Blue skies, flat water, temperate air and a light breeze that barely registered above 8 knots made Saturday afternoon in Barcelona a tricky prospect for Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s continued commissioning of BoatOne. In conditions that would have been un-sailable in ‘BoatZero’, they made the best of it in the AC75 they’ve internally nicknamed as the ‘Batmobile’ that certainly appears to have all the firepower of its comic creation.
Light, nimble and very responsive, Alinghi Red Bull Racing was towed around the immediate vicinity off the harbour, looking for breeze lines and when they came it was easy-flight that was achieved with a dial into the wind and the boat popping on her large foils, staying up for extended periods over the three-hour session. One observation is just how bow-down she looks in flight whereas with the Italians and Kiwis the bow profile barely skims the water. The chine was certainly in evidence today and seems a logical addition for the sailing profile. It will be interesting to see how she goes in wind and sea-state
