to be on the helm of this boat "
What do you think about the AC75s?
In terms of technology I find these boats to be fabulous. At first not many people really believed in their precarious balance on their two slightly asymmetrical foil platforms. Team New Zealand proved the basic concept to be right and it worked well. Since then people have been amazed at how good these AC75s are. That's what's great about the Cup, it now brings together the best performing and fastest boats. And even now there is so much still to be done in terms of development, maneuvers, strategies, there is so much work to do on all fronts!
You have mainly raced in fleet races, how are you going to transform yourself into a match-racing specialist?
True, I haven't done a lot of match-racing, but the year we did, in 2005, we became Swiss champions against Eric Monnin [one of the best specialists in the world, Editor's note]. And for the past five or six years, on the GC32 Racing Tour, we've sailed in every regatta against skippers like Adam Minoprio and Phil Robertson, who are match-race stars, there has been nothing they have had that made us feel at a disadvantage. Yes match-racing is a little different in practice, we are maybe a little behind some teams, but what is great is that we can train on any type of boat. We will set up a program to quickly get up to speed.
Your personal ambition is to helm the Swiss AC75 in 2024 in the Cup?
I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like to be at the helm of this boat, but the most important thing for me is that the boat performs as well as possible, whether I am at the helm, trimming the sails or foils. Today, the roles are not yet defined, we are waiting to assemble the full team of sailors.
"We must double or even triple the team"
Bryan Mettraux was by your side during the press conference on Tuesday, will the crew be made up of those who were with Alinghi this year on the GC32 and TF35 circuits, including the French Nicolas Charbonnier and Timothé Lapauw?
We didn't all get on the stage at the press conference! Bryan and I were honored to have been featured, but yes, the other Swiss sailors on the current team are part of the project, namely Yves Detrey and Nils Frei. On the side of the French, Nicolas is eligible under the nationality rules, so he is also part of the team, which unfortunately is not the case for Timothé.
Will you continue to sail the GC32 and TF35 circuits?
Yes, the idea is to line up in 2022 on these two circuits to continue to build and strengthen the team, because we must double or even triple it in terms of the number of sailors. And it's important to keep on racing to stay ahead of the curve. It would be dangerous to get locked into development and stop racing.
On these circuits there are other professional Swiss teams like Realstone, Team Tilt, will you also draw on them to build your Cup team?
Switzerland is a small country but we actually have a lot of teams that are very successful on different arenas, whether in GC32, TF35 or with the Team Tilt team which is of course going into SailGP. We will look at all the options and we are open to all kinds of proposals from Swiss sailors who might be interested in our project and of course we are in contact with the vast majority of them.
Will the team buy or lease an AC75? Will you be able to sail in AC75 as of June 17, 2022, as the Protocol allows for new teams? And when will you be able to navigate in the AC40?
Right now a lot is falling into place, it’s a bit early to tell you, but the ideal would be to get out on a boat as soon as possible. For the AC40s, we will know more during the year, that ball is in the court of the organization of the Cup, which builds them. On the other hand, we are lucky to be number 3 on the list, after the defender and the challenger of record, because we were the first challenger accepted when registration opened on December 1st.
Where will your AC75 be built?
At Decision S.A., near Lausanne, Switzerland, where the previous America's Cup Alinghi boats were built.
“The goal is clear, is to build a winning team”
What will be the ambition of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team in the 37th edition?
The goal is clear, is to build a winning team and go on to win this 37th America's Cup. We know that we are a little behind the challenges that have already participated in the previous Cup but we will do everything we can to get up to their level as quickly as possible. We want to be hitting hard from the start, and if all goes well there will be other Cups after this.
What does the competition mean for you right now with the likes of Team New Zealand, Ineos Britannia, Luna Rossa and almost certainly American Magic?
I look forward to going up against these teams in the Cup. We have had the chance to meet a large number of them or some of their sailors on the international circuits in which we have participated in recent years, we have never felt at a disadvantage to any of them. All are very strong, we watch them closely a lot, we really have a lot to learn from them, but we also have the chance not to have to learn the AC75 from the very beginning as they have had to do on their first campaigns, we have a lot of video content and a lot of analysis which saves us a lot of time and effort.
On Tuesday at the Société nautique de Genève Alinghi - represented by Ernesto Bertarelli, and Red Bull Racing, with Hans-Peter Steinacher - confirmed that together they will jointly launch a challenge for the 37th America's Cup. The challenge will be made up of mainly Swiss sailors, including Arnaud Psarofaghis, 33, who has been a key member of the Alinghi team for six years, notably steering the Swiss GC32 on the GC32 Racing Tour. Tip & Shaft caught up with him this week.
In terms of fast boats now you are one of the most renowned Swiss sailors, can you tell us about the journey that has taken you to Alinghi?
I was born on the shores of Lake Geneva and so I was taken on a boat very early on, since my uncle and my father set up a boatyard at the end of the 1970s [the Psaros shipyard, editor's note]. My father then turned to cars, my uncle still has the business. And so I had the chance to sail all different types of monohulls from a young age, that's how I caught the sailing bug. I started to do double-handed dinghies, before getting into multihulls in 2006, first in the D35, but what really changed my course is when I was contacted in 2011 by Alain Gautier to participate in the AC45 World Series with the Aleph team. That’s where I really started to sail internationally in a multihull. Then I continued in the AC45 with Loïck Peyron's Energy Team, I coached the Swiss Youth America's Cup team in 2013, I did Extreme 40 with Gitana then with Realstone, and a one-year spell with Groupama in preparation for the America's Cup 2017. And in 2015, I had the opportunity to substitute in at Alinghi, I joined the team at 100 % the next year.
Given your background was it always your dream to join Alinghi?
I was 14 when they won the first America's Cup in 2003. Before that, the Cup seemed a distant event, very far away, when looked at from Switzerland. And so that victory opened up the field of possibilities for Swiss sailors. We have shown that 'a small country that has no sea’ was able to do great things. So yes, at that point, for me it became a goal and a dream to join Alinghi which is really my core team. And at the back of my mind, there was always this idea of racing in the America's Cup. Today these two goals have now come together, the dream is coming true.
Why is Alinghi coming back to this 37th edition now and not before?
Alinghi didn’t come back earlier because the planets weren't yet aligned. We had to wait for the right time. That came after the last Cup and the publication of the protocol in mid-November confirmed it. All the lights have gone green and Mr. Bertarelli has decided to embark on this great adventure.
"I would be lying if I said I would not like
to be on the helm of this boat "
What do you think about the AC75s?
In terms of technology I find these boats to be fabulous. At first not many people really believed in their precarious balance on their two slightly asymmetrical foil platforms. Team New Zealand proved the basic concept to be right and it worked well. Since then people have been amazed at how good these AC75s are. That's what's great about the Cup, it now brings together the best performing and fastest boats. And even now there is so much still to be done in terms of development, maneuvers, strategies, there is so much work to do on all fronts!
You have mainly raced in fleet races, how are you going to transform yourself into a match-racing specialist?
True, I haven't done a lot of match-racing, but the year we did, in 2005, we became Swiss champions against Eric Monnin [one of the best specialists in the world, Editor's note]. And for the past five or six years, on the GC32 Racing Tour, we've sailed in every regatta against skippers like Adam Minoprio and Phil Robertson, who are match-race stars, there has been nothing they have had that made us feel at a disadvantage. Yes match-racing is a little different in practice, we are maybe a little behind some teams, but what is great is that we can train on any type of boat. We will set up a program to quickly get up to speed.
Your personal ambition is to helm the Swiss AC75 in 2024 in the Cup?
I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like to be at the helm of this boat, but the most important thing for me is that the boat performs as well as possible, whether I am at the helm, trimming the sails or foils. Today, the roles are not yet defined, we are waiting to assemble the full team of sailors.
"We must double or even triple the team"
Bryan Mettraux was by your side during the press conference on Tuesday, will the crew be made up of those who were with Alinghi this year on the GC32 and TF35 circuits, including the French Nicolas Charbonnier and Timothé Lapauw?
We didn't all get on the stage at the press conference! Bryan and I were honored to have been featured, but yes, the other Swiss sailors on the current team are part of the project, namely Yves Detrey and Nils Frei. On the side of the French, Nicolas is eligible under the nationality rules, so he is also part of the team, which unfortunately is not the case for Timothé.
Will you continue to sail the GC32 and TF35 circuits?
Yes, the idea is to line up in 2022 on these two circuits to continue to build and strengthen the team, because we must double or even triple it in terms of the number of sailors. And it's important to keep on racing to stay ahead of the curve. It would be dangerous to get locked into development and stop racing.
On these circuits there are other professional Swiss teams like Realstone, Team Tilt, will you also draw on them to build your Cup team?
Switzerland is a small country but we actually have a lot of teams that are very successful on different arenas, whether in GC32, TF35 or with the Team Tilt team which is of course going into SailGP. We will look at all the options and we are open to all kinds of proposals from Swiss sailors who might be interested in our project and of course we are in contact with the vast majority of them.
Will the team buy or lease an AC75? Will you be able to sail in AC75 as of June 17, 2022, as the Protocol allows for new teams? And when will you be able to navigate in the AC40?
Right now a lot is falling into place, it’s a bit early to tell you, but the ideal would be to get out on a boat as soon as possible. For the AC40s, we will know more during the year, that ball is in the court of the organization of the Cup, which builds them. On the other hand, we are lucky to be number 3 on the list, after the defender and the challenger of record, because we were the first challenger accepted when registration opened on December 1st.
Where will your AC75 be built?
At Decision S.A., near Lausanne, Switzerland, where the previous America's Cup Alinghi boats were built.
“The goal is clear, is to build a winning team”
What will be the ambition of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team in the 37th edition?
The goal is clear, is to build a winning team and go on to win this 37th America's Cup. We know that we are a little behind the challenges that have already participated in the previous Cup but we will do everything we can to get up to their level as quickly as possible. We want to be hitting hard from the start, and if all goes well there will be other Cups after this.
What does the competition mean for you right now with the likes of Team New Zealand, Ineos Britannia, Luna Rossa and almost certainly American Magic?
I look forward to going up against these teams in the Cup. We have had the chance to meet a large number of them or some of their sailors on the international circuits in which we have participated in recent years, we have never felt at a disadvantage to any of them. All are very strong, we watch them closely a lot, we really have a lot to learn from them, but we also have the chance not to have to learn the AC75 from the very beginning as they have had to do on their first campaigns, we have a lot of video content and a lot of analysis which saves us a lot of time and effort.
floater
Super Duper Anarchist
I guess the opposite really. And I think many reached this conclusion ahead of me: that the big add of an F1 team isn't going to be hydro IQ - obviously - but instead software and/or system design. For example, we all know which team had the most success in terms of foil design. They pretty much horizon'ed everybody else. No help from F1 needed.
floater
Super Duper Anarchist
Schakel
Dayboat sailor
It was the suspension of the hydraulics unit that went wrong in case you didn't notice.so.. not a good idea?
This one was worst:
The mast breakage on NZL-82 resulted from an aluminum tip cup failure at a spreader end, as I recall.
barfy
Super Anarchist
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blackman
Member
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Didnt know this no simulation story... I dont really understand why, it would be so better for the progress of foil science!
The last time I checked, the one-eyed taniwha that lived in the swamp and threatened to block the highway expansion was still in his lair.
Of course, there are others...
Sailbydate
Super Anarchist
On the North Auckland, Highway 1 Project, or Wellington's Transmission Gully, for example.
SCARECROW
Super Anarchist
the "Millennium rigs" were statically indeterminate structures, meaning that at any given time there were multiple load path options would have made it very hard to specify things like tip cups without over-engineering.
