Should the jury uphold the protests of Emirates Team New Zealand and/or Luna Rossa, regatta director Iain Murray threatened to cancel the regatta without further ado, reported the "San Francisco Chronicle". He will notify the US Coast Guard that the safety of the regatta cannot be guaranteed under the conditions requested by the Kiwis and the Italians, leaving the Coast Guard with no choice but to revoke the event permit. "No licence, no regatta," said Murray. The first race of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series is scheduled for Sunday 7 July at 12:15 local time (21:15 CEST).
It's always about the same thing: the rudders with the trim tabs that help to control these boats better when foiling, i.e. when travelling on the "wings". The two challengers, Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa, have lodged a protest with the international jury against the changes, which include the following: The rudder can now be positioned further back in the hull, which will further improve control. The rudder blade is to be longer and symmetrical flaps are to be installed, which are larger and heavier than the asymmetrical flaps and are allowed to extend beyond the maximum boat width, which was also previously not permitted. The rudders can also be tilted in the longitudinal axis, which changes the angle of attack of the trim tabs. This was previously only permitted before casting off, but may now be changed up to five minutes before the start. This should not be possible during the journey because the rudder must not be under load, explains Tom Slingsby from Oracle Team USA. Slingsby is also of the opinion that symmetrical "elevators" are structurally stronger and therefore safer.
Luna Rossa's skipper Max Sirena didn't mince his words at the media day and flatly denied that these hotly debated changes are really about safety. "What upsets me so much is that only one boat (Oracle) has been sailing outside the class regulations since it was launched on 24 April. Why would you design a boat that doesn't comply with the rules? And then (Murray) asks the other teams to change the position of the rudders and the trim tabs a week before the Louis Vuitton Cup starts."
Kiwis and Italians oppose the modified rudders because they are able to handle rough sailing on foils with rule-compliant appendages, which are shorter and have smaller asymmetrical elevators. This is about greater speed with smaller elevators or more manoeuvrability with larger flaps. They believe that these changes play into the hands of the defender Oracle, which has been constantly using modified rudders since the second boat was launched on 24 April in order to have more control when foiling. The first Oracle cat, which was clearly visible on the video of the capsize in October, had trim and twisting problems, which the New Zealanders and Italians claim to have better control over with the design of their boats.
Max Sirena from luna Rossa explains the rowing position
A new rudder design also requires a change to the class rules, which can only be made with the consent of all participants, but this has not been given. Murray had included the new design in the package of safety regulations that were issued following the death of Andrew Simpson in the capsizing of Artemis on 9 May and which were submitted to the US Coast Guard with the application for the event permit. This authorisation was granted, but can be revoked at any time. And without a licence, the race cannot be sailed. And Murray now seems to be insisting on this.
However, the safety argument in connection with Artemis still does not seem conclusive. Firstly, it is not yet known whether the break-up of the boat in the accident on 9 May was a result of the capsize or whether the capsize was caused by major material damage. Secondly, it is not clear that too small trim tabs on the oars contributed to the Artemis crash. Thirdly, the Swedes' boat was the only AC72 catamaran that was capable of displacement sailing on any course, i.e. could not lift itself out of the water on hydrofoil-like centreboards, because the designers had missed this trend. The AC72 cats were not originally designed as hydrofoils, which is why the class regulations are anything but ideal, at least as far as the design of the rudders is concerned.
Late April Fool's joke or not: nobody believes that the cancellation threat that the Chronicle claims to have overheard in Murray's words could actually happen. Although, things could hardly get any less exciting than this Louis Vuitton Cup, which is now set to be a month of showboating. Only a beer will do. In the midst of the chaotic situation, the organisers therefore announced yesterday that an Italian brewery is the official supplier. Mamma mia, beer from Italy! If that's not cause for celebration for Sirena and the Luna Rossa team.
Today, on the US bank holidays, the Festivities which is also Friday will continue. There will be speeches, wine tasting, autograph sessions, flying acrobatics, boat parades and live music, among other things. Oh yes, there will also be sailing: on Friday between 13:15 and 14:15 local time (22:15 and 23:15 CEST), the buoyant AC72s will take part in the speed trials. With large or small rudder trim tabs.
