HIGH SPEED DATA
INEOS Britannia broke out their new, smaller mainsail - the one that they first displayed last week on a sail-fit just outside the harbour - for a demonstration of high-speed data gathering aboard the ‘Silver Bullet’ T6 in gusty, blustery conditions that deteriorated through the afternoon. Two baffling initial tows across the Bay of Palma at speeds just below 20 knots were explained by Bleddyn Mon, one of the team’s key cross-over links between the design and sailing teams, as: “still trying to gather some data for the designers and there's some quite specific tests that they want to do under tow.” But with the tests done, the team went for a ‘fruity’ side tow, one of the trickiest and diciest states for these boats, to get the new mainsail onboard and hoisted, complemented by the J3 sensibly as the clouds amassed ominously on the hills around them.
Once free of the chase boat, ‘T6’ was off to the races, blasting around the Bay with the test team led by Giles Scott and Leigh MacMillan in the helming pods supported by loyal INEOS Britannia lieutenants of Iain Jensen, Luke Parkinson and later in the day, Bleddyn Mon. Flight was now the customary lesson in stability and the manoeuvres were rapier-fast recording a 100% record of no touchdowns – the first time the team have achieved this. Foil-to-foil completions stood at 45% and was an area that Bleddyn Mon said: “will be good to kind of have a look and see where we can improve those.”
But this was a big day on the water for the British team who just keep on improving at an alarming rate. The debriefs, one would expect, are detailed and rooted in data but the sheer joy of sailing these LEQ12 prototypes at blistering speeds was hard to disguise around a very happy team and in Mon’s interview he expanded saying: “It was nice to throw the boat around some corners, the designers have given us a bit of a free reign there now so that was nice to kind of get to grips with that and really to push the boat up range in the true wind speed range.”
The final run of the day saw ‘T6’ out some eight miles offshore with Justin Chisholm of the Recon Unit trailing behind in a RIB wondering if he was about to need his passport. Mon gave a solid explanation saying: “Yeah we did get quite a long way out in the Bay, some kind of pretty bad weather was coming over Palma and we had the call to drop sails and tow home and keep everything safe.”
‘T6’ came back to the harbour and the safety of the team’s base after a long tow home – no doubt more valuable time for the data analysts – and the sailors can reflect on a job well done. Data collection at warp speed. This is the America’s Cup now. (Magnus Wheatley)
On-Water Recon Unit Notes: The British team's 15th day on the water in Palma Bay was a fast and furious affair with several high-speed laps of the Bay conducted in a three-and-a-half-hour window. Gusty winds made keeping the silver LEQ12 stable on a side tow while hoisting the main this morning costing time as the boat was towed to steadier conditions closer to shore. Later in the day a black and ominous looking rain squall prompted an early end to sailing at around 1530.
The team started the session with two long towing runs without sails that were later explained as necessary for data validation reasons. Once the sails were up the crew wasted no time in sending the boat at high speed on a series of extended foiling laps of the Bay.
Multiple foiling tacks and gybes were witnessed without any momentous splash downs. Estimated top speed for the day was within a hairsbreadth of 40 knots on a flat water downwind run close to Campastilla. Contrastingly, the final run of the day took the boat eight nautical miles offshore – almost out of Palma Bay.
Dock out: 1042 Dock-in: 1615
Conditions: (AM) 7 knots from the north locally for rigging and launch. Outside harbour 14-16 knots from 030 gusting to 18 later in the day. Weather AM: Overcast with sunny spells 3 - 7C. PM: Cloudy with sunny spells 9C
Onboard Today
Helms: Giles Scott / Leigh McMillan
Crew: Luke Parkinson / Iain Jensen / Bleddyn Mon
Recon Notes: Mon subbed in for Parkinson during the day.
Sails Used:
Mainsail (MN2-1P): 3 hours 30 minutes
J3 (J3-1): 3 hours 10 minutes
Total Tacks: 6- 3 foil-to-foil, 3 touch & go
Total Gybes: 5 – 2 foil-to-foil, 3 touch & go
Recon Notes: 2 towed runs without sails but the rest self-take-off
Take-off speed: 14 knots (estimate)