America’s Cup: Giles Scott gives update on upcoming training plans for Team INEOS Britannia
by INEOS Team Britannia Media 17 Aug 04:09 UTC
August 17, 2022
Ben Ainslie and Giles Scott – after Race 2 – Prada Cup Final – Day One – February 13 – America’s Cup 36 © Richard Gladwell / Sail-World.com
The INEOS media team caught up with Senior Sailor Giles Scott on how the team have been busy preparing for the start of their winter training camp in Palma later this year.
“Over the last few months everything has started to feel very real for the Cup. We have the venue, all the rules are in place and the teams are coming in. It’s now the game with continued hard work to see the basics at Barcelona.”
Palma de Mallorca have been chosen as INEOS Britannia’s winter training camp this year, where they will begin sailing their 40ft test later this year. The location offers plenty of opportunities for the sailing team, with conditions similar to the America’s Cup venue in Barcelona and consistent weather conditions allowing for as many days of training on the water as possible during the winter months.
The sailing team roster is now up to 10 people, with plans to continue growing over the next year. America’s Cup history has shown that continuity is the cornerstone of successful Cup campaigns, and INEOS Britannia are fortunate to have the current 10-member sailing team carry on from the last Cup campaign. from America to Auckland. Additionally, Giles Scott, Neil Hunter, Leigh Mcmillan, Bleddyn Mon and David ‘Freddie’ Carr enter their third campaign with the British challenger.
“I can’t wait to put the test boat in the water. Being able to put a test boat in the water with real navigation data is a crucial piece of the puzzle. This next phase of launching of the test and passage boat The test phase is critical as we seek to validate the key design features of our AC75 race boat.”
Palma will also be the first time the shared recognition program will track every move of the British Challenge. As noted in a recent AC.com article; espionage in the America’s Cup was more than a recent phenomenon, but it required a significant budget with ever more sophisticated technology being deployed to measure, capture and record your competitors on the water with everything from sheer speed to maneuvers, sail plans, wing design, on-board control systems and aerodynamic packages required.
So for the 37th America’s Cup, Rule 41 Part F of the Protocol Document is a very important new rule aimed at reducing expenses, reducing the frustration that teams have traditionally experienced at being spied on, and opening up the event to viewers to get a cohesive view of the developments and techniques that all syndicates will be perfecting during this cycle.
Reconnaissance staff, appointed by the teams but overseen by America’s Cup Events Limited, will be employed to track every tack, jibe and daily run of each on-water session. Data and images will be uploaded to the cloud for all teams to view and analyze, along with daily interviews with key team members to form a mass of engaging content. This content will also be presented to fans and subscribers and will help paint the picture of sailing’s premier event – the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024.
Scott added: “The new Shared Recon program will be fascinating to watch as it involves the sailors and key designers being interviewed, on the decisions being made on the water. This shared knowledge will not only help the teams to perfect and complete the design packages, but also hopefully share the fascination and insight of the Cup with the public and further develop the fan base, it could really change the situation.
