WINGING IT
The envelope is being pushed. The modifications are coming onstream fast. And today, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s sailors had the pedal to the floor on a perfect day of training on the Golfo degli Angeli in Cagliari. When the wind came in, it was sublime to watch the team click together with very smooth flight control, full commitment through the tacks and gybes and solid transitions afterwards.
Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni have noticeably upped the intensity of the sessions and with a solid 10-14 knots of breeze settling in all afternoon, it was a productive three and a half hours on the water both from a data gathering exercise and a crew-training perspective. All afternoon, the crews were swapped in and out as the wind dictated the need for weight onboard and with the GoPro camera sensor fitted once again to the dihedral (flat) port foil, this time being on the inner wing, the team were clearly focussing on gathering data on long runs on starboard tack.
The Italians looked well under control today, harnessing huge power whilst maintaining low flight upwind with the quite mesmerising uber-control of the mainsail being aggressively trimmed through any lull to keep maximum power on. The precision of the trim was a marvel and the team showed why many commentators feel that this training regime is the one making the biggest gains and extracting the most from their considerable sailing time.
An official declaration of new componentry was made on Saturday 10th December 2022 for a new foil wing (LR_LEQ12_FW02) and we are awaiting moredetailed photos from the Recon Unit to capture precisely what changes have been made. From a distance, and whilst in flight, the trailing edges on the starboard anhedral foil (the one we assume has been upgraded) look more refined as would appear to be the trend in this America’s Cup cycle.
Design teams appear to be opting for ever more slender wings akin to those we see on beach wingboards, and similar to what we saw fitted on Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC40 as they took that out of class thus becoming an LEQ12. Speculation has been offered about these wings having the ability to flatten under load and what we have seen with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s LEQ12 is an increased focus on putting maximum power down and pushing the boat harder in a straight line. For sure, the data gathering that is going on here on the foils is where the teams consider the biggest gains can be made and we can expect to see further refinements and upgrades as these winter tests continue.
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is the team that everyone is watching right now. (Magnus Wheatley)
On-Water Recon Unit: Productive sailing day for the team. While the team was running through the usual checks on the LEQ12, Francesco Bruni and Hamish Wilcox left the dock (Molo Ichnusa) on a RIB to check the wind conditions out of the Porto di Cagliari and decide where to head and hoist the sails later on. After dock-out, the team headed towards Capitana to find some light NW breeze in the large Golfo degli Angeli. Breeze increased and shifted to W-WNW in the afternoon giving the team the chance to push the prototype. Observation of slick foil-to-foil manoeuvres in higher breeze while several touch downs and go’s in lighter conditions with different on board crew configurations.
Onboard Today:
Helms: Jimmy Spithill / Francesco Bruni
Trimmers: Andrea Tesei / Umberto Molineris
Power Group: Bruno Rosetti
(Different crew configurations of 4 and 6 were observed depending on wind conditions)
Conditions: (AM): 6-9 knots (PM): 10-14 knots
Several tow-to-fly take offs in lighter conditions. With stronger afternoon breeze, the prototype was able to self take off switching crew configuration on board
Sails Used:
M1: 3 hours 25 minutes
J1: 2 hours 15 minutes
J2: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Tacks: 7 – 4 foil-to-foil, 1 touch & go, 2 touchdowns
Total Gybes: 7 – 3 foil-to-foil, 1 touch & go, 3 touchdowns
Take-off Speed: 18 knots at 80 degrees TWA (True Wind Angle) with 12 knots TWS (True Wind Speed)
Dock-Out: 11.20am Dock-In: 3.30pm