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America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Day 1 report: Lessons for teams and organisers alike

Toby Heppell

  • Toby Heppell
  • August 22, 2024

The first day of the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta has concluded with winners and losers and lots of lessons for all concerned

yachting monthly latest issue

Nearly four years after we last saw AC75s fighting it out on the water, today, Thursday 22nd August 2024 saw the foiling monohulls back on the water. The six teams taking part in the 2024 America’s Cup were on the waters of Barcelona duking it out as the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta got underway.

Today also marks exactly 173 years since the yacht America won a race around the Isle of Wight on 22nd August 1851 and thus kicked off the America’s Cup all those years ago.

It was not expected to be an incredibly revealing event – with racing proper, the Louis Vuitton Cup, set to begin on 29th August, no teams were expected to be pushing too hard or revealing too much – but even with this in mind, it was something of an inauspicious start, with plenty to do from both the teams and the organisers to make this a real spectacle.

Barcelona itself, however, was delivering with a solid breeze in the early to mid-teens and a decent sea state providing some impressive conditions. Certainly we have heard a great deal from designers about the waves in the lead up to this Cup and the difficulty of the short, sharp chop for a foiling monohull was clear from the off.

Key takeaways from Day 1

  • Worrying sense of Déjà vu for the Brits as Ainslie seemed unimpressed with his team’s speed
  • The French have a long way to go and their inexperience showed here
  • Technical gremlins on boats and broadcast dogged the opening day
  • Emirates Team New Zealand and American Magic probably had the best days

yachting monthly latest issue

Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

Race 1 Alinghi Red Bull Racing Vs Orient Express Racing Team

Skippers Alinghi Red Bull Racing: Arnaud Psarofaghis & Maxime Bachelin Orient Express Racing Team: Quentin Delapierre & Kevin Pepponet

The first race of the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta 2024 was, realistically over before it started with the French Orient Express Racing Team late into the starting box and picking up a penalty for their efforts.

There was some debate in commentary that the team may have had an issue with their electronics, but this did not seem to be supported by skipper Quentin Delapierre. “We made too many mistakes and at this level that is not [good enough],” the Frenchman explained. “We just gave the start to Alinghi. We missed the entry and after that we were not able to take the strategy of the start correctly. We just need to do things better.”

After such a poor start it was always going to be nigh on impossible to overtake another boat unless you have a great deal of boatspeed in hand. Ultimately it was a relatively easy win for Alinghi Red Bull Racing who kept a close cover on their French competitors to cross the finish first.

What did we learn from the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Race 1?

There’s not a great deal that we can learn from this race. The French mistake in the lead up to the start renders the race essentially over before it’s started. The French may well be able to draw heart from staying within touching distance of Alinghi.

Ultimately this was a battle between the team with the smallest budget (Orient Express Racing Team) and a team who broke their mast 2 days ago and had to restep a new one (Alinghi).

yachting monthly latest issue

Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Race 2 Emirates Team New Zealand Vs Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

Skippers Emirates Team New Zealand: Pete Burling & Nathan Outteridge   Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli: Jimmy Spithill & Francesco Bruni

The second race of the America’s Cup Preliminary Series was a more tantalising prospect. The last time we saw these two teams racing was in the last race of the 2021 America’s Cup, where the Kiwis bested the Italians to win the Auld Mug.

And for the first couple of minutes it looked as though the gloves were off with a bit of a fight in the startbox going the way of the Kiwis with Burling and Outteridge winning the pin end of the line and forcing the Italian’s to tack away. The Kiwis followed and from there kept a tight cover on Luna Rossa.

However, immediately after a tack, early on in the race Luna Rossa suffered an electrical issue and needed to retire, the skippers calling on the onboard comms that they had “lost the boat” before stalling.

“It must have been an electrical issue, I’m 99% sure it’s an electrical issue,” explained Bruni after the team had regained control of their boat. “It was not ideal and a little bit scary as well as we suddenly had zero control of the boat.”

What did we learn from the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Race 2?

In the end this was such a short race, it’s hard to walk away with any key pieces of information. Certainly the two boats looked pretty even for the couple of minutes of racing we saw.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli did get up and running again for the fourth and final race of the day. But the electrical gremlins will be a worry for the Italians, a total shutdown at another time could easily see the team in serious trouble.

yachting monthly latest issue

Photo: Ian Roman | America’s Cup

Race 3 INEOS Britannia Vs American Magic

Skippers INEOS Britannia: Ben Ainlsie & Dylan Fletcher American Magic: Paul Goodison & Tom Slingsby

This was probably one of the most revealing races of the day with a close fight in the opening stages between the Brits and the Americans. It would also be interesting to see how two very different designs would go with the American team opting for a very aerodynamically efficient, small hull and the Brits opting for a more muscular powerful design.

It was a pretty even affair at the start of this race, with INEOS perhaps a couple of inches ahead and just to windward out of the startline. However, American Magic demonstrated a good high mode to squeeze up to the Brits and force them to tack away early. Even with this, once the two teams came to their first cross INEOS were a boatlength ahead and to my eye looked to have a decent turn of pace upwind.

But the Americans had certainly got the geometry of the course right and one less tack on the upwind saw them take the win at the first windward gate. From there they stepped away downwind, where they looked to have a decent edge all race and never really looked back.

For his part, Ainslie did not seem impress with the performance of his team’s boat, stating: “They sailed a great race and had the legs on us for pace. We had a nice start and had the first cross but they sailed around us… we’re lacking some horsepower, so need to get the boat back to the shed and think about how we get more pace.”

On the dock after racing cyclor crew Ben Cornish added: “It was amazing conditions firstly, really really nice sailing in the boats. A decent start for us on Britannia, we were quite strong out off the line, strong at the first cross – and then I think the American boat picked up a nice bit of pressure and shift on the right, and just got nose ahead.

“As we’re starting to see here, once a boat gets strong and has the choice route it’s certainly hard to pass on the way back. I think we sailed the boat reasonably clean around the course. So baby steps, but moving in the right direction.”

What did we learn from the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Race 3?

It would be fair to walk away from this race with the view that American Magic had a slight pace advantage over the Brits. That the Americans looked a little more conservative in the manouvers may imply that they have a little more up their sleeve too.

Early data suggests that the British boat sailed around 500m further than the Americans, and being out of phase in the shifts will have set them back with a big deficit. But the biggest worry for British fans will be Ainslie’s comments at the end of the race. If genuine, they British team may be facing another uphill battle – at they did in the last AC when they needed to turn around a serious pace deficit .

yachting monthly latest issue

Photo: Job Vermeulen/America’s Cup

Race 4 Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Vs Orient Express Racing Team

Skippers Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli: Jimmy Spithill & Francesco Bruni Oreint Express Racing Team: Quentin Delapierre & Kevin Pepponet

Sometimes you have days on the water that you just want to forget about and this will be one of them for the French America’s Cup team as they dropped off the foils trying to slow themselves down coming into the start box. Having dropped off the foil they were then late into the startbox and picked up a penalty as they had in their first race.

The French team then picked up a second penalty by going out of the course boundary when trying to get foiling once again and ended up crossing the startline a good 12-13 seconds behind the Italians. As Jimmy Spithill said at the finish: “It was pretty much all over at the start.”

What did we learn from the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Race 4?

These appear to be some serious gremlins onboard the French boat with issues in the start procedure in both races and issues throughout racing with foil height. Their design – purchased from Defender Emirates Team New Zealand – looks decent in a straightline, but this small team has plenty to do to be competitive.

Luna Rossa seemed to recover from their electronics issue in their first race of the day. And although Spithill says that “It’s great to get the issue sorted now when it doesn’t count,” one imagines it would be better not to have the issue at all.

yachting monthly latest issue

Photo: Ricardo Pinto | America’s Cup

Cup TV Presentations

As much as this is a test regatta for the six America’s Cup teams it also serves as a testing ground for the America’s Cup viewing experience too.

And here, like some of the teams, there is work to do. Audio mixing was pretty poor with music and comms from the boats often drowning out the commentary and lots of missed connections when speaking to teams. Generally the audio was far from a polished experience and a long way from the production standard we saw in the 2021 America’s Cup.

There were some cute little technical details on display including a live wind graphic, which overlayed colours on the screen to correspond with wind pressure. This seems a great innovation for the unfamiliar viewer and tallied nicely with boat speed each time I saw it used. But a dearth of graphics elsewhere will need sorting.

When there are series out there like SailGP delivering such an impressive viewing spectacle, as the pinnacle of the sport the America’s Cup really should be, at the very least, at that level.

Follow all of our 2024 America’s Cup coverage

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How to improve power management on a yacht

  • August 21, 2024

Mike Morgan offers advice on how to improve power management on a yacht and preserve precious amps for those that like their home comforts

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I confess, I’m not a marine electrician, and my understanding of boat electronics is at best rudimentary, but I’ve now been managing my boat’s power generation and consumption for three seasons and have developed an approach which seems to work well. Hopefully, you will find some of the following advice useful when it comes to managing your own yacht’s energy needs.

Every boat has its own particular balance of power generation and demand, so my system may not work perfectly for you, but it might help you start managing your precious amps a lot more effectively.

My wife Debbie and I sail up to nine months a year around the Med, predominantly lying at anchor. We avoid marinas and use our generator infrequently, to help save the planet and our budget.

I won’t address power needs whilst under sail here, as it’s not relevant to our cruising profile. Clearly, if you’re taking on an Atlantic crossing , then you’ll need to consider the power demands from your navigation equipment, lights and auto pilot.

We bought our pride and joy, Spirit, a Bavaria C57, brand new in 2021, and made several upgrades in an attempt to achieve the holy grail of self-sufficiency at anchor. We opted for 800 amp hours (Ah) hours provided by lithium batteries that weigh less than a single 150Ah lead acid battery.

Because lithium offers roughly twice the capacity of lead acid, that’s equivalent to 16 100Ah lead acid batteries with a combined weight of just over a third of a ton. Given Spirit’s generous beam, we’ve been able to accommodate four 420W solar panels, giving a potential maximum of 1,680W.

yachting monthly latest issue

A few of the electrical galley appliances aboard Mike’s Bavaria C57 and the wattages that similar products might draw off your battery if you have an inverter

State of charge

The amount of electrical power you have available is all about batteries. Boat batteries are usually measured in amp hours (Ah) – the total number of amps devoured in one hour of use. So, a 120Ah battery will, theoretically, deliver 120A for one hour or 1A for 120 hours. But, of course, this is a little simplistic.

If you have lead acid batteries, you must never completely discharge them, unless you want to replace them regularly. Lead acid batteries should never be discharged below 50 per cent, so the practical Ah they really offer is half the theoretical Ah rating. In the above example, 60 hours at 1 amp would be the limit before you had to recharge the battery. Typically, the state of a battery’s charge is monitored by volts or a shunt battery monitor.

Knowing the state of charge of your batteries is critical to managing your power needs.

Article continues below…

yachting monthly latest issue

How to get your yacht home without power

Electrical systems and electronics have become such an essential part of our normal lives that it’s hard to imagine life…

yachting monthly latest issue

Everything you need to know about yacht solar power

Keeping your batteries topped up without having to run the engine is a continuous challenge for cruising sailors, especially those…

I replaced our Bavaria’s standard 240Ah of domestic lead acid batteries with 800Ah of lithium batteries. The advantage of a lithium battery is its light weight. And, unlike a lead acid battery, it can be run down to a much lower charge. The downside is that lithium batteries have been known to explode.

To avoid this, they need to be paired with a battery management system, which is best left to a professional, who knows what they are doing, to install.

yachting monthly latest issue

Oceanvolt lithium batteries aboard a Feeling 32

Charging sources

A standard ‘off the shelf’ mid-size production boat is likely to be fitted with a 60A battery charger which is used by the boat’s generator, if it has one, or when shore power is plugged in. The engine will also have an alternator which will typically produce between 35 and 60A of charge, depending on the size of the engine.

Assuming a 60A charge source, the batteries will receive 60A of charge in one hour. So, to put it very simplistically, if you have, as I do, 800Ah of lithium batteries and they are at 50 per cent, to charge them up to capacity would take 6.6 hours (400 amps divided by the charging source of 60 amps equals 6.6 hours).

Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as that. For example, there are various charging states – bulk, absorption and trickle (also known as maintenance or float) – and different types of batteries with different ratings, but I have kept it as simple as possible here for the purposes of explanation.

If you don’t have shore power (when at anchor, for instance), or don’t have a generator, the alternative is to run your engine for six hours under light load, which is not good for the engine and won’t win you many friends nearby who are trying to relax and enjoy a peaceful sundowner.

yachting monthly latest issue

Mike’s customised electrical control panel

Battery charger

Increasing the size of your battery charger will speed up the process of charging from both a generator and shore power. I opted to fit a 120A charger and a 3kW inverter for my 240V appliances. There is always the option to beef up the engine alternator to feed a hungry family of batteries, but again, this means the boat engine needs to run for prolonged periods of time.

The 9kW Paguro 9000 generator I fitted produces a lot more power than we ever need. The generator powers both the 240V ‘ring main’ and the battery charger. However, the battery charging will be limited by the power rating of the charger, which in my case is 120A.

yachting monthly latest issue

Four solar panels on Spirit’s stern arch produce a maximun 1,600W

Renewable energy

Renewable energy for boats is either wind, hydro or solar. I opted for solar on a custom-made stern arch. I fitted four 400W panels, which produce a theoretical maximum output of 1,600W at 12V or, in amp speak, 133A.

Like lithium batteries, the voltage and charge from solar panels needs to be managed, so each panel is equipped with an MPPT (maximum power point tracking) controller to ensure the batteries are getting the right amount of charge when the sun is shining. The next conundrum was to get all this in perfect balance based on the boat’s power consumption.

yachting monthly latest issue

The stern arch was custom-built to support the solar panels

Background noise

I started by building a spreadsheet to calculate the various power ratings of my many onboard electrical appliances. However, this isn’t simple as you must calculate the power demand of each appliance, estimate how long you will run it for, and when you will run it.

You then need to map this over time to calculate a theoretical power demand and how much power you need to be generated. Estimating the power output from my solar panels alone became a headache: calculating the assumed number of ‘sunny’ daylight hours, the angle of the sun, solar panel efficiency, and when the next solar eclipse would be! So, like all people with limited brain capacity, I gave up.

I decided, instead, to take a more pragmatic approach. The first thing I did was to measure the ‘background noise’ of my boat; that is, the power being consumed whilst at anchor and not running any major appliances.

It turned out to be around 200A, which is very high; but then I do have three fridges, a deep freeze and more internal lighting than Blackpool Illuminations.

The time it takes to recharge my batteries once the sun has dragged itself up to the right angle differs dramatically based on which way the boat is lying. If my stern is exposed to the sunny side my batteries will fill to the brim in a few hours. However, if my bow is facing the sun, it takes a lot longer.

On an average day, we are at 100 per cent by midday or early afternoon, leaving a good four or five hours of surplus power generation for running more critical systems.

yachting monthly latest issue

Air-con is a battery power ‘killer’

We have a lot of power consuming paraphernalia on board, for example the kettle, coffee maker, hair dryer, microwave oven, and so on, but I ignore these when it comes to power management as they are used randomly and are never on for long.

However, we do have several appliances that are critical to our power management, including a washing machine, water maker, ice maker and water heater. All of these have high demand and can run for long periods of time. I also have air-conditioning which can be run off the inverter, but I prefer to use fans and open hatches to keep the temperature tolerable when we are at anchor. Air-con is a battery power killer and is best left to when shore power is connected or the generator is running.

yachting monthly latest issue

Our Bavaria came with a built-in utility room, so we decided to fit a full-sized washer-dryer, which has proven to be our favourite upgrade.

For this equipment I simply use a rota and allocate a specific day to run either water production, laundry, ice making or water heating. We do laundry once a week without using the drying function and relying instead on nature’s outside dryer, which does tend to lower the tone of an idyllic anchorage.

The water maker produces 60 litres an hour and I typically run it for around four hours, which will then keep us going for several days. I fit in ice-making and heating the water at other times.

Having guests on board who insist on having a shower every time they go for a dip off the swimming platform requires the water maker to be run most days. Inevitably under these circumstances I lose the battle of consumption versus generation and will need to resort to running the generator.

yachting monthly latest issue

We chose a Schenker Smart 60-litre-per-hour, 12V water maker rated at 20A, which enables free freshwater production all day long thanks to Spirit’s cluster of four solar panels.

I always delay this until my battery charge is showing 30 per cent or less in the morning. At that point I will run the generator for three to four hours, which is enough to get my batteries back up to around 70-80 per cent, and then let the solar panels take over.

When I run the generator, I take advantage of the surplus power it produces by running as many devices as possible: I make water, run the air-con and heat water. Never waste any of those precious amps! I find that I run the generator, on average, every eight to 10 days when we’re on our own and every four to five days when we have guests.

yachting monthly latest issue

Batteries can be easily distributed around a yacht

Before increasing the capacity of your service battery bank you need to calculate your total power requirement by multiplying the amperage of all the equipment by the period of time it will be run over a charge cycle (usually 24hrs).

Tally up the amp hours and then double the result (to allow for not going below 50 per cent of your charge capacity). Then add another 20 per cent to ensure you will always have enough to spare.

If you already have separate engine start and service batteries but want to add further service batteries, they should all be of the same age, type and capacity (Ah rating) to the first. It’s best to create your service bank from a number of smaller batteries and then link them together to achieve the total voltage and capacity you require.

If you’re planning to install a large bank (500Ah or more), it is often better to use 6V cells for this as these allow a large deep-cycling bank to be created, while still having the ability to move them around easily or distribute them evenly over a greater area.

yachting monthly latest issue

Create an improved service bank by connecting a number of smaller batteries

Stay in charge

Once you’ve decided on the battery type, make sure you have enough charging power to fully charge them between cycles. As a rough guide you will need to be able to bulk-charge the bank at a minimum of 10 per cent of its rated capacity (ie. 20A for a 200Ah battery).

However, 20 per cent is a better figure to aim for if you’re looking to fully recharge over one night in a marina. Modern AGM (absorbent glass mat) style batteries can usually take a greater charge than wet lead-acid type, although gel cells require a more particular regime if they are not to be damaged.

Chargers (both mains and alternator regulators) should be of the multi-stage type, with bulk, absorb and float stages. This allows the batteries to be rapidly charged until they reach around 90 per cent charge, then the charge voltage drops to attain the final part of the charge more slowly, keeping temperature (and hence internal resistance) down, and eliminating gassing.

yachting monthly latest issue

A smart battery monitor will allow you see your state of charge and remaining capacity

Temperature noticeably affects a battery’s ability to give out and absorb charge. The colder a battery gets, the greater the power required to charge it fully. For this reason, always fit a charger or regulator with a temperature sensor that will automatically compensate for these differences.

Most power devices produce a trickle charge, and are used to keep the engine battery topped up. However, if you’re planning to install a powerful (5A+) wind or water generator, or a large solar array, then you’ll need to install some sort of voltage regulator to prevent overcharging. This can vary, from a small solid-state switch for small solar panels, to a large dump resistor that dissipates excess charge from a wind generator through heating up a wire-wound resistor.

Monitoring your batteries

The easiest way to ensure your batteries are kept in tip-top condition is to observe their state of charge every day you’re on board, using a modern ‘smart’ battery monitor. This will give you a real-time display of the current going in and out, the state of charge (SOC), and the remaining capacity available. They also often have alarms to warn you when the voltage is dropping dangerously low, or if too high a charge is being applied.

A rough idea of the SOC can be attained using a voltmeter, but this is not particularly accurate and can indicate a false condition when recently charged or under a heavy load. It’s far better to install a monitor that has a shunt, which measures current flow over time and can calculate the available charge capacity remaining much more precisely.

yachting monthly latest issue

Hydrogenerators, like this Remoran Wave 3, will quickly recharge a yacht’s batteries underway

Optimising solar power

The efficiency of solar panels can be compromised by saltwater and long-term exposure to UV and high temperatures. Good regular maintenance will improve a solar panel’s performance.

Clean your solar panels early in the morning, while they are at their coolest, as cleaning them when they are warm or exposed to direct sunlight can cause internal thermal stresses.

Use distilled or deionized water to avoid the formation of mineral stains or deposits on the surface of the panels, and avoid using harsh chemicals or abrasive solvents that could scratch the photovoltaic cells. Let the panels air-dry or use soft cloths, and make sure no water residue is left. Check regularly for cracks, breaks or loose connections.

Hydrogenerators

Hydrogeneration has become a great deal more efficient in recent years. It’s a very simple concept: the yacht’s motion through the water turns an alternator on the transom-mounted hydrogenerator which generates electricity to recharge the boat’s batteries. Achieving 300Ah each day is a realistic expectation when cruising at 7-8 knots.

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Oceanvolt’s High Power ServoProp 25 electric saildrive

Main prop regeneration

You can also use your main propeller to ‘regenerate’ electricity whilst under sail by using a parallel hybrid propulsion system where an electric motor is installed alongside the engine. Lynch Motors in Devon has supplied its systems to Vendée Globe boats for years, purely as a re-generator, and now produces a Red Snapper electric motor for cruising yachts.

The only problem with a regeneration system is that the pitch required for the propeller to drive the boat efficiently through the water may not always be the same as the pitch for optimum regeneration. Manufacturers have tackled this in different ways.

Oceanvolt has developed its ServoProp for saildrives, which electronically adjusts its pitch depending on speed and function. The latest incarnation allows total 360° blade mobility and faces forwards, increasing efficiency: at six knots, it produces an eye-watering 1kW of power.

Bruntons has another solution with the cleverly engineered Autoprop, which automatically pitches up to match the boat speed. Its Ecostar version of the prop can generate 200W at five knots and up to 1kW at 10 knots when connected to an electric motor.

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