'It's going to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest, on record to win when you look at the line-up of teams"
Thursday 6 August 2020 06:39, UK
The 36th America's Cup will be held in Auckland in March 2021 and INEOS TEAM UK are working towards Sir Ben Ainslie skippering Britannia in a direct head to head battle against Defender Emirates Team New Zealand.
The America's Cup is the oldest international trophy in world sport. It pre-dates the modern Olympics and the Ryder Cup. Great Britain has never won it and there's no guarantee that they'll get the chance to challenge for it next year on Britannia.
To earn a place in the final race against the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, the team must win the Challengers Selection Series and lift The PRADA Cup, which is going to be held in January and February 2021.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, American Magic and Stars & Stripes Team USA will all duel with INEOS TEAM UK for the right to meet Defender Emirates Team New Zealand in the 36th America's Cup race.
"All of these teams are really, really strong, so just to get through the Challenger Series we've got our work cut out," Ainslie said to Sky Sports at INEOS TEAM UK's headquarters in Portsmouth.
"Then, if we get through that challenge, we're effectively up against the All Blacks of the sailing world, on their home waters!
"So, it doesn't get any tougher than that but that's what makes it special, that challenge. If you can achieve that goal [and win both] against that sort of line-up, it's an incredible achievement."
As is traditional in the America's Cup, the winners of the previous race set the venue and specifications for the next competitors to follow. With the 36th America's Cup, the remit is 'AC75' boats; 75-foot foiling monohulls.
"They're different. They're the first monohulls, certainly on this scale, that are lifting up and flying," Ainslie, the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, explained.
"It's really weird, that sensation of you coming away from the water.
"It actually feels really natural and when we get up there. We're up around 50 knots [57 mph] of boat speed, which for a power boat is really going some and for a sailing boat is a pretty phenomenal speed."
It's a fantastic opportunity for sailing because it's now brought the sport alive to that younger generation, who are looking for speed and excitement. It's incredible, to be out there foiling on these boats, it's such a thrill.
"I think that it's going to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest, on record to win when you look at the line-up of the teams," Ainslie added.
"We're confident, we've got a great team. This organisation started for Bermuda 2017 and we've come a huge way since then. We've got to keep on going until we get the job done."
The America's Cup challenge for INEOS TEAM UK, and for all of the other competitors, combines together many types of individuals and all must be at the very top of their fields.
The level of detail reached by all team members, and the vast scope of the roles with the team, is reminiscent of the what's required as part of a Formula One racing team.
"You need great designers; great sailors and you need the funding in the Americas Cup," Ainslie said. "For the first time in a long, long time for a British team we've got those three key ingredients."
The intricacies of the America's Cup presents challenges at every stage. One that no one could have foreseen was COVID-19, lockdown in the UK and subsequent social distancing which remains in place.
"The COVID-19 crisis has been a challenge for us, as it has been for everybody," Ainslie admitted.
"There's always a saying in the Americas Cup that time is everything and you can't buy time. We were shut down and day by day we were missing time on the water which was frustrating.
"As the lockdown restrictions slowly eased, we made some changes to the setup of the boat so that we could sail with fewer people and keep our social distancing going. I won't lie, it's been a difficult time."
Another challenge is the rule which means that no team is permitted to two-boat test or test components in a controlled environment such as wind or water tunnel testing.
"With no physical testing allowed in the Cup pretty much everything that people will see externally on the boat will have gone through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation in some form or another," Max Starr, the team's CFD Engineer said on INEOS TEAM UK's website.
"From the sails through to the deck layouts, the foil shapes, the hull shapes, the rudder shapes and more. Every part is built in 3D CAD models and then put through simulations, which are based on the conditions we expect to see in Auckland in March 2021, to work out what would perform best."
The CFD simulation is run by AWS' high performance computing and that's another example of the constant search for technological advantage, as well achieving human advantage through their personnel.
The quest to be part of the 36th America's Cup race is a fascinating one.
The next major landmark for INEOS TEAM UK will be heading to New Zealand, having successfully gained border exemptions from the government, and entering Auckland's waters. From there, it's going to be a flat sprint to January 15, 2021 and the start of the first round robin event of the PRADA Cup Challenger Selection Series.
