With a 7am start off the mooring today, thermal underwear and knits caps were the most popular items of team kit this morning. As the days get shorter, even San Diego’s perpetual sunshine can’t remove the morning chill from the air.
The guys tested some soft sails today taking a look at code zeros and gennakers for use with the hard wing sail configuration. “We had a good look at the sails and some nice upwind sailing today,” said Simeon Tienpont (NED).
Later in the day, the bowsprit broke, bringing the day’s testing to a close. “It’s frustrating to break gear but we would rather break it now,” Simeon said. “We are still finding the limits on this boat and breakages are part of that process. We are all learning together. Tomorrow we will get back at it.”
Meanwhile for one of the lead wing designers, Joseph Ozanne (FRA), the aeronautical engineer had his first day on board with the wing sail. “It was really good to be on board with the trimmers and understand their point of view as the end-users of this design. This link between the designers and sailors allows us to continually improve our performance. And for me personally, it’s always a great day when I have the chance to get on board – even though it was a bit cold today.”
