The last challenger to show his cards
The last challenger to present its boat, the French challenge led by Stephan Kandler raised the curtain on its AC75. Built in Vannes and brought to Barcelona by truck, she underwent two months of preparation, out of sight in her Spanish base.
Built in 9 months by a team of up to 65 people, it was in the early hours of late May 2024 that the large 75-foot hull made its first trip out of the French base. It's still too early to go sailing, but the aim is to carry out a static test of the one-design rig. Hydraulic foils and other systems will also be tested.
A design pack inspired by the New Zealand Defender
Team Orient Express has acquired a design pack from Emirates Team Zealand, a kind of collaboration between the two teams on data sharing and architectural research. The French AC75 therefore shares many features with the New Zealand foiler, which has been sailing since mid-April.
While the similarities may appear numerous, Team France assures us that an additional level of research has been developed. Nearly 46,000 hours of work were required to complete the project in a very short space of time.
A first navigation
If all the tests are conclusive, Team Orient Express will then carry out a first towed navigation behind a support boat, to validate the flight procedures.
This will be followed by the first sails. A moment eagerly awaited by Quentin Delapierre and the entire team behind the French project.
