RS : regattaseiling, RC: Russell Coutts
RS: With the sailing in Cascais a lot is put into practice. Are you happy with what you have seen and done so far?
RC: Yes very happy. There is still a lot to be improved and developed but so far so good!!
RS: The athletic side of the sailing these AC45 have been highlighted. How would you describe the work your crew and yourself are doing to push these boats to the max?
RC: We are working on the timing and coordination of various maneuvers. They are very physical boats to sail properly. If you don't work hard and push them hard you will go slower. Even the stacking out is tough- a bit like sailing a laser or Finn! And it makes a huge difference.
RS: I have read feedbacks after the two days that has passed. Most of them include me are positive. How is this for you personally?
RS: The regatta so far has been very positive. The tv guys have had a few wee thing problems such as with the new tv graphics package but hopefully that will be sorted tomorrow!
RS: Dean Barker is quick. He has picked up multihullsailing fast. How would you describe you former pupil?
RC: Yes Dean and the others at TNZ are going well. Not surprising as they are good sailors. Many people assume multihull sailing is entirely different but at the end of the day it's still sailing. Although in these boats you have less time to consider the options!!! In other words, a bit tougher for the old guys!!
RS: Fleet racing is one thing. The skills in the AC45 are rather different than in monohulls. How will the match starts be?
RC: Match racing starts will be quite similar ( in terms of strategy) to monohulls only it will happen a lot faster!! The pre-start sequence is only 2 minutes. We enter the start box as per the traditional entry and if port tack mis-times the entry or approaches at the wrong angle (and is therefore not flying the hull) then they will get dialed up, be controlled and in all sorts of trouble. In other words, the starts will be pretty tricky with not much margin for error. One big change is we will be starting on a reach which puts an emphasis on timing the approach to the line perfectly...or at least pretty close to perfect! Obviously if one boat is doing 25 and the other 18 (at the start) then the faster boat will get the jump. I must say, match racing these things is a lot cooler than I thought it would be. Jimmy and I were practicing starts today- and we both have plenty to work on. Russell
