America’s Cup: Mission impossible? How Les Bleus are mounting another challenge

France and the America’s Cup share a love story stretching back more than half a century. Armed with the hard-won lessons learnt at the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona, the La Roche-Posay Racing Team, led by German-French skipper Stephan Kandler and co-CEO Bruno Dubois, has embarked on its next mission. Their motto: “We’re stronger than last time!”

France’s cup comeback under new circumstances

Two weeks ago, the French team celebrated the return to the water of their revamped AC75 at their headquarters in Lorient. With the launch on 29 June, a new chapter began for skippers Stephan Kandler and Bruno Dubois and their crew following intensive training on the smaller AC40s. They had already demonstrated that their reorganisation was bearing fruit by finishing fourth out of eight teams at the first pre-regatta in Cagliari in May.

Following the return of the AC75, La Roche-Posay Racing’s Technical Director, Antoine Carraz, explained: “Visually, the public will recognise the 2024 boat. But from a technical point of view, it is far more than just an update. We had to rethink the entire interior design, as well as the way the crew interacts with the boat. The challenge was to fundamentally change the boat whilst retaining the original platform.”

​This new approach is now reflected in the development process. Whilst in the last edition much of the performance depended on the design of a new boat, all teams are now focusing their efforts, with a view to the 38th America’s Cup, whilst retaining the boats already built, the work of all teams is focusing much more on systems integration, reliability, energy efficiency, flight control and, later on, the development of the foils.

Capsizing as a test of resilience for France’s America’s Cup team

The team had to cope with a setback last week, when the AC75 capsized off Lorient due to technical problems. This highly unforeseen incident took place one day after the 90-degree heel test on Boris Herrmann’s new “Malizia 4” in the same waters. Back on shore, Bruno Dubois was quick to reassure everyone: “Everyone is fine. I’d say that, to be honest, if you’ve never capsized, you haven’t really sailed much.”

Dubois went on to explain: “There were a few technical problems with the boat, and it slowly started to list to one side, but everyone is fine. It took a while to get the boat back on an even keel. But yes, everything’s fine.” The day after the capsize, the team said: “That was the first time, but certainly not the last. When you’re developing and sailing boats of this calibre, it’s essential to push the boundaries. And sometimes it’s precisely these situations that allow you to learn and make progress.”

One of the most noticeable changes in the drive to make progress is the crew of the La Roche-Posay Racing Team for next year’s 38th America’s Cup. In Barcelona, the AC75 sailed with eight sailors on board. In Naples, all teams will have just five crew members, at least one of whom must be a woman. For their sailing team, the French have chosen With Diego Botin and Flo Trittel, the team has brought in some real Spanish reinforcements.

Unlike at the World Cup: the French and the Spanish are in the same boat

The 49er Olympic champions and 2024 SailGP champions have already gelled as a team with Les Bleus over the past few weeks of training, even though they were good-natured rivals for one evening on 14 July, when France and Spain faced each other in the World Cup semi-final. Spain won 2–0.

Due to the capsize, the crew had missed the last five days of the first planned training block with the AC75 following their comeback. Whilst the capsized America’s Cup yacht and its systems are being thoroughly inspected and restored to working order, the sailors are using their time ashore in the simulator and to analyse the data collected so far.

Looking back on the capsize, Antoine Carraz also pointed out that the lighter foils in the 38th America’s Cup had altered the sailing behaviour of the AC75 yachts, saying: “The rules for the 38th America’s Cup stipulate foils that are around 400 kilograms lighter. This weight helps to keep the boat upright when it is still travelling at low speed and the foils are not yet generating sufficient lift.”

Lighter AC75 foils increase the risk of capsizing in the America’s Cup

The consequences of this are clear, as Carraz explains: “Lighter foils offer the boat less protection against rolling. This makes the AC75 more prone to instability during acceleration, deceleration and in the transition phases. In such conditions, the boat’s behaviour may resemble that of an AC40, which is lighter and more responsive.”

The sailors must therefore establish a new set of reference points. In this respect, the incident on 7 July provided them with a particularly instructive learning experience.” Antoine Carraz

The ongoing challenge for all technical teams in the 38th America’s Cup is to overcome a paradox: to make the boat increasingly sophisticated technically without compromising its manoeuvrability and efficiency at speeds of over 80 or 90 km/h – amidst noise, vibrations and under enormous competitive pressure.

Among the teams entered for the 38th America’s Cup, the French AC75 was the third boat to be launched, following the Italian and New Zealand defending champions’ Cup boats. Stephan Kandler had said: “Following our promising debut at the first official regatta last May in Cagliari, it is a very special moment for the whole team to see our AC75 sailing in France for the first time. This launch is the culmination of months of work carried out by our sailors, engineers, technicians and partners in Lorient.”

Stephan Kandler leads France’s America’s Cup challenge on his third attempt

Kandler also said: “The fact that we are the third team to launch our AC75 back into the water shows the momentum we have gained and how far we have come since Barcelona, without pausing for a single moment. With its new look, the boat fully embodies the project we are building together with La Roche-Posay: a long-term French campaign based on science, innovation and the constant pursuit of performance.”

“The America’s Cup and France have a long shared history.” Stephan Kander

For Kandler himself, this is his third attempt to win the America’s Cup. His passion dates back to 1983, when “Australia II” won the America’s Cup. Kandler says: “That was a major turning point and the moment when the America’s Cup became a global event. And I’ve been dreaming about it ever since.”

France, a sailing nation: number one offshore, still chasing the title in the America’s Cup

Philipp Mourniac, sailing coach with the La Roche-Posay Racing Team, says: “Stephan’s history with the America’s Cup is truly remarkable. He was born to lead this sort of team, to achieve what seems impossible. He has, in effect, dedicated his entire life to the America’s Cup. He simply lives for the America’s Cup. That’s truly impressive.”

Competing with a French team for the first time in 2007 and in Barcelona, as a last-minute team, they were still in the running late on and before the Eliminated in the semi-finals, the French team, led by Kandler and Dubois, have had a tough journey so far. “We’ll come back stronger,” said helmsman Quentin Delapierre when the French team were eliminated from the 2024 event in Barcelona. That is now the mission of the representatives of the Grande Nation as the number one in offshore sailing, who are also determined to finally progress in the America’s Cup.

France’s long-standing love affair with the America’s Cup began in the 1970s. Here’s a clip about it: