A long-term technological challenge, the America’s Cup has often been known for its intelligence wars between teams. But this year, the New Zealand organizers have set up an official spying system.
The days of divers studying ships’ hulls in more detail, of discreet repairs at night, of painting to camouflage damage and of stealing documents are definitely over.
For this 37th edition, the spies are still here in Barcelona to try to uncover the secrets of the most technological sailboats in the world. But they are advancing in the open with a camera around their neck and an accreditation bearing the inscription “Recon”.
“I’m here on reconnaissance, at the request of the other teams, to take pictures of the French challenge boat and see if they have installed new parts,” explained Barcelona’s Jose Pinyana, former coach of the Spanish Olympic sailing team and one of the twelve accredited spies of the program, to AFP in June on the occasion of the launching of the AC75 Orient Express.
This supervised spying was put in place by the defending champion Team New Zealand to avoid the dangerous situations created during the previous edition in Auckland, when several follower boats nearly sank by sticking too closely to one of the boats.
These new rules provide that each competitor can request a photo or video report focusing on another challenge as soon as the boat is on the water or out of the hangar.
– Precise rules –
Although paranoia is still rife on the pontoons, as the slightest piece of information is worth its weight in gold concerning these machines developed over four years, the measure has avoided “quite a few headaches” for management, acknowledges Bruno Dubois, director of the French challenge.
“The teams have always spent a lot of energy observing each other, it’s part of the game. We try to look at the way the boats manoeuvre, how they are designed, to know if we are going down the wrong path,” he explains.
“The advantage is that now a team does it for us,” he says, amused.
The cherry on the cake is that two members of the spy team, a technician and a sailor, are then required to answer specific questions requested by the other teams.
“These are not the easiest interviews in the world,” confesses José Pinyana. “If you ask a closed question, you can expect a short answer.”
– “Technological challenge” –
All the content it produces is then uploaded to a server accessible by the teams. During a reconnaissance, it cannot approach within 25 meters of the boat on land and within 200 meters on the water.
Little by little, these precise rules helped to relax the atmosphere between the teams and the “recons”, some even being offered packed lunches before going to sea.
“The fines are heavy if we don’t play the game,” explains naval architect Benjamin Muyl, head of design for the French team. “We did what was asked of us, nothing more. The Cup remains a technological challenge,” he says.
For fans, this spy program is also a real boon. The AC75 outings were all broadcast on YouTube and fans were able to watch the majestic flights of their favorite sailboat from their sofa.
fd/bde
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