The INEOS Britannia LEQ12 (T6) returned to the Bay of Palma for their ongoing commissioning process.
With Ben Ainslie busy with the SailGP event in Singapore this weekend (14-15 January) the Great Britain America’s Cup team sailors are rotating onboard T6 and looking better and better as the programme progresses.
Tuesday’s helmsmen were Giles Scott in the port trench with Ben Cornish in the starboard, and who did a pretty spectacular job for a first time helming an LEQ12.
Speaking afterwards Cornish acknowledged the hours spent in the simulator saying: “Once you’re locked in and in the groove it’s all very as expected…a lot of simulator time trains you up for this and nothing really comes as a surprise at that stage.”
Leigh MacMillan, one of the world’s top Flight Controllers was aided onboard by Bleddyn Mon who is a vital link between the design and sail teams . . . he was previously on mainsheet control at Auckland in 2021.
Both controllers achieved stable, low flight as they put it through the hefty commissioning and de-bugging process.
Pop ups were decent and as the breeze abated off the top wind strengths – 18 knot gusts – the stability of the platform increased but the team looked very comfortable with the J3 jib up in the heavier conditions for its first break-out in this campaign.
As the weather front gradually dissipated, there was no option but to change up for the big J1-1 jib in order to try and eke the maximum out of the five hour session much aided by fast 22-knot tow-ups from the chase boat team.
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