American Magic, the next challenger for the 37th America's Cup, has unveiled its new AC75 racing yacht. The boat had previously been flown from the shipyard in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, to the team's new base in Barcelona. The final pre-regatta will start there on 22 August, when all six Cuppers will compete against each other for the first time. This will be followed by the Louis Vuitton Cup (29 August to 7 October) and finally, from 12 October, the actual match for the silver jug.
After "B3" was pushed out of the hangar yesterday with its foil arms raised, without the actual wings and without a rudder, looking like a bird, the team has already carried out the first measurements and tests. The mast was already hanging from the crane above the boat, but for some unknown reason it was not erected. Instead, the new cupper disappeared behind closed gates a short time later.
Further trials are to take place over the next few days before the Americans take to the water for the first time after the official christening. "Today is an important step in the process. We look forward to the sea trials and further development in the coming months," says Terry Hutchinson, Head of Sailing at American Magic. In total, over 108,000 hours of design and 65,000 hours of construction have already gone into the racing yacht, which is set to bring the America's Cup back to the clubhouse of the New York Yacht Club.
Scow-Bow now also in the America's Cup?
Although five of the six teams have already presented their final design and some have already sailed it several times, it is hardly possible to make a firm prediction as to whether this will be successful at this stage. Too much weight lies on the foils, most of which have not yet been made public, and in the sophisticated systems that are undoubtedly hidden beneath the clean decks.
Visually, however, there are a few special features of the "Patriot" successor. At first glance, it appears wider than its competitors, but this is not possible due to the regulations. The impression is more due to the fact that the US AC75 has a significantly flatter design. In relation to the rather voluminous deck structure, the bustle on the underwater hull also appears to be less pronounced.
However, the deep navy blue of "B3" and the rather plain design accents on the deck in various shades of grey make such observations extremely difficult. Nevertheless, the very voluminous bow is clearly recognisable. While the Italians and New Zealanders have chosen an aggressively flared bow profile that extends all the way to the foil arm boxes, American Magic's bow design runs at an obtuse angle and therefore quickly becomes wide. This makes the front section almost reminiscent of one of the scow bows that are currently typical in the offshore scene. In view of the conditions in the Cup area off Barcelona, it should also achieve a similar effect and, above all, reduce the risk of nosedives.
How American Magic's "B3" stands out from the other designs
As with other AC75s of the new generation, the foredeck slopes slightly towards the centre of the ship. As a rule, the most turbulence occurs above the deck, which is probably why the engineers invested a lot of time here. Like the mainsail, the headsail is pulled up to the deck and, together with the bustle on the underside of the hull, allows the yacht to act as a single unit to the wind. The pressure equalisation between leeward and windward is reduced as much as possible. The bustle is also reduced towards the stern, but only much further back and, above all, less radically than on "Patriot" in the 36th America's Cup. This can be seen in a similar form on all new AC75s.
The designs presented so far for the 37th America's Cup also focus on weight reduction in the stern area by utilising the reduced number of crew and the elimination of backstays. The Swiss team from Alinghi Red Bull Racing have even given their cockpit capsules a hard cut. The deck behind is completely flat. American Magic's "B3", on the other hand, seems to have the most volume here too. Although the pods appear quite flat overall for the crew, they only slope very slowly and far back towards the stern.
This could be due to the positioning of the crew, which is likely to include cyclists again in the upcoming America's Cup, as well as technical installations or aerodynamic factors. The latter are playing an increasingly important role, even the rudders are sometimes developed more according to aerodynamic than hydrodynamic requirements, as a lot of surface area spends most of its time above the water surface anyway.
Will Tom Slingsby bring the America's Cup back to America?
The crew positions are also chosen so that they generate as little wind resistance as possible and the helmsmen in particular still have a good overview. So far, all teams have the trimmer in the front capsule, followed by the helmsman and the two cyclists at the back. They are in an almost time trial-like position with their heads lowered and only very rarely raised.
Not least thanks to superstar Tom Slingsby and his congenial partner Paul Goodison at the helm, American Magic is undoubtedly one of the top favourites. However, alongside the veterans from the last America's Cup, the newcomers should not be underestimated. Although Alinghi is the only team to have been forced to use new foils, it has already caused quite a stir.
The wings have a large wingspan with a small volume and are equipped with almost invisible double flaps and upward curved wingtips. They therefore appear to be optimised for early flying, as initial tests have shown. The Swiss took to the air in only 6.5 - 7.5 knots of wind, which is an impressive increase in performance compared to the first generation boats.
The French Orient Express Team, which is the only racing team still keeping its car under wraps, could spring another surprise in the coming weeks.
