“It went well,” Simmer said. “We went out a little bit jury rigged, but it was still a valuable day for us. As we’re limited to 30 days of sailing between now and February 1, we want to get as much out of each day on the water as we can.” The boat was sailing for the first time since August 31 when testing was cut short due to daggerboard failure in the starboard hull. Temporary daggerboards were used during today’s exercises.
“We had a great day out there today – we ticked through all of the sails in the morning, and in the afternoon we concentrated on the wing,” said helmsman Jimmy Spithill. “We have a list of things to work on now, but it was a very good day and fantastic to get the boat back out on the water.”
The sailors’ attention now turns back to training on the AC45s in preparation for the upcoming America’s Cup World Series in San Francisco from October 2-7. The crews will be sailing on the AC45s throughout the week.