Answering the call – part 2
Answering the call – part 2
The second part of our exclusive interview with Silvio Arrivabene co-general manager and head of technical operations at the Swiss America’s Cup challenger Alinghi Red Bull Racing.
Although not yet at full capacity the Swiss Alinghi Red Bull Racing America’s Cup team is nevertheless a complex organisation. Arrivabene expects it to end up similar in scale to previous Alinghi campaigns, but says the syndicate’s configuration will be quite different because of the complex nature of the AC75 class.
“Typically an America's Cup team these days ends up somewhere between a 100 and 110 or so – that is always a scale,” he says. “But although the crew has been reduced, the number of designers and other members of the shore crew has increased.
“These boats are really high-precision machines that require a lot of maintenance and constant development. It takes a lot of manpower just to get them on the water in the morning and once they come back you typically need a lot of maintenance.
“A great example is the appendages – rudders and foils. At the speeds they go the foils can get – damaged is not the right word – but abused puts it better. So every day you need to give them some love and you have a few guys looking after that.
“Plus the systems, hydraulics, electronics, also require a lot of maintenance – the one design foil can’t system is demanding as well.’
Under the new rules for the 37th America’s Cup teams are allowed to design and build only one AC75 – one less than in the 36th edition. With less opportunity to try out new ideas there is fierce pressure on all the teams’ designers to get it right first time.
“They only have one shot,” Arrivabene observed. “ But it is going to be the same for everyone, so at least we're all in the same ….. boat. And of course we have the AC40s that we can use to some extent to test ideas at about half scale.”
Given that the AC40 is heavily based on the second Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC75 which proved so potent in the final of the last America’s Cup Arrivabene said he expected all the teams to take some pointers from that successful design package.
“Their [ETNZ] second boat was pretty unique,” he says. “It had cockpits and the AC40s are along those lines. So you would think that is the way to go – or at least the latest trend.
“But probably, as always, there will be some ideas that are more ‘at the corners’ – we shall see. There is still a good amount of design time ahead of us.”
Arrivabene confirmed that the Swiss team had two AC40s on order which they would at times use for internal match racing practice. He said the team was keen to help support the development of the new class going forward.
“The AC40 is a great concept and we would love to see if, collectively [with the other teams] we are able to give some stability to the sport. These boats are easy to transport and it will be very interesting to see if a circuit picks up in the future.”
Although he agreed that being able to tweak their AC40s away from the racing periods, Arrivabene said that as newcomers to AC75 racing the Swiss outfit would be putting more emphasis than some of the other teams on training aboard their generation one AC75.
“For us in particular, being a new team with a relatively new sailing team, the 75 remains an important element of our preparation and that's why we acquired an old boat. Whereas for other teams we don't expect they'd be bothered too much with the 75.”
Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s ex-Kiwi AC75 has been shipped to Barcelona, Spain – the host city for the 37th America’s Cup – where the team plans to be out sailing in the coming weeks.
Getting to that point, however, continues to require a vast amount of effort from the Swiss team’s shore crew who are rebuilding the boat from scratch.
“When you take delivery of an AC75 it arrives in pieces and there is no user manual” Arrivabene says. “Typically your own shore crew puts it all together and that's how we've been doing it.
“But we have a very good relationship with Team New Zealand who have been very supportive around the supply of information. Also, a lot of our shore guys and design team guys were involved last time so they know a few tricks.”
Although local Swiss fans may have been disappointed to miss out on the spectacle of the team training on their new AC75 on Lake Geneva, Arrivabene seemed not to have ruled this out in the longer term.
“That's just the way it is and unfortunately we never envisioned sailing an AC75 here,” he said. “But it would've been cool and maybe it will be sailed here in the future for recreational purposes. But right now we need to get on with our mission.”
British Challenger of Record Ineos Britannia recently announced that they were setting up a training base on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca and the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic syndicate recently decamped to their training base in Pensacola, Florida.
Meanwhile the Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team is believed to be operating out of its well-established base in Cagliari, Sardinia and the Cup holders Emirates Team New Zealand are reportedly committed to training at home in Auckland for as long as possible.
All that means Alinghi Red Bull Racing is likely to be the only team based at the 37th America’s Cup venue for the foreseeable future.
We’re there then any concerns in the Swiss camp that the region’s prevailing light winds might cause issues at certain times of the year?
Arrivabene says not.
“We are looking forward to it,” he said. We are pretty happy with Barcelona as a venue. Obviously, everyone ran the weather models and yes it's certainly not a strong wind venue. But if that is where we got to be racing, then we might as well get used to it.
“Winter is winter. It’s a little bit the same everywhere – whether it's too much wind or not enough.”
Shortly before our interview the Swiss syndicate had announced the 14-strong all local sailing team that would be challenging for the 37th America’s Cup.
In the absence of their AC75 or AC40s the team has fielded two boats on the Europe-based GC32 Racing Tour circuit. It is a move that Arrivabene says is an important factor in gelling the sailing squad together.
“The Alinghi name is well established in that fleet,” he says. “Certainly it's been really good in these early months to keep the sailing team going – especially with the new recruits to get them in the mix.
“Eventually though we'll have to transition to the AC-related boats, whether the 75 or the 40s,” he says. “At that point the GC32s will be put aside and then precedence given to the AC boats.
Arrivabene played down expectations that the team might become formally involved in the SailGP circuit where the British, Kiwi, (and French) AC-linked teams are running parallel campaigns.
“But Arnaud [Psarofaghis], our helmsman, was sailing last year with the Kiwi boat for a couple of events and individually some of the guys have contacts and links to SailGP. Individually, that may continue but as a group, we are focusing on the AC-related boats.”
As Arrivabene points out, the Swiss team would struggle to find the time or resources to run a SailGP campaign, given that they are flat out as it is.
“We don't even ask the question of ourselves because we are so busy,” he says. “The thing is that as a new team there is heaps to get ready for just in practical terms. So we wouldn’t have time. I don't feel we're missing out. Each team has their own program and they make their own priorities.”
Looking ahead to the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup events scheduled to take place alongside AC37 using AC40s Arrivabene said the Alinghi Red Bull Racing operation was fully behind what he described as ‘these exciting initiatives’.
“We are very supportive of both programs and we hope the teams will all get in a position so that we'll be able to support all that,” he said.
“It’s easy to get sidetracked by your own program, but we should all look at the big picture and it's certainly a cool and very important thing for the future of the sport and the new generations of sailors.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm in Switzerland. We've received a lot of letters from youth and girls. So I hope we can put together two good teams.
Time for the million dollar question: Can this new-look Alinghi Red Bull Racing squad win the America's Cup this time around?
“We will do our best,” “In this team we would never go racing just to participate,” Arrivabene replies. “I look at this group of young Swiss sailors we have assembled and it is really refreshing,
“I see the energy and I see the enthusiasm within this team – not just of the sailors but of the cyclists and the rowers – and it is really encouraging.
“I know we will do our best.”
Go Alinghi